apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

In Phoenix, a local shredding company does a biannual Shred-A-Thon- so I just keep a cardboard box and throw everything in as it comes. When the time comes I take the box in, and they shred it, box and all, for free. No more crappy home shredder!

This is reminding me to buy one of these. You didn't include costs here, but the ones I have seen at Staples aren't expensive.

It's great that they've made these so small and powerful (we have a BEAST of a shredder in my office that can take 5 pages maximum, but is the size of a dishwasher), but is it too much to ask to make an attractive shredder? Surely they must have the technology! I'd love to have one right by my front door so that I when I walk in with my junk mail I can *VOIP* shred right away.

My advice is to buy the best shredder you can. I love the fact that I don't have to open any junk mail in order to shred it. I would also recommend one that can shred credit cards and CDs.

I so need one of these. I never get around to using my crappy shredder, so I have a box of papers that need shredding. The more I procrastinate, the bigger the pile of paper gets!

Tip for anyone that keeps a pet rabbit or large animal that would use cedar chips in their cage.

You can use all this shredding as bed liner. They actually sell paper/cardboard shreddings as liner in big bags at pet stores for over 15 dollars a bag.

Recycling!

Nesagwa, it's also deterrent! I have some friends who even go so far as to mix the shreddings in with the used kitty litter. I imagine rabbit/other animal droppings would be similarly good at deterring people from digging through.

i have a shredder from the michael graves for target line that i dig. not sure if it's still available though.

I also always thought mixing kitty litter with financial trash would be a deterrent but needless to say I've had a credit card stolen from kitty filled trash.

After that experience, I bought small but reliable shredder that does the job. But I found calling credit card companies to stop sending me junk mail to be the best deterrent.

i need a shredder, but these are all really expensive (well, the ones i clicked anyway)

are there decent ones under $30?

My work had some shredders that were probably about $40 with larger capacity and would always overheat or get jammed.

When I decided to buy a shredder for home use, I ended up buying the Mailmate at Staples because the cheaper ones were all gone. It's very compact and hasn't overheated from my marathon shredding sessions while organizing papers before a move. I've also shredded credit cards, CDs, and unopened junkmail. It feels sturdy and looks good. I highly recommend it.

I bought a hand-cranked shredder online for $14 about three years ago. It is small, but I love not having to find a plug for it. It's also quiet, so I can take it with me to the couch and shred while I watch TV.

Also, the shredded paper is great for composting, I am told. Whenever I accumulate a few bags full, I post on my local freecycle list and always get several people who want the shredded paper for their compost bins!

I also second the notion that you should spend a little more money on a better shredder. They're like sewing machines...completely frustrating if it's constantly jamming and noisy. I have a Fellowes MicroShred, which cost enough to make it a little bit "ouch" for me, but I'm so glad I spent the extra money. It's efficient and QUIET.

I would highly recommend avoiding purchasing budget shredders. The axiom of "getting what you paid for" certainly applies here, and you're better off saving for a well made pricier model than rushing out for a sub-$50 machine.

Try looking for one on overstock.com - cheap shipping!

Yep, you can compost shredded white paper. Toss it in & water it down, you're good to go.

Fellowes and Sentinel make the best shredders for around the hundred dollar mark. Costco has one for 89.00 and offers a coupon occasionally to reduce the cost. These shredders are workhorses. They are not petite in size, but are fairly quiet, and can handle cd's, credit cards, and just about anything else. They will jam once in a while when fed thick, unopened envelopes. Having purchased the cheaper, smaller models didn't pay. Then after it's shredded we take it to the recycle bin feeling better.....

@first5times, I have a blog entry about attractive shredders.

But when it came to replace my own, I went for practical rather than pretty - and got the Fellowes PS-79Ci Intellishred Shredder for $144 on Amazon; it had been recommended to me, and so far it seems just fine.

I have a little MailMate from Staples that we got on sale about a year ago. That thing eats everything from junk mail, CD's, credit cards, staples, etc. It can take a pretty hefty load. But i love that it's small (almost a cube) and fits anywhere. It's uses a cross-cut action and turns any personal info into confetti. It was about $50 and does a lot better than my dad's $100 shredder.

Shredders are good, but freezing your credit is best.

stolen identities suck.. i know. :(

honestly, i bought a cheapy from bed bath n beyond since i get those 20% off coupons in the mail. its been good to me so far and i only ended up paying about 20 bucks for it. anyway...