Home Organizing & Cleaning Tips, Hints

Setting up a filing system can be easy if we remember to keep it simple and use the words that we use most often for recognizing information. Store these folders in file cabinets, bankers boxes or in a safe, but keep them accessible. Paper clutter can take over our homes and result in lost information, unpaid bills and a problem at tax time, trying to find information that we need in order to save money and lower taxes. Keeping our paper files, documents and records in order can save us time and money. There is important information in our files about our home inventory and specific ways to have everything ready within one minutes time.

These are things we need to know,

What papers are important enough to be kept in a safe
How to set up a filing system
What medical information should we have in case of an emergency
What medical information should be passed on to our children
What is in our home inventory and assets
When did we have repairs done to our home and how much were they
Do we have warranties that we aren't using properly

Through different times in our lives (a lot more than you may think), this information will be needed and should be updated on a yearly basis. By having your files organized this will be easy for you to keep track of, here are a few tips to help you.

 

FOR IN THE FILE CABINET

1. Manila file folders
2. Hanging file folders (if your cabinet uses them)
3. File labels for on manila folders (can be colored)
4. Plastic label holders for on hanging file folders

FOR ON YOUR DESK AREA OR WORK CENTER

1. Pens and Pencils
2. Calendar and/or Planner
3. Pencil Sharpener
4. Large and Small Envelopes
5. Telephone Book
6. Stapler and Staples
7. Magic Marker--Black
8. Tape and Tape Dispenser
9. Eraser and/or White out
10. Scissors
11. Ruler
12. Hole Punch
13. Three Ring Hole Punch
14. 1 1/2 inch Binder
15. Bulletin Board or Wipe Off Board
16. Adding Machine and Paper if applicable
17. Letter Opener

EXTRA'S YOU MAY WANT TO ADD

1.  A Paper Shredder
2. Waste Basket
3. Small Dictionary (Pocket Size)
4. Paper Clips
5. Rubber Bands
6. Three Tiered Paper Organizer

 

PAPERS TO KEEP AND WHERE

Save it or Shred It

Keep for 1 Month

	Credit Card Receipts
	Sales Receipts for Minor Purchases
	Withdrawal and Deposit slips (Toss after you have checked them against your monthly statement)

Keep for 1 Year

	Paycheck Stubs
	Monthly bank, credit card, mutual fund, mortgage and retirement account statements

Keep for 7 Years

	W-2's, 1099s and other tax return items (Checks to back-up tax returns)
	Year end Credit Card Statements Investment Summaries

Keep Indefinitely

	Tax Returns
	Receipts for Major Purchases
	Real Estate Records
	Wills and Trusts Alimony and Support Statements (at least until child is 18)

Keep In A Safe 

	Birth and Death Certificates
	Marriage licenses                                                                                                                                                                            Citizenship Papers
	Insurance Policies
	Divorce Papers                                                                                                                                                                                        Social Security Card                                                                                                                                                                            Adoption Papers                                                                                                                                                                        Guardianship Papers

A very good compliment to your new filing system is to
add the Home Inventory System,
make sure that you are ready for anything in case
of an emergency

One of the ways to start is to eliminate junk mail and spam so we don't have to deal with more waste coming into our homes, read this article for help.
Get Rid of Junk mail and Spam

         

Anything reprinted, copied in whole or in part from this page,
can be done with my permission contact me at
Easy_organizing@yahoo.com: 
Jan Hayner  
www.organizingyourlifetheeasyway.com Want to get organized?
Want methods that are EASY? Don’t have a lot of spare time?
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called; 50 Things To Do in 10 Minutes or Less. It is filled with ideas
of things that you can do to Organize your life that won’t take you
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