F.A.T.

So I am a bit fluffy but F.A.T. has nothing to do with my body weight.  I am however working on that (the fluffiness) and F.A.T. for that matter.

Hayden says to me yesterday, "Mom, when we go to the parade next Saturday can we bring some snacks?"  "What kind of snacks do you want to bring?", I respond.  He says, "Like carrots, broccoli and white broccoli (cauliflower)."  And I say, "Of course!"  That's my boy! 

But F.A.T. in this form means something far different.  We moved, if you didn't know a couple weeks back and as I have been going through our stuff I have found one thing that has been consistent.  We have A LOT of paper.  Now I am not a hoarder by any means but I  will be the first to admit we have A LOT of paper that we probably have no need for.  A lot of misc mail.  Old magazines that I probably will never refer back to even though I saved them thinking I would.  Old birthday cards.  Christmas cards.  You name it. 

Therefore I am starting with this new acronym that I ran across in one of my magazines (ironic huh?  a new magazine not an old saved one) where one of their contributors used the term F.A.T. for:

File--important documents

Action---bills to be paid, letters/requests to respond to

Toss--junk mail, solicitations, old magazines, flyers,etc

for paperwork, mail, etc....But make sure to shred anything with personal information.  And some of the important documents that you keep should include tax returns and receipts for AT least 3 years and maybe even longer depending on your own situation.  Visit the IRS website for specific situations where you should keep them longer.

I have a bin by the door now where I am throwing all the paper into and will purge or F.A.T at least once a week so not to get the better of me.  I figure by doing it this way it won't be so overwhelming and I won't misplace important documents (which I have been known to do unfortunately) or miss deadlines.


How do you do away with paper clutter?

Source