Do you keep every single bill, statement, etc.?

[Kymberley]

Hello, my name is Kim, and I am the world's worst procrastinator. I hate paperwork. With a passion. I postpone filing anything until I have a miniature Mt. Everest of paper and envelopes, and then I'm overwhelmed and postpone some more. I won't go into how bad it actually is because it's too embarrassing. I'd really like to start a campfire in our pit and use the paper mountains as fuel, but that's probably not the best way to go. So what do I really need to keep? I have a filing cabinet, which contains individual files for every utility, insurances for health, car, and home, homeowners stuff, home improvement stuff, receipts for big purchases, school stuff (I was the last to graduate and that was in 2009), taxes, and lots and lots of other junk. Is all of that really necessary? How long do I need to keep each of these things? I really need to get serious about this and I'm totally dreading it.

[mezzona]

here is a pretty good guide of what to keep (http://www.bankrate.com/finance/personal-finance/how-long-to-keep-financial-records.aspx). i printed this out and have it in front of my filing cabinet for reference.

first things out: envelopes!

i procrastinate occasionally too. i should be doing things daily or weekly but it ends up being quarterly or more. it's ok. just do things one at a time. for me, i found it best to deal with one piece of paper at a time -- make sure it goes where it is supposed to go. if i start sorting, life interrupts and i just get paper taking up more space and then i have to start over anyway because i forgot what i already did.

[Kymberley]

here is a pretty good guide of what to keep (http://www.bankrate.com/finance/personal-finance/how-long-to-keep-financial-records.aspx). i printed this out and have it in front of my filing cabinet for reference.

first things out: envelopes!

i procrastinate occasionally too. i should be doing things daily or weekly but it ends up being quarterly or more. it's ok. just do things one at a time. for me, i found it best to deal with one piece of paper at a time -- make sure it goes where it is supposed to go. if i start sorting, life interrupts and i just get paper taking up more space and then i have to start over anyway because i forgot what i already did.

THANK YOU for the list! I had one years ago and lost it/ forgot all about it.

[rolypoly27]

No way. Most of my bills, statements, policy change notices, etc. are all paperless so they are stored electronically online. I can access them whenever I want by logging into my account. I only keep receipts, tax documents, and important documents that cannot be stored electronically. We have one small filing cabinet and all of our paperwork gets filed in there. As for the procrastination, if you find an answer for that, please let me know. :p

[Jo..]

I shove mine in the file drawer and have a shredding party once or twice per year.

I save the shredded paper for my worm bins. :)

[Melanie]

Not any more. We generally keep them until the next one arrives then shred them.

[rlu]

I save the shredded paper for my worm bins. :)

This time of year we put the shred into plastic garbage bags to make a pumpkin person that sits on our bench for halloween. Use the bags to fill out clothes and we use a jack-o-lantern as a head. We use a prelit precarved pumpkin we bought (probably big lots) that looks an awful lot like one of Casper's ghostly brothers.

Most of our bills are electronic now, and like pp for the paper ones we tend to toss when the next comes in. I do save my 401k and bank statements longer than I need to. I never toss tax returns and backup (although the general rule is 7 years if no fear of fraud, no statute on fraud).