How do I organize my paper stuff? Bills, receipts, tax stuff omg so many different categories.?

Question

The "big pile" method does not seem to be working any more. It seems like it will be impossible to do it.

Answer 1

Invest in a small file cabinet (or if you don't have room, just a cardboard file box that you can stick in a closet). Buy a box of manila file folders, a package of file folder labels, label them appropriately, and start separating the "big pile", piece by piece into the folders. Shred any old checks, tax returns (I think anything that goes back more than seven years is OK to get rid of). and anything else non-essential- for example- you don't really need receipts for bills paid a year ago. This will simplify your life in a big way. Just stay up with it- don't let stuff accumulate for more than a couple of weeks. You will love being able to put your hands on whatever paperwork you need, as you need it, instead of having to sift through a ton of papers.
I also have a file labeled "pending" for paperwork I will be needing/using within a week or so, and one labeled "bills" that I keep on my desk at all times for bills that I can't pay as soon as they come in. Good Luck!

Answer 2

If you have been using the big pile method, all the file cabinets etc in the world will not help you, after a couple of months you will be back to the big pile. SO
Go by the convinces store and go thru their boxes. Get about 4 beer flats, label them due bills and one paid tax deductible, one not deductible, and the 3RD don`t know.

That way you will still be piling but in smaller piles. Hopefully at the end of the month the due bills box will be empty, and you can put some sort of a divider in the others. Usually you can get about 4 months paid bills to a flat. When it full, rubber band it and get another flat. In Jan. you will probably use a flat for your W2`s and 1099`s.

Stay home New Years eve and go thru the paid bills, you will feel good New Years` Day and have a feeling of acccomplishment.

Timer for more beer flats.

Answer 3

Everyone's answers are great ideas! I know this because I recently spent about $150 on "Organization" books...(yeah, a bit overboard :) The basic rule is to use what works FOR YOU. So pick out some of the answers and try them for a short time, and if you discover you are not doing anything differently, try a different method.

The rule to deal with your mail EVERY SINGLE DAY is absolutely a theme in every book.

Also, the concept of "reference" files and "action" files seems to be a consistent theme throughout all of the books. Basically reference files are anything you might need at a later time (PAID bills, receipts, etc.) and action files are obviously, any item you must take an action on. Reference files can be broken down by category (i.e. Insurance, Car, Past Years Taxes, etc.) and Action Files contain Files that will vary depending on you. I, for example, do a lot of my paperwork for work at home, so i have files like: To call, to file, to pay, Enter in Computer, To Photocopy, To Fax, Pending(meaning waiting on someone else before I can move forward with it.) I also do all of these for both home (personal) and work. Then the deal is you should sit down at a scheduled time (once a week, twice a month, whatever works for you) and clean out those files.

One of the best of the $150 worth of books that I have read is from "Taming the Paper Tiger" series. You can buy the book anywhere online and it has great ideas from a professional organizer.

Her website is:

http://www.productiveenvironment.com/
www.thepapertiger.com



Good luck~

Answer 4

I have three piles: receipts, bills, and action items. I utilize wicker baskets for all three, simply because I like wicker. The receipts go in a wicker basket in a kitchen cabinet. Bills go in another basket near the computer where we pay bills from. The third basket I keep by the kitchen table. It contains anything that needs action - like paperwork the kids bring home from school, a letter from the insurance company that I need to make a phone call about, that kind of thing. All this paper can pile up pretty quickly. Everyday, sort out the mail. Throw the garbage stuff away, put bills in your bill location, unless it needs to be taken care of right away. Action items go in the action basket, etc. Anything that must be taken care of within the next day, leave it out where you will remember. I usually have a pile on the kitchen table of things I need to take care of right away.

Answer 5

What has worked ideal for me is i purchase 4" binders and sparkling web page holders that carry many papers. in case you may't get to them rapidly only stick expenditures in a unmarried, tax stuff in yet another, etc. What I do is each and each and every December i purchase a sparkling 4" binder and 20 sparkling pages, I positioned expenditures, etc, in this binder, each and every from time to time they get mixed up yet they don't seem laying round. After that i will only were given via instantly, also once you've someone doing all of your taxes you do not pick to get issues together you only take interior the binder. After that you position what ever tax papers interior the lower back and on the outdoors slip positioned the year. this kind if necessary some thing for anyreason properly there is the year and also you may pull up warranties, purchases or some thing if some thing breaks, or is stolen or needs to get replaced. person-friendly to keep, keep, and flow. If the IRS comes to a decision to audit you, they could flow lower back a minimum of seven years, so do not shred in retaining with annum. You under no circumstances comprehend even as your huge variety may be pulled and in case you itemize then you truly will be desiring proff. because in the experience that they question some thing they then can settle on to flow lower back better than the present year. wish this helps.

Answer 6

Hey, I am trying this out myself. See if it helps you.

I get a box from the store (the kind with a slide-over-the-top cover, e.g. the box that printer paper comes in -- usually Staples give them out free if they are not using the empty ones, just ask) and this is my "Paid Bills" box. Plus, I have a bunch of big elastic bands.

A bill comes in. Pay it. Then, "file" it with its own kind and wrap an elastic band around them. "Throw" into the box.

At the end of the year, put the cover on, write the year in big bold letters with a marker and file away.

Answer 7

get urself a file cabinet. U can either purchase a metal one or, they make cardboard file organizers or, u can get a much smaller breifcase size acordian style file organizer. Use the tabs to label each file. Try also to get rid of any trash mail u get immediately when u get it. DO NOT put it in that "pile". once u pay a bill, file it. taxes done? file it. don't file unpaid bills.

Answer 8

Buy yourself a two drawer file cabinet at a resale shop is where I got mine. Buy file hangers,folders, and labels. Over a few days in spare time I made a very neat way to store everything I wished to keep as far as receipts,bills. information, bank printouts Etc. have fun!!

Answer 9

Filing cabinets help for stuff you need to just keep whereas filing baskets are good for stuff that needs doing. That way it's not "out of sight out of mind". I have different filing baskets for different subjects.

I sort my paperwork out into dates it needs to be actioned by and then attach a piece of paper on top of each pile and write the date on it. Put the nearest date on top of the pile.

Answer 10

put them into categories. Credit cards bills with all receipts stapled. If more than one, put them in separate index. One file for household, separate index, ie, electricity, water, gas etc. That's for monthly statements.
Another for annual statements like income tax, property tax etc, if you prefer, can also include your annual income report.
A file for all your other personal documents like insurance policies, separate index for medical insurances, certificates, medical check-up reports etc. One file for all bank statements, file different accounts separately, same goes for statements of shares purchased/sold.