Consider taking the time to change all of your account and rewards card statements to the paperless option. It will take some patience, and make sure that you keep your passwords to all the various websites in a secure location (like a password protected file on your smart-phone or computer). Also, I recommend creating a folder in your web browser favorites named finances or the like. Then bookmark all the sites where you receive statements.

Of course it is not advisable to make a sheet of paper that says passwords and leave it on your home office wall, though I have literally seen this in the past.

Advantages:

Throw out fewer envelopes / trash each week

Some institutions even reward you for going paperless

Emails will never get lost or stolen in the mail like envelopes

Reduce your financial institutions burden, thus helping you in the long run with reduced fees.

Eliminate the need to buy another ugly filing cabinet

Finally, save time, let’s do the math –

Estimate 2 minutes per envelope of opening, examining, trashing and filing

12 statements/yr x 10 different accounts x 2 min/statement = 240 min/ yr

Take back those 4 hours and do something more fun than sorting mail for the rest of 2010 and beyond

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