Want to reduce paper waste and clutter? Start by setting up paperless banking, which also allows you to electronically transfer money online. We’re partnering with WesternUnion.com to show you how to get paperless banking going and to easily send money online.

Why Bother?

Paper is one of the largest sources of clutter at home and in the office. Bills and bank statements are some of the most constant sources of wasteful paper you probably have that you could get rid of. Going paperless will immediately reduce the amount of paper cluttering up your house.

Making paper also takes a big toll on the environment. The US EPA says the average American uses the equivalent of about one 100-foot-tall Douglas fir tree every year. Going paperless saves trees and stops the pollution caused by cutting trees down, turning them into pulp, bleaching them (often with toxic chemicals), and creating paper. Going paperless is a total environmental win!

Going paperless also may reduce identity theft. Many people don’t bother shredding their bills before they throw them out, or even recycle them. That makes their personal information vulnerable to anyone who wants to rifle through their trash or recycling bin.

Online banking and money transfers save time, too. Rather than file bank statements, pay and file individual bills, write and mail checks, or physically have to go to a bank, you can deal with it all online. Easy peasy!

Plus, you can download apps on your mobile device so you can bank, pay bills, and transfer money all from your phone, if needed.

How To Do It

Almost every bank in the U.S. now offers paperless banking. All you need to do to take advantage of it is create an online account and agree to have your bank statements emailed to you rather than paper mailed. Once you do, it becomes very easy to monitor your bank account, or accounts if you have more than one.

You can also set up online billing so that, not only are you getting bank statements mailed to you, but credit card and other bills as well. Then, you can pay those bills electronically with no need to write paper checks, mail them in paper envelopes, and add a stamp!

If you need to send money to someone, you can easily do that, as well. In the case of Western Union, you can electronically transfer money directly to a bank account with no paper involved. You can also send money for cash pick up or to a mobile wallet, all without needing to use any paper.

Paperless and Online Is The Name of the Game

If you worry your electronic bills and transactions might get lost among your other email, you can set up a new email address just to receive your bills and billing statements. You can also set your calendar to notify you when a particular bill is due and payment must be made.

Here’s one more benefit: convenience. You can download your bank statements and billing history to your own computer, so you always have access to your accounts. With your mobile apps, you can pay bills or send money from wherever you area.

It’s Quick and Easy

Every bank makes it easy to switch to online banking. Create an account, then just start using it. The system is similar for setting up an account to transfer money from an account to a recipient.

You can get more information from Western Union on how to easily send money online here.

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The post Cut Clutter and Easily Send Money Online With Paperless Banking appeared first on Big Green Purse.

Do you know you should pay bills online, but just can’t bring yourself to make the switch?

I’m not making fun of any of these reasons (well, not much). But I do want to encourage you to get over them. Here’s why, courtesy of ecoPayz, our sponsors for this post.

THE GREEN BENEFITS OF PAYING BILLS ONLINE

√ Better for the Planet – Paying your bills online requires zero paper, zero ink, and you won’t use any energy posting a bill that needs to be physically delivered. PayItGreen calculates that in just one year, by switching from paper to electronic billing, statements, and payments, the average American household would:

Save 6 pounds of paper

Save 23 pounds of wood

Prevent the production of 29 pounds of greenhouse gases.

That’s like not driving 30 miles, or burning 2 gallons of gasoline, or planting one ree seedling and letting it grow for 25 years.

 √ Efficiency – Paying bills online takes less time than putting a bill stub in an envelope, writing a check, addressing and stamping the envelope, and mailing it.

√ Less Clutter – This is a big one for me. I hate it when paper piles up all over the place. Every bill comes in an envelope, with a paper bill, probably a few promotional fliers, and a mailing envelope. Paying bills online helps keep paper clutter to a minimum.

√ Safety – Despite the stories of identity theft, it’s much easier to steal a paper check in an envelope than an electronic bill payment.

√ Community – I’m not saying you’ll make more friends if you pay your bills online. But won’t you feel better knowing that you’re part of a community of green-minded consumers who are doing the right thing?

Many banks make it easy to set up direct online payment transactions. Credit card companies often offer bonuses for signing up, like air miles or some period of delayed interest payment play.

Alternatively, you can use an electronic wallet system like ecoPayz. In this approach, you can fund your ewallet from your bank account, then use ecoPayz on your computer or phone to shop online or send money or receive funds from around the world in any of 45 currencies.

You can use it for online shopping as well as bill paying. If you’ve had a tough time establishing credit, no worries: unlike a bank account, you do not need to go through a credit check to open this account.

The next time a company asks you to set up online bill paying, give it a try. You have nothing to lose – if you don’t like it, you can always go back to paper bills. But once you get the hang of it, you’ll probably wonder what took you so long.

The post Which of These 5 Silly Reasons is Keeping You From Paying Your Bills Online? appeared first on Big Green Purse.