Community Poll: Paper or E-Statements?

[Uborrow-Upay]

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@miay2k4 wrote:
Uborrow-Upay......can u change my vote to E-Statements.  I would like to have both but the question is one or the other, so put me down for E-Statments.  21st century gotta except that we live in a technology based world.

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(miay2k4, consider it done!)

....and rounding the far turn, it's E-Statements (15) by a length, followed by Paper Statements (13) in second, Ham Sandwich (3) in third, and Both (2) running dead last ...

 Edit:  Forgot about Ham Sandwich.  (It's a coupled entry, depending on the sauce and the cheese!)

Message Edited by Uborrow-Upay on 08-13-2009 06:07 AM

[Anonymous]

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@mgs2010 wrote:

I think everyone should be on paper statements! Think about it this way...

You're sticking it to the credit card companies in a sense by making them pay for postage, AND you're supporting jobs with both the credit card company AND the post office. As annoying as it may be, everyone should use paper statements especially in this economy when the USPS is basically going bankrupt. Its bad enough everyone pays bills online, at least let the mail man have his job delivering your bills to you. Just my $0.02

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I live by several cities in NJ where huge post offices and branches are plentiful. Plus, despite my love for all things online, I still find myself using snail-mail for things like CMRRR DVs or other legal issues. I'm not for the abolition of the USPS, and I don't believe they are going anywhere.

As far as "sticking it" to the credit card companies...you don't think we'll eventually "stick it" to ourselves in the long term? Who do you think pays for thoses CC's stamps? CC's customers...that's who. So no, I will most certainly stay with the paperless option, if only to stop as much paper coming to my house as much as humanly possible. It doesn't even get thrown out when it comes either, it just says in the limbo called my desk. LOL.

Message Edited by AboveAverage on 08-13-2009 12:08 PM

[Anonymous]

E-statements for me. I use a .pdf print program to "print" statements to my hard drive. Each statement is annotated with pay date & confirmation number. Statement .pdf files are organized by year within issuer.

[Anonymous]

I prefer e-statements. I don't want to receive any paper copies, at all. I do keep .pdf copies of all of my statements, backed up with a document storage service, and a rewritable CD stored in a 'fire proof' safe (no, I don't take medication for my obsessions, LOL).

I'm not good with paper, and I don't trust the ease at which it's lost/stolen/destroyed.

[Uborrow-Upay]

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Looks like E-statements (17) is the winner, followed by Paper (13)  in second, with Ham Sandwich (3) and Both (2) bringing up the rear.

I'm going to alter my filing system a bit, based on some suggestions in this thread.

I still want my paper statements, but I'll make a .pdf  file, too (I'll be online for payments anyways, so why not?) and put that on a thumb drive.

When the paper statement arrives, I'll examine it for notices, etc. and then file it in a "mass file" in one box, dropping it on top of the others to maintain reverse chronological order.  

Eventually, I'll get rid of the boxed up statements at a free "shred your docs" event sometimes held in this area.

Less clutter for me, less filing too...but still receiving the paper statement for a reminder, just in case.

(I thought Ham Sandwich would have had a much better showing in this race...?)

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     BungalowMo wrote:

    Oh yeah.....and for lunch...

    Brown Sugar baked Ham...

    Jalapeno Cheese...

    Grilled on Rye...

    Arby's Horsey sauce!

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Mmmm, I've been drooling for one of these!

[LisaPA]

E-statements and online payments. I went paperless years ago. My company even went paperless with paychecks and W-2s this year. The only thing left I pay with a check is my rent.

I was never any good at filing paper statements, etc., but I'm really good about PDFing the online statements (or saving them if they're already PDFs). I treat the emails as a reminder that the statement is available to download. Saving PDFs to my hard drive also prevents me being inconvenienced by the company not offering statements after 2 years (or only for a fee) or changing file formats.

Aside from security and environmental issues, it's so much easier to store and search tiny files on my computer than to dig through a filing cabinet and pull pages out of multiple envelopes and statements when trying to locate something I vaguely remember purchashing 3 years ago in the spring. And if I ever did need a statement I could easily print it out.