Ugh! Mail. When I was a kid, I used to look forward to it - a postcard from my grandmother or letter from my summer camp buddy. Seems these days we never get anything good in the mail (OK, with the exception of an occasional Let’s Dish! coupon). And the pure quantity of mail creates a tremendous clutter problem for my family.

If our tips from organizers are any indication, we’re not alone. Come on, admit it… there’s a secret place in your kitchen that’s like a junk mail science experiment… leave it alone for a few days and watch how it’s grown!

Here are two of my favorite tips… one to help you organize your mail, and the other to keep you from getting so much in the first place!

Open your mail every day, unfold letters, staple separate pages together, put envelopes and inserts you won’t read anyway into the recycling bin immediately, and stack the rest neatly. Even if you are too tired/distracted/time-strapped to read and deal with it all immediately, it will be greatly reduced in volume and neater for when you ARE ready.
- Jane Campbell of Back In Sort Organizing Systems, LLC

Go to www.optoutprescreen.com and sign up to prohibit companies from sending you credit card offers. This not only decreases the amount of junk mail you receive, but also protects you from identity theft.
- Kathryn Warden, The Art of Order, LLC