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Post by writingrav on Sept 30, 2015 12:12:45 GMT
After 3 or 4 years of corresponding I have quite a lot of letters. My system is to keep newly received letters in a single file folder until the particular correspondent has sent at least three letters. Then that person gets his/her own folder. Those folders that are active stay in a draw in my desk. After awhile, if there has been no activity, the folder moves to a storage box. Now both storage boxes are getting full and some folders in my desk are bulging. I'm wondering why I should hang on to some of the older, inactive files, some of which have only three or four letters in them. What do some of you do?
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Post by chojo on Sept 30, 2015 18:05:18 GMT
All my reply pile is sat on my desk but the letters I've replied to go into a file box on the shelf then when that's full I have another box under the bed. I should, as you say, get rid of some of the older mail especially those that no longer correspond with me but i'm a bit of a magpie and have a hard time letting things go!
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Post by sgtstretch on Sept 30, 2015 18:22:37 GMT
I've only been corresponding for the past year, so all my letters, once replied, are in a shoebox.
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Post by migo984 on Oct 1, 2015 0:00:27 GMT
I have a huge pile of letters and to be honest I'm running out of space to keep them. So, despite wanting to retain the physical letters, I've bowed to the inevitable and have started to scan the letters from inactive correspondents for electronic storage. I'll then also do the same for the older letters of my current pen pals. I'll then dispose of the actual letters. It's not my preference, but needs must, and I just don't have the room to keep them all, unfortunately.
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Post by sharmon202 on Oct 1, 2015 11:09:32 GMT
I have a huge pile of letters and to be honest I'm running out of space to keep them. So, despite wanting to retain the physical letters, I've bowed to the inevitable and have started to scan the letters from inactive correspondents for electronic storage. I'll then also do the same for the older letters of my current pen pals. I'll then dispose of the actual letters. It's not my preference, but needs must, and I just don't have the room to keep them all, unfortunately. Maybe it is how I also am feeling. I have been corresponding for about 2 years and am getting to a point I must do something. Currently when my desk holder gets full I rubber-band the letters from the same person and put in file drawers. I do, occasionally, look back for a letter for something. I do not want to get rid of any but cannot find a logical reason not to after a couple of years. I also really do not want to take the time to scan them all. I have some that are 10 pages long! I will do nothing until I find a solution I am comfortable with, that is for sure. Maybe, this winter when we can do nothing else I will scan them. I will be reading others ideas, keep 'em coming.
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Post by Mia on Oct 1, 2015 11:13:08 GMT
It would be a shame to throw them. I have a large shoebox filled with failed correspondence. Maybe one day, I'll go back through them, take the stamps off the envelopes....
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Post by Chris on Oct 18, 2015 21:27:35 GMT
I do not want to get rid of any but cannot find a logical reason not to after a couple of years. History! Think of how interesting it is to have old personal letters from times past, not just from highly notable people like Abigail Adams or Lord Byron, but also everyday letters from completely average people. Ones whose authors would probably be the first to say they were about nothing very important if you could ask them. Much of our picture of history comes from letters like that. And even aside from history, would you be interested if you found a couple of boxes of old personal letters from a great-great-grandparent? :-)
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Post by thatauthor on Oct 18, 2015 22:19:13 GMT
Right now I have a shoebox but I've only been corresponding since February. It's starting to overflow and I need to find another method.
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Post by skye on Oct 19, 2015 11:26:57 GMT
Active correspondents who have written less than 5 letters to me go into a shoebox, filed aphabetically by surname. Once they have written more than 5 the letters move into binders. Each letter is opened (yes, the envelope is kept) and put into page protectors. Letters are still grouped by author, oldest letter in the front, separated by tabs. Right now I am up to 3 3" binders and a 2" binder. In-active correspondents have their letters rubber banded together by author and inhabit a shoebox or two.
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Post by sharmon202 on Oct 19, 2015 21:25:30 GMT
I do not want to get rid of any but cannot find a logical reason not to after a couple of years. History! Think of how interesting it is to have old personal letters from times past, not just from highly notable people like Abigail Adams or Lord Byron, but also everyday letters from completely average people. Ones whose authors would probably be the first to say they were about nothing very important if you could ask them. Much of our picture of history comes from letters like that. And even aside from history, would you be interested if you found a couple of boxes of old personal letters from a great-great-grandparent? :-) Thanks for the input. Now what to do..........keep of course.
