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Post by shescrafty on Jun 13, 2016 11:11:13 GMT
My DH and I did a huge purge earlier this spring, after a while we only shred things with monetary account numbers (banks and any credit cards) and threw the rest away. I dint shred cell phone bills or electric bills. Should I? Definitely cell phone, any utility. I don't know how many times I have been asked proof of residency. Proof of residency would be a utility bill. Interesting-I had not thought of that aspect at all. We usually just rip them up so I doubt they could be used by anyone. Plus I always put one chunk in the trash and the rest in the recycling (like somehow nobody could break that big code, lol) |
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Post by gmcwife1 on Jun 13, 2016 11:14:24 GMT
No, I would not put them in the recycling or trash. We have a shredder and don't let ours build up. But we also have public shred days were people can bring their papers to get shredded.
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christinec68
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,119 
Location: New York, NY
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Post by christinec68 on Jun 13, 2016 12:02:50 GMT
I wouldn't just put them in the recycling bin. I would either get a new shredder or wet/bleach them in a bucket so they are useless.
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Post by bunnyhug on Jun 13, 2016 12:25:04 GMT
Our AMA/AAA has shredding events periodically. They set up a shredding truck in their parking lot and you can bring your stuff by and do it for free. Seems to me, I've seen insurance companies do it, too. It wouldn't hurt to give them a call!
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Post by kkooch on Jun 13, 2016 13:02:02 GMT
In our town there are different groups that hold a recycling/shredding event where you either give a cash donation or perhaps so many food items to the food bank in exchange for the shredding. They do both electronics and paper. I know the band at the high school does it a few times a year. Like others mentioned every now and then certain banks will do a couple boxes free for account holders.
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scrapnnana
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,119
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Post by scrapnnana on Jun 13, 2016 13:25:44 GMT
We have been victims of identity theft. I NEVER put anything with personal information in the trash or recycling, not after what we went through. Ours was caught almost as soon as it happened, and it was still a huge headache to wade through.
I bought a shredder from Costco that does 16 sheets at a time. It was so worth the cost! It is SO much faster than the old one we used to have (that only did 3 sheets at a time).
I no longer trust a shredding company to do my shredding. We have reason to suspect a dishonest employee of a shredding company (which handled the documents from DH's former place of work when it went out of business) was linked to DH's identity theft.
The bin at the police station, city hall, or wherever may be locked, but if it goes to some company to shred, you still have to hope that all of the shredding compan's employees are honest.
I do my own shredding now, and as we have been preparing to move, I have been shocked and dismayed at how much there is to shred. I just do it in bits and pieces. Once I have done the sorting, it doesn't take that long to actually shred (if you have a decent shredder). The one I bought from Costco cost me a little under $100. Not cheap, but it was truly worth it. I really do not want to risk identity theft again. To deal with that again would cost us a lot more time and energy than the shredding will take.
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Post by stormycat on Jun 13, 2016 14:07:42 GMT
I just moved and havent bought a shredder yet, but here is what I do. I have a bin just for shredding, but I only put what needs to be shredded in there. For example, its a letter from a company with my name and acct number, I will usually just rip off the part that needs to be shredded and recycle the other part. I have a pretty full shredding can now, guess I should buy a shredder. I have a 9 yr old and I am sure he will do it for me.
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Post by disneypal on Jun 13, 2016 14:18:29 GMT
Do you know someone that works in an office? Typically, they will have bigger shredders. If so, ask that person to shred them for you
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IAmUnoriginal
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,894
Jun 25, 2014 23:27:45 GMT
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Post by IAmUnoriginal on Jun 13, 2016 14:25:58 GMT
Check with your bank, local police department, insurance agency, community events calendar, etc. for a free shred day being held in your area. All sorts of different places sponsor them. Or, if you know someone who works in an office, see if you can send your box in with them. The shredders come in for our annual pick up late this week. I brought in my personal box to add to the pile this morning. My bosses will each bring in a box or two before shred day.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Jun 13, 2016 14:56:06 GMT
I do what others have mentioned, which is to tear off only the small part of the paper with the sensitive information and the rest goes into the recycle bin. The small bits I've torn off shred up pretty quickly in our crosscut shredder. Our community also has neighborhood clean up days scheduled periodically where they have a shredding truck come and you can have a certain amount of stuff shredded on site for free. We haven't ever done it because it's seems like it's always held on a weekend when we're not around. I'd be careful with burning. We had collected a grocery bag full of credit card applications and stuff and DH took it to our deer shack to burn in the firepit. Some of the papers were printed on heavy coated premium stock that didn't want to burn! After that he said not to bother doing that anymore. Now I go through the envelopes, pull out all of the generic stuff, rip off the pieces that have a preapproved code and any personal info to shred and recycle the rest. Which leads me to my related pet peeve! Why, why, WHY do credit card companies have to have our name, etc. in 2-3-4 places on the paperwork in the envelope to apply for a card? I would think that almost no one actually fills out and mails those applications anymore, it would be done online. So why make my life more difficult by putting my information on multiple sheets of paper that have to be gone through and/or shredded? That right there is a sure way to get me to NOT apply for your stupid credit card! Grr.  Yes, I get irrationally hot about that! |
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Post by cadoodlebug on Jun 13, 2016 14:57:36 GMT
No, I wouldn't. Our real estate office has an annual free shred-a-thon for clients. We also have 3 bins in our office year-round for papers that need to be shredded. I'm sure you can find something like that to use.
