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 Organization~ (currently 678 views) |
| CeltWsdm4 |
| Posted on: August 27th, 2004, 1:51am |
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As we get ready to begin our new school year, I'm trying to do a bit of organizing. However, I'm drowning in paper! I have stacks and stacks of receipts, bank statements, bill statements, etc. = paper goods.
Does anyone have any recommendations as to "how long" you should keep these sorts of things?
Also, any tips on storing? I thought about doing a monthly filing system, and keeping them organized that way - until I can shred them - when their time is up.
Any thoughts / suggestions?
Sincerely,
Barb
Publisher of the Homeschool Resource Guide & Planner
[url]http://hometown.aol.com/celtwsdm4/myhomepage/business.html [/url]
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| vicki |
| Posted on: August 27th, 2004, 5:37am |
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I've always heard that it's 7 yrs for anything used for tax purposes and a year for all the other stuff.... I have to admit, I shred things sooner than a year (if I find time to go through the files!).. I do file them by month and the idea is that when I get a chance, I file them in their appropriate folder at a later date.. Honestly, I just shredded stuff and re-filed from Sept 2003 to make room for Sept 2004 I'm about to drop in there!!! I once read that you shouldn't touch a piece of paper twice so my system is flawed in that respect with filing and re-filing... However, I find that when I'm sorting bills or filing a receipt, I don't always have a chance to go through them specifically.. I reason it's better to have them in a monthly file than sitting on my desk in piles waiting on me to go through them! And I can usually figure out what month I dropped a receipt or paid bill so I'm not looking aimlessly through stacks of paper.... I do everything online now (banking, paying bills, etc)... I'm very tempted to turn off all the paper copies but I seem to need the security of that bill in my folder! I don't even open my bank statment cause I'm constantly getting the info online.. But I file away that big envelope every month!
I really have no great suggestions.. Just wanted you to know that there are others out there that are drowning in paper.. Trying to stay one step ahead of total chaos! (and homeschoolers have the reputation of being very organized!!  ) |
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Reply: 1 - 7 |
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| kfletcher |
| Posted on: August 27th, 2004, 12:46pm |
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| I have several accordian file folders...the type that are Jan-Dec all in one. I agree that the monthly system is the easiest, and I have one folder for each of the businesses for which I do bookkeeping, 1 for personal/household stuff, and 1 for keepsakes. In the keepsakes folder I deposit photos, drawings, schoolwork that I want to save, doctor reports, whatever so that when I have time to go back and put these things in albumns I don't have to work so hard to figure out when it was from. I have found tbis system to work well for both the business and personal, and it's far less daunting a task to line up my folders on the floor and drop the receipts and bill stubs in the right slot as they are porocessed or on a weekly basis rather than having stacks and stacks of papers to find the time to sort through later by date and category. I then have a "long term filing" box with hanging folders where I place things like insurance policies and owners manuals...things I wouldn't reasonably be able to research later by month. The paperwork saving rule is 3 years on personal, 7 on business...but remember that after you process (enter into the checkbook or whatever) things like grocery receipts, it's okay to toss them right away as you should never need to review it again. Only keep receipts that have items which you may need to someday return to the store, or those which are generated from a store or transaction with which you are not completely comfortable/familiar (ex: did they run that through twice?) in case you should have to prove the charge to the bank or credit card company. I am a nearly obsessive organizer, so let me know if you need more help! |
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Reply: 2 - 7 |
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| Futurekids |
| Posted on: August 27th, 2004, 3:22pm |
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Hi Katie,
I love your idea on the accordian file for pictures. That's the one area where I've really fallen behind and never come up with a good organization method.
As far as the bills, receipts, etc. I agree - If possible, never touch a receipt or bill twice. I have file folders for everything. Once I enter it in Quicken (check it against credit, bank statement, etc.), it either gets shredded or filed if necessary for taxes, etc. (I try to do this daily although sometimes it can be a week or more until I get to them!) At the end of the tax year, I take all related receipts and put them in related envelopes and store in that years accordian tax file. At this time I also try and look through other longterm storage files and purge anything that is no longer interesting, necessary, etc.
For receipts on purchased items, etc. I have two sub folders. One for long term and one for short term. Of course long term items are big item ones (appliances, electronics, etc). Short term ones are things like clothing, etc. that you may need to return if they don't fit, etc. I try to clean this folder out every month or two - shredding things that I didn't return, etc.
An excellent book for organizing is "Organizing for the Inside Out" by Julie Morganstern.
Good Luck!
Sharon
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Reply: 3 - 7 |
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| dallin2001 |
| Posted on: August 27th, 2004, 4:14pm |
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I had heard the accordion system for photos before, and I liked it. I meant to do it...I've just never gotten there.
Yes, seven years is the technical rule for tax purposes...after that you can shred it. If you know anyone who has ever been hit with a full scale audit, you know how important it can be to have it all. My mother got hit in 1987. She had to have every little piece of information. As it turned out, the IRS owed her, but the amount she got back was all used up in paying the CPA that had represented her.
