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" You&amp;#039;ve probably heard that with the help of technology, you can get rid of all your paper clutter once and for all. It&amp;#039;s true! You only need a couple of items: a scanner, a computer and a way to safely back up all of your files. If you want to go paperless, here&amp;#039;s what you&amp;#039;ll need to do:   1. Pick a scanner. Choose a model with an automatic paper feed so that you don&amp;#039;t need to manually insert each page\u2014it will automatically scan a whole pile of pages into computer files (which you can later name) faster than you can fill the dishwasher. We like the Fujitsu ScanSnap S1300, which scans 10 pages at once (both sides!) and automatically rotates the images if they&amp;#039;re slanted or upside down. Even better? It recognizes English-language words on each paper, so you can easily search for relevant files later. For example: Once you scan in your aunt&amp;#039;s recipe, you can search for it by typing in the ingredients, such as &amp;quot;zucchini, tomatoes,&amp;quot; and the file will appear. Fujitsu ScanSnap S1300, $254.99; Amazon.com.   2. Scan your stuff. Once a month, scan all the incoming pages that you want to save, such as bills and important receipts. Create subject folders and name them as well as the individual files the same way you would organize a filing cabinet, says Amanda Gosier DesBarres, a daily money manager in Washington, DC. It&amp;#039;s far less messy and cumbersome than paper systems, and when you&amp;#039;re done, there are zero papers to pile or file. Photo: Thinkstock   3. Have a backup plan. Technology is always finicky, so you need to save a copy of your important files somewhere outside your home\u2014that way, if your computer dies, you can easily access your files. CrashPlan.com does just that: Whenever your computer is connected to the Internet, all of your computer files are safely and automatically saved to its servers. You can also back up your data to the computers of friends and family within your network (and files are encrypted, for your privacy). At $5 per month to back up an unlimited amount of files, you can&amp;#039;t beat the price.  Now that you&amp;#039;ve committed to paperless organizing, here are some easy, high-tech ways to upgrade your old pack-rat habits: You take notes on everything and have piles of little notebooks.  Try: Livescribe. This system uses an Echo Smartpen, which lets you take notes as usual, but with the addition of being able to record audio. Once you&amp;#039;ve finished jotting down notes on Livescribe&amp;#039;s special paper, plug the pen into your computer and it will create a digital file of your handwritten notes and audio recording, if you choose. Smartpens start at $99 (and include a free Livescribe download). You save receipts for taxes or reimbursement.   Try:NeatReceipts. The mini-scanner ($179.99 at Amazon.com) scans and automatically &amp;quot;reads&amp;quot; the amount and vendor. Fistfuls of receipts that usually take an hour to manually type into a spreadsheet can be scanned in just 5 minutes. Genius! But if doing it yourself seems like too much of a hassle, try a mail-away service like Shoeboxed.com, which will scan up to 50 receipts per month for $9.95. Sign up for an account and then simply stuff them in an envelope, send it to the company and it will store them in a secure online account, from which you can access and download your documents in a variety of formats. You have binders full of medical tests, information and reports for your family.  Try: HealthVault. This free Microsoft offshoot keeps track of medications, procedures, test results and insurance all in one place. The best part is that Microsoft partners with manufacturers of daily blood pressure, ECG and blood sugar devices, so you can conveniently track your measurements. Google.com/Health offers a similar service\u2014just set up a username and password; Gmail users can use their Gmail account. You have drawers filled with instruction manuals for everything\u2014appliances, computers, toys, you name it.  Try: Electronic downloads instead of printed manuals. Companies have realized that they can save money on customer service calls by making their instruction manuals readily available for free download on their website. Toss your old manuals and when in need, simply Google the name of the item and download a copy of the manual to your computer. There are just two exceptions: Keep your car manual in your glove compartment, in case of a breakdown, and, if an item is more than 10 years old, keep the original manual. Photo: Thinkstock  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.womansday.com/home/organizing-cleaning/tips/a2537/stop-paper-clutter-for-good-119266/>