Dear FlyLady,

We have a beautiful hinged wooden box that sits on a shelf in the kitchen. Anything having to do with household finances is placed in this box throughout the week (bills to pay, receipts, subscription renewal notices, whatever). Every Sunday I sit down* and first reconcile my Quicken file to my on-line bank records. This is key for me since both my husband and I have been independently using our credit/debit cards all week. I then go through the paperwork in the bill-box, tossing receipts I don’t need and separating out bills that need to be paid (now or later).

For bill paying, I have one file folder marked “To Pay” and a second marked “Paid”.

I go through the “To Pay” file and pay bills using my bank’s online service.
Most regular bills I have set up for auto pay, and keep a schedule of when
these are paid on the inside left side of my “To Pay” folder. As bills are paid, either manually or by auto pay, I note the date paid and place that invoice into the “Paid” folder. I only keep one billing cycle in the “Paid” folder in case there is a problem or miscommunication. When I put the most current paid bill in the “Paid” folder, I find and toss the previous one.

This keeps my working statements to a minimum. Exceptions are property tax
statements which I put into my “Current Tax” file after payment. Home
improvement receipts are kept in an alpha accordion file by vendor. I only
keep the most recent declaration page for insurance policies with the policy.  These are all set up for monthly auto pay. I try to receive as many statements online as possible, print the emailed statement when it arrives, put it in my “To Pay” file, and then delete the email.

*I treat myself to a mimosa for this Sunday task, which makes it more of a pleasant interlude. May not be for everyone, but works for me!

Part of my morning routine is to walk through the main living areas of our
house and gather up paper to go in the recycle and neatly stack books we are
currently reading. I also fold the blankets we have used in the cooler evening, and pick up stray shoes and hats that seem to drop off us as we move through the house. That takes only a few minutes and significantly reduces the clutter in my home.

Take care,
Deb

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FlyLady here:

Treating yourself for keeping your paper clutter tamed is a great idea! I’m so proud of Deb for loving herself enough to do this.

It Gets Rid of the Silk

Dear FlyLady,

I don’t know if this idea has been posted using the Rubba Scubba, but I needed a brush to get the silk from fresh ears of corn out of the garden.

A light bulb idea came to mind and I quickly grabbed the Rubba Scubba. It took a little practice but soon discovered that by running water over the corn and gently scrubbing the corn the silk came right off!!

A chore made easy!!

A FlyBaby from Louisiana.