My mother's system is file EVERYTHING according to date. When the year is done, it is all filed away in banker's boxes (available at Costco). Each box is dated on the top and end. They can be stored in the garage or a closet; just make sure you keep it all in the same spot. (We used the same system in my years in banking....which is why they are called banker's boxes.)
I believe it is The One Minute Manager that states that you should never touch the same piece of paper more than once. I feel it's really three times. Once when you designate its priority as A, B, or C, again when you sort your letter priorities into numerical priorities within the previously designated letter priority. The final time is when you act on it. In my mind, I kind of combine The One Minute Manager and Stephen R. Covey's ideas. (Not that I really do any of it...If I did, Lisa would have my enrollment form.) I think the idea The One Minute Manager is trying to convey is that you don't keep moving it around or forwarding it from one day to the next...Do it, do it now.
As far as filing things to be addressed at future dates, such as bills or forms that have to be submitted at certain times, I really like the Pending Items system we used in banking. I keep meaning to incorporate it into my life, but I never get there. It is sort of like an organizer in a file cabinet. We had hanging files numbered 1-31 and one for each month of the year. If the item was to be acted on that month, we placed the item in the appropriate date. If it was to be acted on in a future month, we placed the item in the file for the appropriate month. At the end of each day, we pulled the next days pending items. We prioritized them, and placed them back in the file to be acted on the next day. The last business day of the month, we pulled the next month's file, and we sorted the items according to action dates. This system worked really well; we never missed items that should have been addressed this way.
Well, those are my thoughts.
-Kari
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Reply: 4 - 7 |
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| LisaSilva |
| Posted on: August 28th, 2004, 1:12am |
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Well... I've been told that I'm an.., you get it. I have a system for everything and hate it to get messed with. (Elizabeth was right about me. lol!) I file receipts by month in an envelope and then canceled checks for misc. things there as well. Ones used for bills, dr's, etc. get stapled to the invoice and filed in their own hanging folder. I do this daily once I'm home at night and entering things into my checkbook.
I keep all of the kids papers, with the hope that they'll never be able to say that "mom didn't save anything of mine". I keep everything in 3 ring binders and file those weekly. That's only after they file them in my letter organizer. Then at the end of the year, I move everything into large storage boxes in the attic. I just this week alone moved them down to the garage, I was worried about the heaviness on the beams. (LOL)
I have payday bill folders and change the dates to coincide with that months paydays. As soon as a bill comes in I file it in the appropriate weeks slot. Pay it, file it in it's folder and then add the canceled check when it comes in.
My daughter-in-law laughs at me as I can find all my manuals for anything we buy, as they are kept in their own box in the attic. When we replace an appliance/electronic, I pull the manual and toss it. This is where I keep the warranty reciepts or cash register receipts, so that if I need it for a repair or something, I don't have to go thru each month looking for it.
I have been commended "in court" for my organization when it was necessary to prove certain things to the ex.
My husband just calls it obsessive! (LOL) |
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Reply: 5 - 7 |
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| CeltWsdm4 |
| Posted on: August 28th, 2004, 11:08pm |
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Wow! Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions!
I used to be more organized.  The ironic thing is, I need to be organized now, more than ever! We live in a very small home (virtually no extra storage space), I just started my own small business with the Homeschool Resource Guide & Planner, our son is at a 9th grade level this year - so record keeping is IMPORTANT - at this point, and I'm a bit of a "saver" (OK - as we've downsized - I've gotten better about this.  ) My husband tends to "hold on" to things, as well.
*Another tip, which I've heard in the past, is to try and spend just 15 minutes a day doing organizational type cleaning. This is especially true for those of us who aren't currently organized to the hilt. So, say you have a "junk drawer" - you could set a timer, and spend 15 minutes weeding it out. Or, maybe spend 15 minutes a day going through books and old curriculum that your kids have outgrown.
I also do what Lisa mentioned: filing all of our appliance/electronic manuals together with receipts/warranty info, etc. It sure is helpful to have them all in one spot! |
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Reply: 6 - 7 |
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| CeltWsdm4 |
| Posted on: August 28th, 2004, 11:50pm |
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Making Menus or OAMC (Once a Month Cooking)
Do any of you find time in your busy schedules to do these things?
I find that this type of organization often SAVES me time. I haven't done OAMC yet, but often make double (sometimes triple) batches of certain dishes, for use at a later date. I just divide the extra portions and freeze.
Now that our kids are older (14 & 11), I plan to begin doing a weekly Kids Night to Cook. Monday's are perfect for this. They're learning valuable life skills (Home Eco.), all while giving Mom a little break. These nights can be a simple as sandwiches / left overs / frozen premade meals - warmed up, or as complicated as preparing a full course dinner (with supervision and any help they need).
*Once you have several months of menus, save them. They can be reused!  Menus also make shopping easier. |
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