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COMMUNITY : MAKE


Advice on a wood project

I am looking for some innovative ideas along the lines of the normal Mail sorter / holder / bill organizer. But I need to have it more efficient than a 3 slot wooden bin hung on the wall or sat on the table. All ideas will be considered....this is a home use project so I can get my financial life back in some kind of symmetry, or more organized at least. What we have now:

Mail holder.jpg
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38
Goodhart (author) says: Nov 25, 2007. 9:54 PM
Thank you all for your suggestions...I am thinking about this carefully. I will have the "job" for a long time and may need to help my Mom with her finances soon too *sigh*
2
Sedgewick17 says: Nov 25, 2007. 5:44 AM
What size would you like it to be, and what type of wood working do you like ex (colonial, Victorian, modern, or retro)?
38
Goodhart (author) in reply to Sedgewick17Nov 25, 2007. 10:25 AM
Oh this need not be fancy in any way, functional mostly, and in my apt. it can not be as big as a car for instance, nor alter the walls with paint or nails any. Still I would like to keep a months worth of bills "available and organized.
164
Kiteman in reply to GoodhartNov 25, 2007. 1:08 PM
... nor alter the walls with paint ...

Paint over the magnetic paint with the walls' original colour, they'll never know.

... until they try and pin things to the wall ... :-D
38
Goodhart (author) in reply to KitemanNov 25, 2007. 1:37 PM
Do you mean something like this ? Magnetic Paint...

The Living room is out, and the hall way, both paneled.

It really is time to free up an area where I can get close to a wall...OR I could maybe use the side of my new computer armoire (like this but in veneer)
164
Kiteman in reply to GoodhartNov 25, 2007. 2:27 PM
That's the stuff!
38
Goodhart (author) in reply to KitemanNov 25, 2007. 2:45 PM
Maybe |I can do something with the inside of the Amoire :-)
69
Tool Using Animal says: Nov 25, 2007. 1:31 PM
I use one of these. Haven't had a late bill since the anthrax scare of 'ought one, dagnabit.
38
Goodhart (author) in reply to Tool Using AnimalNov 25, 2007. 1:39 PM
I was kind of thinking of that with my conversation with Sedgewick, either upwards or on the side.
69
Tool Using Animal in reply to GoodhartNov 25, 2007. 1:48 PM
What? you expect me to RTFT? ;-)
38
Goodhart (author) in reply to Tool Using AnimalNov 25, 2007. 1:53 PM
Not necessarily, just letting you know ';-)
2
Sedgewick17 says: Nov 25, 2007. 11:32 AM
Well, you cold make a wooden flip top mailbox like the ones you see on old homes,and add a key rack.
38
Goodhart (author) in reply to Sedgewick17Nov 25, 2007. 1:04 PM
I am still needing a way to organize the mess. Maybe slots marked on top for particular weeks ? I don't want to have to go through all of them, every time I want to add another bill, so a pile of them in a box is out as it is no better then what I have now.
2
Sedgewick17 in reply to GoodhartNov 25, 2007. 1:14 PM
I do not think it would be to hard to place seven horizontal boards in the box so that you can separate the bills according to the days of the week.
38
Goodhart (author) in reply to Sedgewick17Nov 25, 2007. 1:27 PM
Yeah, I was looking at some that organized a whole month, and I don't think I will be attempting to "build" one of those :-) Maybe just 5 slots or dividers will do as I will be having nearly a full month in the box, weeks of the month is probably going to work better then just a week's worth.
164
Kiteman says: Nov 25, 2007. 5:43 AM
How about painting the wall above your "office" area with magnetic paint (like Star put in her hair), then using ordinary paint to divide the wall into several sections? You can then use fridge magnets to label each section as changing needs require ("shopping list", "family letters", "bills to pay by the 30th", "December" etc.), and more magnets to stick the bills, letters etc in the appropriate area, in the order of priority. A simple glance will then tell you what you need to do and when. You could also lighten the gloom by adding photos and drawings by small children.
164
Kiteman in reply to KitemanNov 25, 2007. 5:45 AM
You could paint over the magnetic paint the same colour as the rest of the wall, so that when you take things down you have a plain wall, should you wish to remove red bills from public view when you have visitors round. Or go the other way, and paint the whole section with a fluorescent or glow-in-the-dark paint to make things stand out.
38
Goodhart (author) in reply to KitemanNov 25, 2007. 10:23 AM
Oops, I should have mentioned that I live in an apartment (flat). Hmm, but that has my creative juices going....thanks.
17
guyfrom7up says: Nov 24, 2007. 10:00 PM
i don't get it, havn't seen a forum made by you in a while, good for you!
38
Goodhart (author) in reply to guyfrom7upNov 25, 2007. 5:17 AM
BTW: that wooden mail holder was store bought. I would like to make an entire system that would be less scrounging through 12+ bills to see if anything is due today... Other then entering each bill on the computer as it comes in :-)
17
guyfrom7up in reply to guyfrom7upNov 24, 2007. 10:01 PM
so for more effiecient do you mean like reminding you to do it?
38
Goodhart (author) in reply to guyfrom7upNov 25, 2007. 5:14 AM
Yeah, This thing above has only afforded my wife and I the luxury of making a few mistakes in bill payments, which in turn generated over $200 in fees and charges for "late payments" and overdrafts. BTW: this has also given us ample warning that my wife is incapable of handling bill payments and finances, and she should probably go back to concentrating on what she is good at; i.e. ordering me around :-)
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