Immediate actions you can take

• Open just one letter and throw away the envelope

  Unopened mail looks bigger than it is. Half of the paper in the pile is just envelopes so you’ve already reduced the pile of paper!

• Repeat step 1 until all envelopes are opened

  One envelope at a time. Throw the envelopes. Keep the letters.

• Sort mail into small groups

  Group by topic or sender: eg credit card / gas bill / loan.

• Sort each group by date order

  Oldest on bottom and most recent letter on top.

• Select only the newest letters

  Take the newest letter from each pile, or anything received in the last month, and put these in a folder. You’ll probably find that you’ve received the same letter from the same company several times so just refer to the latest one.

• Put aside the older letters

  Put all the remaining letters aside in a box. Don’t throw them away just yet. Most will be outdated copies of the newest letters.

• Feeling better?

  Your handful of newest letters should be far less daunting than dozens of unopened letters.

  Next step: search our help topics or contact a Financial counsellor.