Domestic paperwork - is yours organised?

[wtfftw]

I can see most of our paperwork on the floor behind me along with an array of folders. In the midst of tidying it you see. All stuff relating to council tax and housing benefit is in date order in one pile. I've got an incapacity benefit folder and an important paperwork folder (things like tenancy agreement, birth cert, exam certs). Oh and my bank statements and everything are all organised. I think we're at the stage where stuff is needing to be stuck in bits of folders and then I can date file and buy a shredder at my leisure.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

I don't keep any bills except the Council Tax (and that's only because I don't trust Lambeth Countil not to fuck up) and I only keep the one for the current year. Actually, all my bills are paperless except for BT and as soon as it's paid, it gets thrown out.

You're so tidy

I feel the need to keep mine for years

 

[Mrs Miggins]

You're so tidy

I feel the need to keep mine for years

Arf! Chuck em out!!! you will never ever ever need them for anything!! go on!

 

[trashpony]

Why do I keep bills?

Mainly because I'm too lazy to do all that shredding. I could bring them all into work and get them shredded here

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Arf! Chuck em out!!! you will never ever ever need them for anything!! go on!

yes, but they're handy for, erm... stuff

 

[rennie]

I have seperate folders for bank statements, pay slips and bills. The mail doesn't always make it to the right place though.

 

[janeb]

It's a total disgrace and I just took a photo to show you all, but am too ashamed .

In my defence we had set aside 5 days last week to empty, sort, redecorate and then refill our office at home, but both had bad colds and couldn't face it - luckily we can shut the door on it but it HAS to be done, and soon.

although I do know that in a couple of months it will be a tip again

 

[chymaera]

What do you do to keep on top of it all and yes, I'm well aware that opening the post is always a good start!

We have a big compartmented hard folder for the purpose, where we keep all the paperwork that is the latest we need to have to hand. (We archive everything in other folders when and paperwork is renewed or replaced.)

 

[spring-peeper]

Everything get filed in a filing cabinet. Each company, bank, payslip and government papers are kept in their own separate file folder.

I put the post by the computer - sort, pay, file, and done.

I keep everything except for groceries and incidents, they go directly into the recycling bin.

 

[Orang Utan]

Don't have any paperwork - everything the bank sends me goes in the shredder eventually. Most bills get thrown away unopened. Can't be bothered with keeping everything. No point

 

[Kidda]

i have a shoebox with all my bank statements and payslips in. which i organised into date order only the other week

i have a big lever arch file too for utility bills and council tax. i look organised, but the reality is i rarely remember to pay bills on time

if i bring my shoe box down will you put mine in order to?

i have a file for all the IMPORTANT stuff and the 'also important' stuff is here and there.

 

[aqua]

if you ever need to claim off insurance you need to prove you own things so don't throw away receipts for big items in case you get burgled (its just far easier with a receipt)

I have our finances in ridiculously neat order I'm a bit funny about money, I have everything under tight control. After having to be able to account for every penny when I was paying off my debt I had to get really organised and now its stuck

I have a folder for car related stuff, folder for stuff we've bought, and a lever arch file for my accounts and one for house stuff

also you're supposed to keep personal finance stuff for 7 years I need to have a shred of the stuff older than that now

 

[Orang Utan]

What's 'personal finance stuff'? If bank statements can be got off the bank, or found online, and payslips are now online, what else would you need to keep?

 

[Orang Utan]

And why do you have to keep stuff for 7 years, unless you run a business or something?

 

[aqua]

thats the bit I've wondered - online statements etc if you move banks then you'd still have to print stuff out

also, not once have I ever known anyone be asked for anything

 

[aqua]

my dad has everything he's ever paid for, every bill he has paid everything since 1968, at some point when I'm old I'm going to give it all to a social history museum

 

[Biddlybee]

also you're supposed to keep personal finance stuff for 7 years I need to have a shred of the stuff older than that now

I think that's company finance records that need to be kept for 7 years - I thought it was 3 years for personal.

I'm pretty organised... a file for all my personal finance stuff and receipts. A file for all medical stuff, certificates, guarantees...etc

A file for all houshold related bills, tenancy agreements etc.

A massive box full of stuff that needs to be shredded

 

[aqua]

ah ok 3 then I don't know, I just haven't ever cleared anything out, I think in Hull I still have my first pay slips from 1996

 

[Orang Utan]

thats the bit I've wondered - online statements etc if you move banks then you'd still have to print stuff out

also, not once have I ever known anyone be asked for anything

I'm not worried at all


The only things I keep are clothing and shoes receipts for about a month or two then I throw them out.
The only expensive thing I've bought in the last 10 years or so is my music player, so I have a receipt for that. Not that it's insured or anything, that would be too organised.

 

[Passdout]

Best thing we ever bought.