What is it about the kitchen that seems to be a magnet for loose papers, coupons and unidentified (hey, where did that come from?!) papers? Hi, Susan here from Organized 31 with a 10 minute, under $5, solution for organizing papers on your kitchen counters!
Do you have a pile of papers in your kitchen that looks like this? I did and it was driving me crazy (and taking up valuable counter space).
All you need to tame and organize those papers is two of these 2-sided poly pocket folders, some decorative tape and a label maker or Sharpie. The 2-sided pocket folders are the key. They hold lots of paper in a small contained space. Having 4 different folders just seems to add to the clutter, but having 2 folders (that can hold 4 different categories) is manageable in my busy kitchen and family of 5.
You can label the folders with what works best for your family, but I’ve found these 4 categories to work well for us:
- Coupons – Any restaurant or other coupons that I don’t carry in my purse.
- Menus & Info – Restaurant menus and other resource sheets, like homeowners association contact numbers.
- Action & Bills – School forms that need to be filled out and bills to be paid.
- Hold – Items from the Action & Bills category that I need to hold onto for a short time period, like the school field trip information form (after I’ve filled out the permission form and sent it back to the school).
Place your labels on the folders so that they work best for your family. I placed the Coupons and Menus & Info labels on one folder with the Hold and Action & Bills on the other folder, because when I take complete the Action & Bills paperwork, they often are then filed in the Hold section. Next sort your pile of papers into your categories and file them into your folders.
Voila! In about 10 minutes you’ve organized that unruly pile of papers that’s been clogging up your kitchen counter. Once you’ve established your folder system, it will take you minutes each day to file your papers into the two folders and keep your kitchen organized and neat.
You’ll have freed up more counter space in your kitchen and will be able to find just the paper you need when you need it.
Susan
For more great organizing ideas from Susan check out these helpful posts.
Tips for Setting Up and Organizing a Temporary Kitchen
How to Reorganize Your Kitchen
Ok the organizing papers tip is SO simple – HOW could I have not thought of that before!? Definitely have to do that TODAY – stuff keeps getting lost on there, lol! Thanks for sharing!