Go Paperless

Passwords? I thought we were talking about paperwork. The thing with paperwork is that while the paper disappears, the information doesn't, and it's hidden behind all these electronic walls. Electronic walls mean logins, which means passwords, which used to mean dozens of sticky notes scribbled with usernames to shuffle around.

If you have a single office area, a paper book might work for you. Remember that this IS more paper, and it IS something else to lose or leave behind. Since I have iDevices, I use mSecure to keep track of credit card numbers and contact info, social security numbers, logins, etc. It features categories for your records, email backup and restore, and a self-destruct feature in case someone attempts too many incorrect passwords. I have this available on my iPhone, which is always with me.

If you don't think you'll have a lot of passwords and your email is secure, you can have usernames and passwords emailed to you. Then keep them in a separate folder or special Gmail label.

The process for going paperless with credit card statements is two-fold, and more urgent than going paperless with some other systems. Since late payments can affect your credit score, you need to add a calendar component to your credit card processing system. Otherwise, a payment date can easily come and go and you may totally forget. That's an expensive thing to forget!

The first step in going paperless with your credit card (CC) statements is to sign up for an online account management system. Right away when you sign up, enter your CC and login details in your password system. That's one less Post-It note floating around.

Then second step is to enter a note in your calendar to check and pay your balance a week before the bill is due. I personally check it once per week, since we don't put more on our cards than we can pay off right away. Twice per month is good to keep spending under control, but definitely be sure to log on once before each statement is due.

NOW you can opt-out of paper statements.

If your bank offers electronic statements, opt for those instead of paper ones. If the bank doesn't archive statements (mine only allows access for 30 days), upload a copy to your cloud office. Scan or shred old statements you can't access electronically.

Once you've signed up for online access (and entered your login details in your password keeper), stop paper statements. Edward Jones, for example, has a wonderful electronic account system for clients. There's no need for paper records.

For W2 employees, see if you can access payment history online through your employer. If not, the HR department will likely have access to any previous pay stubs you want to reference, or see if they'll send you a PDF copy, rather than a paper statement. You can also look into direct deposit to avoid more paper to deal with and a delay in getting paid.

First, Google your home and electronic appliances to see if a PDF manual is available. If so, save it to your cloud office and recycle your paper manual. If it's available online, but not as a PDF, copy and paste the info into a word document or reference the web link.

My husband was a financial advisor for 13 years before going back to nursing school. We recently found his box of "I love me" plaques, as he called them. Not sure what to do with old certificates and awards? Scan them to keep the memory, then discard the weight.

I had gotten into the habit of just tossing mine. I wish I had scanned them. The awards are no longer relevant, but it would be fun to be able to look back and see what I did in high school.

In less than five years I generated a 14 foot stack of training materials through my time as a firefighter, HazMat and special rescue tech, and EMT. I was able to request PowerPoint files from instructors and find nationally recognized training programs as PDFs online, and reduce that stack by 7 feet. Copying the CDs from the newer manuals reduced that stack by another 4 feet. I page-by-page scanned another 30 inches of the pile, and I have faith that the remaining six inch stack will soon be available online in an updated format. Whew...it's all stuff I still use, and I cleared three full bookshelves of space.

Get rid of the bulk without getting rid of the memories. Scan the cover and inside of greeting cards and create your own digital photo album. Reuse the card fronts to make new cards or other crafts. Kids especially love doing this!

As a pianist and violinist (and short-lived drummer), I've never been able to reduce my stack of sheet music to less than a two foot stack. After getting my iPad it occurred to me that what I can't find free online, I should simply scan!

Now I'm free to give away the thick books that contained a handful of favorite songs and the pile of pep band cadences. To avoid generating a new stack of music, scan new stuff as it comes in or purchase PDF copies from online distributors.

I have stacks and stacks of photographs that I want to keep but don't necessarily have space for. Scan photos and create digital albums to save the memories without the bulk.

I found a wedding photographer who was willing to sell all my photos on a disk, and this year we ordered only the disks for the kids' school photos. We use an online photo printing service to print just the right number of photos for frames and grandparents, and the kids have fun digitally imaging themselves to use on Facebook and email to friends.

By uploading your photos to Kodak, Shutterfly, or Snapfish and backing them up through Flickr, you'll always have a simple and inexpensive way to share and organize photos.

Between my iDevices, Kindle, Nook, and the library, I rarely buy magazines and books to read. I have a collection of Harry Potter hardcovers and a stack of business and writing books I don't want to pay to replace. The rest I borrow to read or download through Amazon.

While I'll never deny my love for books, and I'll never discourage reading, as a military brat I do remember the weight of all those books being moved from house to house to house. As for our next move? I'm going to try to whittle down my husband's 17-foot stack of nursing manuals!