Countertop Paper Shredders Are A Must!

I just bought my third paper shredder.  My first paper shredder was a floor model that sits on the floor and was about the size of a small bathroom trash can.  I am a firm believer in shredding your personal papers in order to protect yourself against identity theft.  The floor model was great until my toddler decided to “shred” coins in it!  The coins got hung and bent up the shredder “teeth.”    This was very upsetting, since I shred EVERYTHING:  junk mail, old bills, anything from the mail that has any personal information on it.
I started looking into buying a new paper shredder and realized how expensive they were.  I had complained about it to one of my friends, who happened to have an extra paper shredder that she let me have.  Her paper shredder was an older model, but so cute, it fit right on my kitchen countertop out of the way of the toddler and his coins!  I never realized that you could get small paper shredders.  They are so compact, they  can be neatly hid on your kitchen counter back in the corner, behind your toaster.  I thought all paper shredders were large and sat in the floor.  I had the countertop shredder for a few years until the other day, when my preschooler was helping me shred papers.  He put too many papers in at once before we heard a loud noise, followed by a silence.  Yes, this is the grown up toddler who once tried to “shred coins.”  We had a huge pile of papers and he realized if he folded the papers up, they would shred quicker.  They did shred quicker, but not for long!

Long story short, I now have a new countertop shredder that cost me around $30 which also included shipping. My son and I have discussed the right way to shred, how many pieces of paper to shred at once and how to correctly fold the paper before shredding.  He understands that we haven’t been able to shred paper for awhile because we broke the last one.  Since I can’t help but shred all my mail, I have been piling all the mail for shredding in the corner.  My new shredder came today and we shredded forever before we got through my huge pile of papers.

Each of my family members is protected by LifeLock, but I also feel that it is important to shred any papers that may contain information that could help someone else get into my accounts.  Who knows what happens to your trash once it leaves your trash can.  Is there someone out there sifting through it, just looking for a credit card number or unprotected social security number that could help them steal your identity? Don’t fall victim to identity theft, protect yourself by shredding your paperwork.

Uses For Shredded Paper

• Save the shredded paper and use it for packing
• Shred colored paper and use for decoration inside a gift bag
• Shred colored paper and use inside of your Easter Basket
• Place in a Ziploc bag to protect your extra Christmas Light replacement bulbs until next year
• Use it to start fires while camping or having a backyard bonfire

After researching several counter top paper shredders online, I purchased the Aurora AS420C Desktop-Style Cross-Cut Paper Shredder with Basket from Amazon.  It has a handle on top that makes it easy to empty out the bottom basket and it shreds papers like a charm!  I wouldn’t suggest this for heavy business use due to its’ small size, but for the home, I give it an A+.

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