Keep or toss - office items

[jgenie]

I'm working on cleaning out our old files. I've come across a few things and I'm not sure if I should keep or toss. TIA

- old tax returns - how long do you keep your returns - indefinitely?
- hanging file folders - I'm getting rid of a lot of these. They're in good condition. I can't decide if I should drop them off at a rummage sale or just trash them.
- pre-loan paperwork from our recent home purchase - I have truth in lending statements, mortgage commitment letter. Do I need to keep these?

[niccig]

I'm working on cleaning out our old files. I've come across a few things and I'm not sure if I should keep or toss. TIA

- old tax returns - how long do you keep your returns - indefinitely?
- hanging file folders - I'm getting rid of a lot of these. They're in good condition. I can't decide if I should drop them off at a rummage sale or just trash them.
- pre-loan paperwork from our recent home purchase - I have truth in lending statements, mortgage commitment letter. Do I need to keep these?

Tax returns, 10 years. 7 is longest I believe. I use a filing system that keeps 10 yrs, so I just stuck with that for ease.
Hanging file folders - we have a local facebook group for things to sell/give away, so I would post them there for free. Someone could use them.
Pre-loan paperwork - I kept all the paperwork for our original mortgage and refi. I couldn't work out what to keep/toss so I just put it all in a plastic storage tote in the garage. The tote holds hanging files, so I put things like the mortgage paperwork, my green card/citizenship paperwork in the hanging files. I may never ever need to refer to them, but I can get them easily if need to.