5 Hacks to Deal with Your Shred Pile!

You dread it, and you know the pile I'm talking about.

It's sitting right next to your shredder, which is small, slow, and overheats after four minutes. The pile has been there for weeks. Maybe months. It nags at you every time you walk past it, and yet somehow it just... stays. 

If that sounds familiar, I have good news: you have more options than you think. Here are my best tips for finally dealing with the dreaded shredding pile, and maybe even reconsider whether you need to shred as much as you think.

# 1 - Ask Yourself WHY You're Shredding

Before you feed a single sheet into that machine, it's worth pausing on this question. Most people shred because they're worried about identity theft, specifically the idea that someone will dig through their trash and steal their financial information. 

But the vast majority of identity theft today happens through cybercrime and data breaches, not dumpster diving. Honestly, the time you spend creating strong, unique passwords is protecting you far more than shredding your old electric bills.

So before you shred something, ask yourself: Does this actually contain super-sensitive information, and is anyone going to go through your trash to find it? 

# 2 -Just Don't

Seriously. Give yourself permission to skip the shredder entirely for anything that doesn't contain truly sensitive information. Old catalogs, form letters, utility statements, newsletters? Straight to recycling and done.

This alone will shrink your pile dramatically, I promise.

# 3 - Blank It Out

For documents that DO have sensitive information but you don't want to run through the shredder, a wide identity theft protection stamp is a total game-changer. One swipe over the account number or Social Security number, and that document is safe to recycle. Keep one on your desk and use it in real time as the mail comes in. It takes about two seconds and eliminates the pile before it even starts.

# 4 - Get It Wet

This one comes from a clever client of mine, and I share it every time because it still makes me laugh AND it works. She soaks her sensitive documents with water before tossing them in with used cat litter. Is anyone going to dig through that in search of her account numbers? Absolutely not. Problem solved, with panache. 

# 5 - Outsource the Whole Thing

If you truly have a mountain of paper that needs proper shredding, please don't torture yourself or your poor little home shredder; have someone else do it. Your county may have services to shred for free; mine does once a month. Staples and Office Depot both offer affordable shredding services. You drop off a box, they handle it, and you walk out lighter. 

Bonus Tip - Stop Worrying About Receipts!

By federal law, merchant receipts haven't included full credit card numbers since 2006. And the odds that your current card number is the same as it was nearly twenty years ago? Essentially zero. Toss your receipts in the recycling without a second thought.

The goal here isn't to convince you to be careless with your personal information. It's to help you make smart, intentional decisions about your time, so you're not held hostage by a pile of paper that's been sitting there for months.

Make a personal policy about what truly needs shredding for your own peace of mind, then let everything else go. Your shredder will thank you. Your countertop will thank you. And honestly? So will your Saturday.

Got a shredding system that works for you? I'd love to hear it! Share it in our fun and FREE FB Group, Organizing Solutions for Busy Women!