The Process of Going Paperless While at Home – How many pieces of paper are on your working desk, maybe some other in your resting room? Do you keep receipts for future references? Many documents around you, and you do not know how to deal with them. It’s past time to finally go paperless at home.
The Process of Going Paperless While at Home
I know what you’re thinking, “What’s the big deal? My mom still uses a typewriter!” but how old is your mom, anyway? And this paper writing company is for everyone, not just seniors with failing eyes who can’t see computer screens. Paperless at home will save you money and trees!
Register for e-statements from your bank
If you never log in to your bank website, then you’re not seeing all of the options available to you. Some banks offer the option of e-statements. You can choose this option and avoid getting any paper statements mailed to you. It includes no paper checks or money orders either. The only way you’ll get any of your paper statements is if you log in to the website.
The best option is to opt-in for online statements instead of paper statements. If you prefer paper, then be sure that you always get a paper statement with your monthly statement at the end of the month. For every month after that, just make sure to go online and request that the next month’s statement be e-mailed to you. Remember to sign up for a new service each time this happens.
When you log in, make sure that you select to receive e-statements. If this option isn’t there, then look for a tab or another section that may have an option to change how your account statements are delivered or sign up for them.
You can also opt out of receiving paper checks by logging into your bank’s website and changing the account settings.
Acquire digital apps for paying your bills
If you haven’t already, it’s time to go paperless with bill pay. Most companies offer an online option for paying bills. All you have to do is log into your account and select pay a bill. You’ll need the account numbers and due dates of the bills you want to make a payment on. Then, just click on each bill and enter the amount to be paid. You can also enter a reminder date so that you’ll be reminded each month to make the payment.
Digitize your signature
With the rise in popularity of electronic payments, you’ll want to digitize your signature. The only time you’ll ever need a paper copy of your signature is if you have to sign something that requires your physical signature. It includes things like driver’s licenses, car titles, etc. Save your signature as a PDF and keep it backed up on your computer. This way, you can access it without having to worry about printing it out.
Go paperless by scanning and purging all your old paper clutter
This step is simple but take your time. Go through all of your paper and your spouse’s and/or children’s paper clutter and separate it into piles. If this takes more than two hours to do, you need to work on going paperless at home more often. Get rid of all of the bills or statements that are current or older than six months.
Scrap all of the paper, including the following:
- All paper clutter that doesn’t have a current or future due date (e.g., ticket stubs, photos, notes, etc.)
- All comments related to bills (e.g., deductions, transactions, etc.)
- All bills or statements that are older than six months (e.g., old utility bills)
- All statements or bills that have been paid (e.g., a statement from a bank thanking you for the payment)
We recommend shredding all of your paper, especially if it’s six months old or older. If you don’t know how to do this, then check out our guide to learning how to shred credit cards and paper checks in the next step.
Acquire a shredder and learn how to use it
A paper shredder is a must for any business or family that has multiple members. Some people have been known to forget about their shredded documents (e.g., the person who put a hard drive in the shredder). This mistake could end up ruining your life if you’re not careful, so please don’t do it!
First, you’ll need to do some research on what type of paper shredder you should get. The most common type is a cross-cut shredder, which shreds everything into small strips. The greatest benefit of cross-cut shredders is that it’s very hard to reconstruct any documents once the shredder has completed its job.
You’ll need to get a cross-cut shredder that comes with a basket that holds up to 40 sheets of paper. For now, we recommend getting the smallest model with only a 3/32″ (2mm) aperture. You can always upgrade later if you need to.
Unsubscribe from unwanted snail mail
This is the easiest way to avoid the clutter that is caused by unnecessary paper. If you don’t want to receive junk mail, then there’s no reason why you should receive it in your mailbox. Opt-out of catalogs, credit card offers, and any other marketing mail that you don’t want. You can opt out online or on paper, but choose the online method.
Conclusion
All you have to do now is follow these tips for The Process of Going Paperless While at Home, and you’ll be ready for the big step: going paperless at home. There’s no reason you shouldn’t be doing this already, but make it a priority in the new year. You’ll thank yourself in a few months when your paper clutter has been reduced to nothing.
