The January Paper Purge continues! After pulling out all those Army files the only files that remained in the bottom of the filing cabinet were full of instruction manuals. That kind of looks like a lot, huh?
 |
| Instruction Manuals in the back of the File Cabinet |
I went through each file and recycled all manuals for items we not longer have and ones that we will never, never need. I know how to use an alarm clock, don't you? There weren't a lot of extras, but enough that made it worth my ten minutes of time.
I have file folders within the hanging folders. I ended up consolidating some folders into one hanging file and was able to eliminate two hanging folders! Less that has to go back in the filing cabinet is a good thing.
How is everyone doing with January's decluttering challenge to be doing something towards your goal everyday? Do you feel it is manageable? Are you stuck or overwhelmed? Or maybe your are doing more than you expected?
The paper purge is going so well here that my husband brought his Army files back upstairs to work on again. This has me almost in a state of shock to see him motivated to help with that task. I'm doing the shredding, of course!
Do you keep instruction manuals? If you do, how do you store them? If you don't keep them, what is your thinking about tossing them?
I only keep instruction manuals for things that I will need to refer to again. Like all my computer parts, I have all the manuals for that, just so I can have an easy way to find what parts I actually have in my PC (all in one box, even!). For most things, though, I chuck manuals once I've figured out how it works. Most instruction manuals can be found online these days with a quick search of a model number and "manual"!
ReplyDeleteGood idea...I need to go through our manuals and see what we can toss/no longer need. I decluttered our bathroom medicine closet and reorganized it on Saturday.....Found some items to toss...a couple old medicines that were expired and had hardly anything left in them.....Kellie...aka PNW Mom
ReplyDeleteGreat job getting some things tossed...expired meds are easy to know that they need to go. Everything should have a date of expiration!!
DeleteI agree with Jessica about finding most manuals online. I go one step further, though, and search each manual online and download/save it in our "Household" folder before recycling the paper copy. They are usually pretty easy to find, especially if you have the original manual in front of you so you can search for your specific make/model easily. I confirm the electronic manual matches the paper one by sight before recycling.
ReplyDeleteI save time by not searching one at a time as manuals come into the house. Instead, I stick them in my "to file" box and process them all at once when I have the chance.
I did think of the idea that many instructions are online. I may have to revisit my files and keep which are online. I know I searched for the tv manual and found nothing on the manufacturer's website. I was surprised!
DeleteThey are sometimes really hidden on the manufacturer's site. I usually just google the title of the instruction manual or the product name and model number along with the word "manual". I think I've only never found the manual once.
Delete