Tip of the Week

Lighten the Letter Bearer's Load

So, I spent some money in December and broke my budget a bit. It was nothing too extravagant, but there were a few lavish meals, a couple of nights on the town and several helpings of costly holiday cheer. In the past, the painful reality of money spent over the holidays would greet me in resolute black ink, ready to pile up in wasted paper as proof of December's revelry. But this year, in anticipation of the onslaught of bills, I made the switch to e-billing. It was too late to save money, but at least I could save paper.

And the savings are significant! In the United States, paper products make up the largest percentage of municipal solid waste, and hard copy bills alone generate almost 700,000 tons of waste and almost two million tons of carbon dioxide.

More and more companies are offering paperless billing options. My wireless phone bill is now delivered to my email each month, with a simultaneous text message notifying me that it's been delivered. I also get an email as soon as my utility bill is ready for viewing on the company website. My credit card payment, which I prefer not to think about anyway, is debited automatically, each month, on time. And, rather than wait for my monthly bank statement to confirm that the balance is as it should be, I just log on to my daily updated online bank statement.

So, contact the companies that send you a bill each month and ask them what options are in place to keep the paper out of your mailbox. Trust me--it's mail you won't miss.

© The Green Guide, 2008

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