I can't actually get mad at the idea that JT's hands are more conventionally attractive than Madonna's.

Me neither. But I'm probably already a "bad" feminist for other reasons...

Good lord. Doing an inventory of untidiness is a great motivator to clean.

I was about to say -- in the time that it took you to write that out you could have cleared half of the stuff

(contemplates how "helping" others makes me feel better about my own dining room table, with has about 4 suit jackets, a pile of mail, some magazines/catalogues, and various other detritus)

I was about to say -- in the time that it took you to write that out you could have cleared half of the stuff

But writing it out was perversely fun!

Liese, what I've done it make two 3-ring binders. One is just tabs for each month; one is tabs for specific stuff like house, medical, taxes, car, insurance, student loans, etc.

What I'm TRYING to do is all the bill that come in gets put in the month they are due. Then I will toss them (like electricity, etc) when they are paid. Stuff that doesn't get paid at the end of the month, leave in month (if it's like a utility, something we're broke and need to pay the next month) or if it's a medical bill or some such, put in that tab in the other folder.

Also, all stuff like car payments, informational things applying to specififc topics will go either in that tab. Things like paid invoices when we got the faucet worked on will go in the House tab, for example, and then in December, I can file it all in the big cabinet, if appropriate, or shred it.

Like I said, work in progress. But I do like the binders, because I can leaf through it and find stuff easily.

I get all paper mail (and school papers) processed into the recycling ASAP. Papers come in and sit on the DR table and get dealt with every day. Things that can't be recycled right off the bat go into various places - catalog box (new catalog in, old one out to recycling), coupon clip (only for coupons we have any likelihood of actually using), "current papers" pile which is on the DR table and basically contains stuff that need to be dealt with within the week. I check this little pile daily when I do process the incoming papers. I have a basket for anything to keep longer term and go through it about once a month and file things, and bills to be paid go on top of the desk and get paid ASAP and back out the door (though most are online).

We're STILL drowning in paper, mostly due to the kids.

msbelle, try mint.com. Free, and easy; we moved from Quicken.

I tend to throw all my mail, apart from stuff like books, dvds and such, into my napsack and deal with all of it at work during down time (including paying my bills). We have a shredder in every copy room, as well as a locked bin for volume shredding/recycling, so it's just easier than dealing with it at home.

I must say, though I don't enjoy paying bills, I enjoy my bills being paid (after several years of stretching the due dates to near breaking point), so I like staying on top of them as much as possible and ASAP.

I recycle the stuff that doesn't need to be filed. And then I don't file the stuff that needs to be filed. I'm trying.

Blessings on the Turks for inventing coffee.

Huh. I thought coffee was first discovered by the Ethiopians. Not sure who came up with brewing it, however.

I had like 3 other things to say, but I don't remember what they were. My brain is gooey.

I recycle the stuff that doesn't need to be filed. And then I don't file the stuff that needs to be filed. I'm trying.

Hey, that's our system too. Plus we collect old New Yorkers like hoarders.

I try to keep a trash bag right by the table, so that I can toss junk mail immediately. Catalogs get moved to the bedroom for perusing when I have a few minutes. Bills go into my briefcase to get paid when I'm at work. (unfortunately paid bills come back home to get filed and end up back on the table).