Any advice/tips/helpful anecdotes re: keeping papers organized?

In My Humble Opinion
1

We have the usual amount of paper in our lives - household bills, credit card bills, bank statements, magazines, the odd catalogue - but we have a HELL of a time keeping it organized.

Our house is pretty small and it seems like every time we turn around, there’s more PAPER! We’re also really bad at taking the time to actually FILE stuff on a regular basis.

So I’m looking for some kind of interim system - something that we can do immediately upon opening our mail. Filing can be done later … on a rainy Sunday. What I’d like is ideas on day-to-day solutions, so we can find our car keys without having to dig through 3 weeks’ worth of mail!

Some specific questions:
a) how long do you keep credit card bills, utility bills and bank statements?
b) how do you handle your mail?
c) what have you tried that works for you?
d) what have you tried that doesn’t work for you?

Thanks for the ideas …

S.

2

This is easy. My way of doing it…

Must have a filing cabinet, with lots of hanging file folders. Invset the money. I found out that the cheap hanging file folders with plastic hangy thinggies stink. Get the good ones with metal. Don’t bother with the manilla folders, you don’t need those.

Each bill you receive will have a folder. Obviously, alphabetize them. I prefer to name the files after the company. For example, “Fleet”, not “credit card”.

When you get your mail, first rule is only touch each piece of paper one time.

Open bill, tear off the portion you return with check and slide that under the return envelope flap.

Take the portion of the bill you keep and put it in the file.

My other rule is filing cabinet must be right next to desk so you can do that without getting up. Don’t bother saving this task to do on weekly basis, then you are touching all that paper again.

Any piece of paper that doesn’t have a file folder, you either make a general file or throw it away. Make a file called, “things to do”, I have one called “important papers”. Make one called “love letters” if you’re the type to keep birthday cards or notes. Other good file names - warranties, receipts, pictures, resume, check stubs, IRS, car repairs, prescriptions, doctor, home repairs.

Now the only thing on your desk is a nice neat pile of envelopes with the stub showing amount due and date.

If you’re real ambitious, at the end of June and December, put all receipts in date order and slap a staple in top left corner. End of year if your cabinet is getting full, pile the statements up and throw them in some other container and hide in closet.

If you got an extra drawer, you can do the same with software and computer papers.

3

Paper is a problem for me too, so I’m interested in the responses you will get.

I use a stacked file for mail. There are 3 adults in the house and I just stuff their incoming mail into the respective slots. They in return stuff all their junk mail into my slot, like I want three of Kroger’s weekly mailer. It’s like they are afraid to throw mail out.

For myself, I use an accordian file and try, try, try to put stuff into it as soon as possible. I have accordian files going back for years and recycle one every year. I have the year written on the outside and try to use the oldest one first. Labeling is key, here.

DH pays the bills twice a month so his slot gets kinda full for two weeks then emptied all at once. DH uses a standard hanging file system with files labeled “utilities”, “credit cards”, etc. I don’t know when it was last cleaned out, but since it still is contained pretty well, maybe it doesn’t need it.

I also have a permanent file for each adult and kid that has important documents such as birth certs, SS cards, etc.

The biggest paper problem I have is kid stuff. The amount of paper that comes home from school is impressive. I am now using an accordian file for them also- one in each kid’s room. I try, try, try to throw out the extra kid paperwork as soon as possible (without being caught- they think I should save everything since they worked so hard on it!).

Finally, sometimes it’s hard to tell if a paper is important enough to keep. I leave them in my mail slot or stacked up in one SMALL spot until I can decide. Sometimes a couple of weeks makes it clear if it is trashable or not.

4

Ca3799 - well, I’m glad I’m not the only one! :slight_smile:

McDeath and I have the exact same habits - we are just awful at throwing stuff out and our house is overflowing.

I’m hoping someone will come along and tell me how long we need to keep bank statements and cancelled checks and bills? We do almost all of our banking online, and very very rarely ever have to refer to a statement or anything. But we’re afraid to shred stuff because WHAT IF someday we NEED something?

It’s ridiculous …

I bought a couple of nice boxes that are actually for storing pictures or craft supplies - I thought maybe I could put one of those in our entryway so at least we have somewhere to throw stuff in the short term. But I worry that soon enough it will be full and we’ll just put the lid on it and stick it in our home office, and start on another box.

Grrrr …

5

I’ve pretty much heard that you need to keep bills, bank statements and such for at least a year. I have a couple of accordian folders for my stuff. One folder is just for school related paperwork (student loans, textbook list, tuition statements) another keeps all my bills, warranties, bank statements, income tax form etc. I don’t have too many of those things, but it’s still enough that I try to keep it organized.

The rest of my paperwork is spread through binders and folders, that’s stuff like a binder with my writings (printed off), a notebook full of quotes, folder of resumes. Each one is different so it’s a matter of ‘what do I need’ and then spotting which folder/binder it’s in.

Anything that I don’t need/use and won’t be useful gets tossed (like warranties that have run out), bank statements over a year old are shredded etc.

My stuff is still spread around, or piled on a bookshelf/in my desk (I need to buy a file cabinet someday) but it’s way more contained and easier to find than just paper scattered around.

Now if only I could convince Mom to do this.

6

Here’s my suggestion, based on something my company decided to do (saving them hundreds of thousands of $$ in storage a year) and which I put into practice at home with great delight…
I know you have a computer; do you have a scanner or access to one at a friend’s or Kinko’s? Scan your documents (easiest if you have a feeder style scanner) and save them to disk. Then, chuck said document. Pay every bill possible online; then the company will have all the info you’ll ever need to recall, as will your bank if you do your banking online.
I scan my tax docs as well, but still save hard copies for seven years in a fireproof safe at my folks’ place, along w/ the irreplaceables such as birth certificate, etc.