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Post by Chris on Oct 19, 2015 22:03:57 GMT
I like to keep letters in their envelopes, personally. I know a lot of people take them out so they will lie flat in binders or photo album pages, and that is probably quite a bit more efficient. But since I like to keep them in the original envelopes, I haven't found a better solution than big plastic storage bins, a bit larger than a shoebox. Target has some that are about the width of an A4 sheet/envelope that are pretty cheap, and any office supply store probably does too.
Of course, I'm up to four of those now...
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Post by Mia on Oct 19, 2015 22:36:52 GMT
I started out with: but the hard plastic sometimes scratched and cut my fingers/hand... Then, when there are many letters in them, it gets out of shape... So now, I'm on resealable freezer bags sometimes with ribbon. Those replied to are stored in the cupboard of my bureau.
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Post by DJW1066 on Oct 22, 2015 16:38:46 GMT
Letters from the same pen pal are hole punched at the top left corner, and then pinned together using a brass pin (push the pin through the hole and then spread its two arms out). For some pen pals, I need to use pins that are 2 " long. (Lucky me.)
These then go into a legal-sized accordion folder divided by alpha. So they're easy to find and file away. And also portable if need be.
More than 18 months without a letter and they go to the dustbin.
Unusual and special envelopes get pinned along with the letter, but most get tossed after interesting stamps are removed and stored separately. I have some extremely talented pen pals who send me wonderful samples of their handiwork, which I carefully save; I do go back and admire their stuff from time to time.
So far, so good, but it won't be long before I'll need another accordion folder; the penalty of having so many good pen friends.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 22, 2015 21:42:09 GMT
I had a couple of wonderful penpals who were as addicted to horses as I was when I was a teenager and I always kept their letters. Unfortunately my mother threw a load of my books and personal stuff in the bin when I moved out into my first flat. Her excuse was that as I hadn't taken them with me then I mustn't want to keep them I was busy painting and decorating for the first month and my stuff was long gone by the time I realised! Then as the years passed life got in the way and finding penpals became harder (no internet in those days) and it's only been since 2012 that I have discovered all the fabulous sites online and have started writing regularly once again. Changing jobs and not working as many hours helps too as I have time to devote to my hobbies and the energy to do them! I found out about Month Of Letters in January 2013 and took part in that and still write to a couple of lovely ladies I met there. Another good friend was made via the 2014 event. So, only having three penpals at the moment, I don't have whole filing cabinets full to bursting with letters and it is all still under control Random letters & postcards from folks who wrote during the two LetterMo's are in individual pretty boxes on a shelf on my bookcase but regular penpals have their own ring binder with the letter pages opened out flat inside clear pockets so as I turn the pages I can read the actual letters
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Post by sharmon202 on Oct 24, 2015 9:29:36 GMT
I had a couple of wonderful penpals who were as addicted to horses as I was when I was a teenager and I always kept their letters. Unfortunately my mother threw a load of my books and personal stuff in the bin when I moved out into my first flat. Her excuse was that as I hadn't taken them with me then I mustn't want to keep them I was busy painting and decorating for the first month and my stuff was long gone by the time I realised! Then as the years passed life got in the way and finding penpals became harder (no internet in those days) and it's only been since 2012 that I have discovered all the fabulous sites online and have started writing regularly once again. Changing jobs and not working as many hours helps too as I have time to devote to my hobbies and the energy to do them! I found out about Month Of Letters in January 2013 and took part in that and still write to a couple of lovely ladies I met there. Another good friend was made via the 2014 event. So, only having three penpals at the moment, I don't have whole filing cabinets full to bursting with letters and it is all still under control Random letters & postcards from folks who wrote during the two LetterMo's are in individual pretty boxes on a shelf on my bookcase but regular penpals have their own ring binder with the letter pages opened out flat inside clear pockets so as I turn the pages I can read the actual letters Your post reminds me that InCoWriMo is not far off. A month of at least a letter a day. Nothing else to do in February anyway, right? Google it when you have time. Then you may need an improved system.
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