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scentcrazy
Junior Member
Posts: 91
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Post by scentcrazy on Jun 13, 2016 15:06:51 GMT
Does your bank or credit union host a shred event? Mine does and I save everything until then.
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Post by femalebusiness on Jun 13, 2016 15:30:43 GMT
When I get a big box of papers that need to go we burn them in the barbecue or our backyard fire pit. We usually do it in the evening with a glass of wine. Shredding is way too much work for more than a few pages.
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Post by MissBianca on Jun 13, 2016 16:25:11 GMT
My bank has a shred day twice a year, and you don't have to be a member to do it. They take the boxes right from your car and dump them in the can and shred them before you leave.
I would check all the local banks to see when they have shred days and if you need an account there to use the service. Ours are pretty evenly spread out so I can find a place almost every month that has a shred day.
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Post by lucyg on Jun 13, 2016 16:28:46 GMT
Can you pay your 8yo to do your shredding for you? My 7yo DGS would think he'd died and gone to heaven if I gave him that job. He'd do it for free.  |
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Post by workingclassdog on Jun 13, 2016 16:39:52 GMT
I'll just take them to work and shred a little at a time. It's a mix of work and personal (mostly work since I work at home). Their shredder isn't much better but it will go up to about 15 sheets. Not worth it.. tempting as it is. Most of it doesn't have 'that' much sensitive info on it but I am not going to sit and sort it out either. Work it is.
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Post by Fidget on Jun 13, 2016 16:43:15 GMT
My county has a recycling center where I can take documents to be shredded - you can may a minimal amount to watch them be shredded or you can leave them for free. I have taken my stuff there or as another poster said, bonfire!!
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Post by kamper on Jun 13, 2016 16:59:29 GMT
I'd find a document shredding place.
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Post by papersilly on Jun 13, 2016 17:05:17 GMT
if I absolutely , positively had to other option than to shred them at home, I would just tear off the really sensitive info like SS#, or any other identifying info, shred those and just toss the rest of the paper. you'd be surprised how little you have to shred if most sensitive info is just in the header of a paper or some concentrated area that you can just lop off. if you want it all destroyed at home, you could burn it or tear it up and soak it in water so it becomes a slurry and can't be read.
other than that, I would have it professionally shredded. |
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The Birdhouse Lady
Drama Llama
Moose. It's what's for dinner.
Posts: 7,146
Location: Alaska -The Last Frontier
Jun 30, 2014 17:15:19 GMT
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Post by The Birdhouse Lady on Jun 13, 2016 17:42:43 GMT
You can take it to Office Depot and pay to have it shredded. Or to a shredding place. I'd rather pay than do it myself 3 pages at a time.  Yep, that is what I was going to suggest. |
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Post by Spongemom Scrappants on Jun 13, 2016 17:58:57 GMT
Most of what I would say has already been mentioned so I see no need to repeat what others have said, but... I thought I'd throw out that many financial advisers have commercial shredders and do that free for their clients. My mama takes hers there. I shred as I go in our 12-page shredder at home, but I did take a huge box to my financial advisor's once when I did a big purge of files.
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Post by keesha on Jun 13, 2016 22:37:11 GMT
Funny story - years ago we raised rats to feed our pet boa constrictors because the pet store was always out of them. They asked if we would raise extra to sell (they were paying $1 per) so we did for a couple of years and the kids got paid to help. We lined the cages with our junk mail and sensitive docs that would have normally been shred. Nothing shreds like rat teeth! And believe me no one would want anything to do with that paper after it had lined the cage for a week haha. They were also awesome peanut butter jar cleaners --no need to rinse and they were spotless for the recycle container.
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Yep, that is what I was going to suggest.
