Brilliant Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 I have an entire 4-drawer file cabinet with household papers. Bank, credit card, & retirement accounts. Tax records. Insurance. Medical/dental. Car. Etc. It seems excessive to me - I do clean it out periodically and only keep from 1-3 years of records depending on what it is. So why does running our home take up an entire file cabinet? (It doesn't include any purchase receipts or household bills; those are separate and I am extra-vigilant about tossing them every couple of months.) In other storage, I have up to 10 years of tax & home & investment records (about another 2 file drawers worth). I meant to purge anything older than 6 years but am glad I didn't - I actually needed 2000 investment records to complete something on the 2010 tax return! So, is my 4-drawer cabinet normal? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nestof3 Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 We are self-employed, so we keep 7 years of tax records. I keep one year in a half bankers box from Office Max. I keep them in the garage. Everything from that year goes in the box -- banking and health insurance as well. I keep a MS Word file on my computer that lists all of our health insurance payments including doctor visits, so I can find them in the box if necessary. I also have one bankers box with old health insurance papers (older than the last 7 years). I have one file folder drawer for current business paperwork (2011) and one for personal household stuff. I don't keep any bills like water/telephone, etc. I have one sheet of paper that has 12 columns and as many rows as we have bills. I have the name of the company, the account #, the amount of the bill (if it's fixed) and a blank spot where I write in the current amount in pencil. I have in that drawer: current insurance policies and bills personal banking investments coupons miscellaneous (things I order, real estate assessments, etc). credit cards and statements I used to have a bankers box with manuals for things we own, but I found pdf files, saved them on my computer and recycled the paper. Now I only have a few file folders, and they are stored above my washing machine in a crate along with the few cookbooks I own (my washer and dryer are in my kitchen). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sasharowan Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 I have two drawers for personal, one drawer for school, and one drawer for miscellaneous computer stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
virtual_twins_mom Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 I think you're doing just fine. We've probably got about the same amount of paperwork around here, but it's not at all as well-organized as it should be. Some stuff in a fire-proof box, other papers in file cabinets in the garage, banker boxes in the attic, and current records by the computer. I'd love it if someone would just tell me exactly what to keep and for how long....and how to best file it. It would be nice if that someone were a lawyer and/or CPA! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 We're a bad example. We have two LEGAL sized 4 drawer cabinets. About six drawers are files. I think I have another drawer's worth of genealogy and one or two with the research for dh's book that are in boxes and not in the cabinet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 One itty firebox file box worth. Taxes for last 7 years, mortgage and vehicle info, various insurance, plus identity paper (passports, birth certs, ss cards....) That's it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Oh. Schooling stuff? I have a huge sonlight sized binder that I keep everything order by student in, plus a section for my various notes and prospective ideas and calendar. I clear it of everything not needed at the end of each academic year. Either trash or bind and put on the proper shelf for when needed again. Oh and there is a small home management section in the back. No debt, no investments, so no record keeping necessary there. I have a small keepsake trunk in the closet that I keep a few select momentos from marriage and kids in. I have almost no photos after about 1999. Everything digital since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brilliant Posted March 23, 2011 Author Share Posted March 23, 2011 It sounds like I am somewhat in the norm, which relieves me. But I wish I could get down to half as much...When did life get so complicated? I flipped through all the drawers after my original post, to see if I was missing something HUGE that could be taken out. But I only found a couple of things in the warranty/instruction manual file to toss (for a hair dryer and vacuum that are no longer with us). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 1 4 drawer filing cabinet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmoe Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 You don't want to know! :lol: You're doing good, girl. My husband files everything--even comic books! I'm not sure how many drawers we're up to right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.