My Mom's In a Magazine

One of the many benefits of working for Good Housekeeping last semester was I gave my family the opportunity to answer surveys with the possibility of having their answers printed in the magazine.  I'd almost forgotten that my mom's clutter-clearing advice was due to appear in the August edition, but lo and behold, Christi Schien's mentioned on page 96 of the feature piece, You've Got (Too Much) Mail.

Under the Move Household Business Online heading, it reads:  Christi Schien, 49, a mom of three in Macon, GA, pays all her bills online.  "We no longer receive monthly bank statements or bills for insurance, utilities, and credit cards," Schien says.  "All the account information we need is stored electronically, which always makes it easier to find."

And following Chuck Junk With Confidence, GH points out: One New York teacher sorts her mail standing up, right next to the recycling can, but Schien does her one better by not letting junk get past the front door.  "I stop by the outside trash can on the way back from getting the mail.  Any obvious junk is never brought into the house," Schien said.

I'm quite proud of my magazine momma.  She's always labeled me as the writer, but her words are what's printed in our favorite monthly while I was just the intern who sat behind the desk.  At least she knows that if accounting gets a little too boring, she can always move to NYC and write for GH.

For more decluttering tips, be sure to check out the latest Good Housekeeping, on stands now.  And remember, the number one mail tip is empty that box!