on the flip side

as much as i try to go paperless, between my home and office, i print a lot. and, most of the time, it’s just for my reference or for a project (like a book, maybe?) i’m working on. once i’m done, off to the recycling bin it goes. but, wait a minute. there’s a whole other side of pristine, white paper that’s just begging to be used! (can you hear the begging?)

while printing on the backside of paper can be difficult in an office setting (nothing like a perturbed co-worker who goes to the printer, only to find his client presentation is on the back of a google map -- oops!), it’s not so tough at home. so, unless you’re prepping for a business meeting or plan on handing out your print-outs, simply flip it over and put it back into your printer! it’s a two-for-one deal!

the other thing is, once-used printer paper serves as great scratch paper for your little darlings’ “art projects.” i promise, while you’re busy trying to figure out if the drawing is of a cow or a dump truck (come to think of it, is there a difference?), they’ll quickly move onto the next sheet.

last, if you aren’t already inundated by realtors’ scratch pads, it’s really simple to save up a small pile of sheets, bulk cut them into quarters and staple them. voila! Instant scratch pad! (and you don’t have to stare at your local agent’s face every time you make a grocery list -- bonus!)