With the start of the new year, it's always a great time to get papers organized. So what do you say we spend some time this month setting up a filing system that will keep you in order (that is with papers) throughout the year.
I have read and been told different things about how long you should keep certain files; and I am definitely not an expert on this subject matter, but I can refer you to some websites that might be of some help.
According to the IRS, you should keep tax records up to........ click here: www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/
And there is this one for other documents - Managing Household Records www.usa.gov › Money and Taxes › Personal Finance
Just remember that ultimately it's up to you to decide what you want to keep and what you want to toss. To help you make the decision you may want to consider how many times you went back to that file and pulled anything from it.
Now that you've done your research and decided what needs to be kept and tossed, it's time to go through your piles of papers or your current files and remove what can be tossed. I recommend shredding and recycling the "toss" stuff!
Next step: decide on a system for the papers that ended up in the "keep" category. Again, there are different systems and you have to decide on what works best for YOU!
I will share a system with you that I am considering, but the jury is still out. It's called "Freedom Filer" and can be found here. It seems like a pretty simple concept. I'm still trying to decide if I can do it cheaper myself, or if I should just bite the bullet and make the small investment. What do you think?
I would love to hear from you if you decide to join me this month and organize your papers! What system did you decide on? I can already feel the sense of accomplishment when we are done. Did you feel it too?
I know I didn't show you any of those pretty decorative file folders that make us all go "ooh-la-la" but stay tuned, I'm on the hunt!
Happy Organizing
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