Filing System

[kristac]

We need to come up with a new filing system for papers. I saw the freedom filer https://freedomfiler.com/Home.cfm and am intrigued. Anyone use it?

Any other ideas, recommendations? Is there a free site to print file labels?

[goldenpig]

I just bought the Freedom Filer system and I like it! I already had the file folders. I'm still in the process of setting it up & filing papers (we have tons so it's slow going) but I like how it's supposed to be "auto-purging" and encourages you to get rid of old papers after a certain amount of time.

[jgenie]

I use excel to make my file labels.

I have files in front for monthly bills - sprint, verizon, electricity, water, etc.

The other categories I have are (I'll add more as I think of them):

Bank statements - Bank A, Bank B, Bank C; 401K Me, 401K DH;
Insurance - Auto, Health, House;
Investments - Acct A, Acct B, Acct C;
Legal - birth certificates, marriage certificate, wills, etc.
Mortgage
Receipts - House Repairs, Large purchases, Taxes;

[kristac]

I just bought the Freedom Filer system and I like it! I already had the file folders. I'm still in the process of setting it up & filing papers (we have tons so it's slow going) but I like how it's supposed to be "auto-purging" and encourages you to get rid of old papers after a certain amount of time.

Does it have you file bank statements in the monthly or is there a different folder for those?

[niccig]

I have a word document that I do the filing labels. I use an expanding file, a 31 day one I think. Then I file all our monthly bills like gas, telephone, cc statements etc in that. In the last slot, I put all my used check books for that year. I put things like mortgage or investments into the filing cabinet as those are permanent files. Health related paperwork to make claims go in a smaller expanding file. The expanding files do sit in my filing cabinet drawer, so it's easy to put things in.

At the end of the year, I pick up the monthly bills expanding file, put in all the health related stuff for that year, then give it to DH to do the taxes. Then it all goes in a storage box to keep for the 7 years. And I take out the oldest one that I can now shred.

Because of how our taxes are done, we need to keep a lot of our monthly statements. This has been the easiest way to do it.

If I didn't need to keep a lot of this, I would do a system I've read about it. You have 12 folders and file everything in the month it was paid in. Then the following year, you take the April folder for eg, clear out stuff that doesn't need to be kept, and then use it for the new month.

[KrisM]

My folders are labeled b by month four most things. Health gets its own folder. Much easier to just dump ask of march into one folder.

[Dream]

I never keep copies of ban) statements. I print it online as I need it. How long. Do you keep statements for?

[kristac]

I never keep copies of ban) statements. I print it online as I need it. How long. Do you keep statements for?

I don't know how long you are supposed to keep bank statements for- that's why I wondered if they were filed in the monthly files (those are purged every 2 years in the freedom filer system). Currently we probably have 11 years worth floating around- but I'm sure that's excessive- hence my need for a new system.

[kristac]

goldenpig- do you still like your freedomfiler?

[goldenpig]

Yes, I like the filing system a lot, but I have to confess I still haven't filed all my papers in it yet. :bag I'm trying to file new papers using the system in my two desk drawers, but I still have about 5-6 boxes of old papers sitting out on the office floor. They're in files in boxes, I just have to find the time to sit down and weed through all of them and file, scan or toss them. I can never seem to find enough time between the time I put the kids to bed and when I pass out to work on filing. Plus the amount of papers we have is kind of intimidating/overwhelming. If I spent less time on BBB, maybe I'd have time to do it! :ROTFLMAO:
:bag Now I'm embarrassed, will have to work on filing this weekend!