Filing Paper

Do you have a scanner? We scan our bills and file them in the computer. No paper for us! And when our washing machine died, all I had to do was get on the computer, find the "Receipts" folder, find the "HOme Depot" folder, find the file called "washing machine" and hit print, took it with me to the store for return.

Quite honestly, you don't need to keep most bills. I have never needed an electric bill, except maybe the first one to see how much deposit I paid so I can make sure to get my deposit back.

I just solved this at my house (I hope!)!!

I FINALLY realized that I would NEVER be able to keep a filing system. I'm too much of perfectionist (and then procrastinator) and if there's a peice of paper I don't have a file for, then I would have to create one, but it would have to have the perfect label and the folder would have to have the right tab so that it fit with the ones before and after it. There just aren't enough middle tabs for that!

So, I purchased some document boxes (got mine from the Container Store) and I will pile in those like I pile around the house. I don't mind searching through a pile of papers - if I know the paper I need is in it. But when I pile around the house without any organization/categorization, I can never find what I need.

So, right now, I have a house box, a financials/impt. papers box, a pet box, a health/insurance box, a warranty box (though, I may try to find another way to organize these so the warranty info/instruction booklet is in the same room as the appliance), and I have a temporary box for mail and stuff that gets piled on counters. When that box gets full, it gets gone through, stuff thrown away or moved to their appropriate boxes!

I'm super excited about my new "filing" system - can you tell???!!!

As for the rest of your question - there's all sorts of info online about how long to keep certain types of papers. In my box system, it doesn't really matter until the box gets full. Then I can look and maybe have an "archive" box if necessary. Boxes are easy to change categories and add when needed.

My husband and I bought a filing cabinet for all our paper.

We keep the important stuff, like receipts for big purchases, or things we may need to take back. Keep medical papers for each person in it's own file. Keep anything related to your cars in their own files, so on and so on.

And the stuff you know you aren't going to need like little receipts, and bank statements that you need (we have online banking so we dont need in mail statements) or credit card offers etc things like that we shred or burn.

Once you get stuff in the mail go through it immediately and sort through it and have a keep pile and a shred/burn pile. Then file the keep pile and later when shred/burn the rest.

That way you wont get have stacks of papers everywhere, and it wont take forever to go through them.

Ever since we got our filing cabinet its so much easier to find the important things. And getting one was super cheap too.

We keep it very simple. We pay bill online. I buy a big file box at any store say target that has enough file pockets and relabel them for the different categories we need and we have a shredder. The file box sits right next to the computer where the bills get paid and there is a little slot for bills to be paid there to. Everyday when the mail comes in I sort it. What needs to be paid goes into the to be paid slot, what needs to shredded, gets shredded and the rest gets throw into the recycle bin. When the bills get paid they get filed it the cile box. Every end of the year, I reconcile, shred what does not need to be kapt for yax reasons ,get everything ready for doing taxes and make the next years box.If you put in down you create a pile that gets bigger and bigger and when you look again it's a mountain. I tried being more complicated but I just ended up making more work for myself and it didn't solve the problem. Keep it as simple as you can so you will stick to it.
It does not have to pretty it just have to work. Good luck.

Opt to have anything that can be paperless, paperless. ALL your bills and bank statements will arrive via email. If you want to save them, download them but really not necessary since you can retreive them online at any time. Note the due date on a calendar if you don't sign up for autopay. When due, pay all bills online. You can pay bills for free on most websites, you don't have to use your bank's bill pay, which sometimes is fee based. (You can use folders in your email to organize if you want to save conirmations etc.)

You can also use quicken with your bank account to track spending.

Any paper not available electronically, use a filing cabinet or filing box with file folders and labels for each category/company in alphabetical order if necessary. The key is to think about making the item easy to find if you need to later. You can find a good metal locking cabinet used (they are pricey new) or any less sturdy type at Target etc, if not used. Rotate files at the beginning of each calendar year. Keep files for 5-10 years depending.

Keep all non-expiring important docs (passports, birth certs etc) in a small safe tucked away somewhere or in a bank's safe deposit box.

Good luck!

The recurring theme here is, whatever system you decide to use (detailed as in a hanging file for each category or general as in a box for each category) you have to deal with these items regularly. As you come in the door each evening, sort through the mail. Tear junk mail in half and recycle, same with cc offers. Bills that need to be paid should be put in a special basket so they don't get lost. OPEN THEM UP FIRST! Better yet, go paperless with your bills so you get an email reminder instead. Then, set aside a time EACH WEEK to file what you need to. It's when everything stacks up that we get in trouble. You may need to set aside 15 minutes each Friday night or Saturday morning to "file" everything so your life doesn't seem so chaotic. Good luck!

Other than what has already been said, I recommend checking out flylady.net
She's all about teaching routines and establishing habits! Paper clutter is a big habit that needs a few routines (many already said here); only touch it once, file what you need/shred what you don't, and most importantly DO WHAT WORKS FOR YOU!!!
Each month with Flylady stresses a new habit, and I think sometime around October (though I could be wrong) they tackle the paper habit. At that time, she always sends out an email which details what you should keep and for how long.
Good Luck!!!