Home Sweetly Home: 2018 Cleaning and Organizing Challenge Week 8 ~ Papers

This is just the worst. I really, really, really despise paper clutter. Even after opting for paperless billing and e-statements, I still have piles and piles of papers. I can't be the only one that has stacks of coupons, 90% of which are usually expired because I always forget that I have them or I forget to bring them with me, right??? And the receipts, ughhhh those things drive me crazy, but if I don't keep them I ALWAYS end up needing it and wishing I hadn't thrown it away!

This week we are tackling the paper clutter! Clean out all those nooks and crannies, drawers, jockey boxes, mail organizers, wallets, filing cabinets, paper sorters, wherever those papers accumulate and get shoved away. Mail, coupons, bank statements, receipts, pay stubs, utility bills, magazines, notebooks, old calendars, etc. ALL. THE. PAPER. ALL. THE. JUNK.

Ooh boy, this is embarrassing.

This is everything paper related that I own.

It fills up my entire dining room table.

Week 8 Challenge: Papers
It seems like papers and trash accumulate in piles as big as mountains overnight. Where does it all come from? And where do all these junk mailers find my address? Seriously if you know, tell me! Even after moving into a new house it didn't take hardly anytime and my mailbox started filling up with junk. I could easily say that 75% of what comes into my mailbox goes directly into my recycling bin.

Here is how I help keep paper clutter to a minimum. I found this link through consumer reports a few years ago and it really helped me see what papers I really need to keep and which ones I can toss. And I realize that everyones needs are different and some people, especially those who own their own business, actually do need to keep a lot more, especially for tax purposes. You just do what you need to do and what works best for your family.

*Here's a chart from the link above.

KEEP THESE DOCUMENTS AT HOME

Documents	When to toss them
Bank deposit slips	After you reconcile your statements
Banking statements	After a calendar year; store with tax returns if they will be used to prove deductions
Brokerage, 401(k), IRA, Keogh, and other investment statements	Shred monthly and quarterly statements as new ones arrive; hold on to annual statements until you sell the investments
Credit-card bills	After you check and pay them, unless you need them to support tax filings
Employer defined-benefit plan communications	Never
Household warranties and receipts	After you no longer own the household items
Insurance policies	After you renew them
Investment purchase confirmations and 1099s	Hold until you sell the securities, then keep with your tax records for an additional seven years
Pay stubs	After you reconcile them with your W-2
Receipts	After you reconcile them with your credit-card or bank statement unless needed for a warranty
Safe-deposit box inventory	Never, but review and update annually
Savings bonds	Cash them in when they mature
Social Security statements	When you get a new statement, then shred the old one
Tax returns and supporting documents	After seven years

KEEP THESE IN A SAFE-DEPOSIT BOX

Documents	When to toss them
Birth and death certificates	Never
Estate-planning documents	Never
Life-insurance policies	Never, or when a term policy has ended
Loan documents	After you sell your home, automobile, boat, or whatever the loan was for
Marriage licenses and divorce decrees	Never
Military discharge papers	Never
Social Security cards	Never
Vehicle titles	After you sell the car, boat, motorcycle, or other vehicle

Here is a link to my paper organization from a couple years ago.

This is how everything is organized now. I just have seven cheap file folders for for each year of taxes I have to keep. I found that this is the easiest way to keep things together and find what I'm looking for.

These are full of closing documents for our houses. Things we have to keep. Even though I would really love to throw them away because they are so big and take up so much room!

Fun stuff, finally. These are my journals, and planners.

This little guy has been with me for many years. It where I keep everything that needs attention now, receipts, statements, and payment stubs I need to keep for the year. Shot term storage. I think I found it online for $5. There's a pocket for each month so when I need to look back through the year to find something, its easy for me to find.

This accordion file still holds our personal information, warranties, and insurance papers. Long term storage. Most of this stuff all fits into a basket that goes into our safe.

Okay onto the good stuff. It's your turn! Pull out all of your papers. Shred what needs shredded, anything with personal information on it, account numbers and such. Sort and file away everything that needs to be kept, and recycle everything else.

There are so many files and ways to organize paperwork. Find what works for you and just keep on top of it. I know I should do that monthly, but life happens, and by the time I get around to it, it NEEDS done. Hopefully now things will be easier again. It's sure feels good to have everything sorted and cleaned up!