Simple Easy Ways To Organize Paperwork

Do you have paper cutter? These are simple easy ways to organize paperwork that you can actually keep up with and maintain. Everyone has to deal with some type of paperwork throughout their life. Bank statements, taxes, phone bills and the lists go on. Where do you store them and how long do you keep them? Many of us have no storage system at all for our paperwork and it just ends up in a big pile somewhere. My paperwork filing system is super simplified, and I love it so much because I know exactly where to put stuff.

Simple Easy Ways To Organize Your Paperwork: Declutter First

As the saying goes, you can’t organize clutter. So the very first step to simplification and organization of your paperwork is to declutter. There are so many different types of paperwork that we keep forever and don’t need to. For example, your light bills and phone bills only need to be kept for one year. The same goes with your bank and investment statements. Get rid of those magazines that you will never read and anything else that should have been tossed years ago. You should end up with a big burn or shred pile.

Keep in mind that this applies to personal use only. If you are using anything for tax purposes. You need to keep them for 7 years according to the IRS. The need to keep a document or not might very in different areas so do your research. If you have a car loan or mortgage, I strongly suggest keeping all documents until you are finished paying off the loan and then keep those last statements to prove that you paid it off. The same goes with medical bills paid overtime and student loan payments. Those can come back to bite, and I speak from experience.

Simple Easy Ways To Organize Paperwork: Go Paperless

A great way to help reduce paper clutter is to go paperless. Most documents are available now days online. You can download a copy to your computer and save it on a memory stick. Having your bills sent and paid electronically is very convenient, just remember to save a copy or print out your receipts. You can remind yourself when your payments are due by the calendar on your computer, phone, or those pretty paper planners.

Simple Easy Ways To Organize Paperwork: Keep Master File Of Important Documents

Keep a master file of important papers like birth certificates, social security cards, and passports. I also keep the titles to my trucks, the deed to my house, and insurance documents in the same place in case there is an emergency, and you have to get out of your home in a hurry. The two ways I recommend storing these documents are in a binder with plastic page protecters or one of those accordion folders. Both of these allow you to grab and go in a hurry.

Simple Easy Ways To Organize Paperwork: Long And Short Term Bill Payments

I divide my bill payments into two categories, long and short term. Short term bill payments are bill payments that can be tossed after 12 months. Things like your utility and phone bills as well as your bank and investment statements go in this category. I keep these in a stack in the bottom of my desk organizer that looks like this. Then at the end of the year, I shred or burn all of them except for December’s statement that I keep until next year and then toss. By keeping them all in one place, I don’t have to dig them out at the end of the year.

Long term bill payments are things like car or mortgage payments that you will be making payments toward for several years. I also keep any medical bills and student loans that I am still paying on or have paid off. I keep them after they have been paid off because I have had a couple of occasions where a company will come back to me for payment when it had been paid in full. I keep these things in labeled file folders that I store in my desk drawer for easy access.

Simple Easy Ways To Organize Paperwork: Sort Mail At The Mailbox

One of the easiest ways to control mail clutter is to keep it from getting in the house by throwing away that junk mail as soon as you get it out of the mailbox. If it needs to be shredded, do it while it is still in your hand. If you don’t have a shredder and burn those things to protect your privacy, keep a small basket to put it in so that it doesn’t land on the counter somewhere. The mail that needs immediate attention should go on your keyboard so that you can deal with it right away.

Simple Easy Ways To Organize Paperwork: Containing Receipts

Receipts can really become a problem for me if I let them get out of hand. My first line of defense is to store all of my receipts that I get in a little folder that I got from dollar tree here. It’s just the right size and I keep it in my car so that I can put them in there right away. It has little dividers so that I can separate the receipts that I might need to use to return an item. Most stores will only let you return things for 90 days so after that they should be tossed unless you need them for warrantee purposes.

Another way to store your receipts is in an old tissue box. You could keep all your receipts in there and just throw the whole thing out in 90 days. Don’t forget if you are keeping any of these receipts for tax purposes you need to keep them for 7 years according to the I.R.S. You can keep the tissue box right on your desk and it will look pretty. You could use a gift box from the dollar tree to store those receipts as well.

Simple Easy Ways To Organize Paperwork: Just In Case Basket

There are going to be some things that you really don’t want to throw out right now, but you just need to keep them for a month or so in case you might need them like that recipe or that garden magazine about strawberries that you are about to plant. This basket will give those items a home for a short time so they don’t end up on the counter and the basket will serve as a boundary for you so that you know you need to go through it when it gets full.

Simple Easy Ways To Organize Paperwork: Memory Boxes

Memory boxes are great way to store your photos and your kid’s keep sakes. There are so many boxes and containers to choose from. As long as they have lids and can be labeled you are in good shape. I organize my pictures in little photo boxes. I made tiny dividers the same size as the pictures to organize them by year. I keep my kid’s favorite things in pretty boxes that go with my decor so that I can get to them quickly to put away that perfect piece of artwork.

Simplifying and organizing your home and life is an ongoing process that gets easier as you go along and well worth the effort. If you would like some helpful routine resets for a simplified life, you can find them here.