Get Organized Day 7 | New Mail Center

Remember my cluttered kitchen counters? Well part of the problem was that the mail came in, and it had no where else to go. What do you do with your bills and other paperwork that needs more attention? Well, here is my answer.

I combined my mail center (which didn’t really exist before) with the family calendar. I included a hanging organizer with space for file folders. It’s divided into two pockets, so my husband has room for his mail as well. I put three folders in my pocket. “New” for new mail (duh). “Needs Attention” is for bills and things like permission forms that need to be addressed sooner rather than later. And “Reference” is for things like the school handbook or the recycling calendar. Jason hasn’t labeled his folders yet, but he will.

This is what it looks like with things in it. I clipped the family’s calendar to the front. I filled in the dates with all the things we have going on: dance classes, school closures, holidays, birthdays, parties, vacations, field trips, you know how it goes. The calendar goes through next summer, so I feel like I can really plan ahead.

Above the mail folders and calendar is a week-long dry erase calendar that I will use to plan meals and grocery lists. And the whole mail center is located right in the kitchen, next to the fridge and beside the garage door. It’s actually right across my narrow kitchen from the formerly messy telephone counter. This entire center moves all the paper off the counter and makes me organize as soon as it comes in the house. It’s a good first step, and I’ve noticed a difference in the counter tops already.

So tell me, do you have a mail center? How do you organize your space?