I hope that your Saturday was filled with the happiness that only occurs when you open up your space to the present, instead of the past!

For me, that happiness is summed up best while shredding the past right out!

Wow!
Last night I purged a file cabinet drawer! Even though I do go thru my files regularly, I still had loads of files that were not needed. It feels good to have some space to put my CURRENT files!

So, today we will be getting down to business!
You should have a couple of piles….one for each person in your household and a household pile (this will mostly be utility bills)

BEFORE YOU START
Since this project takes some amount of time, I suggest that you read my computer blog for today after you finish reading this blog, and organize your files while you are scanning your computer! This way, you “kill two birds with one stone”.

BACK TO THE TOPIC AT HAND
You have several ways to organize each persons files. If you have 4 file cabinet drawers, you may just want to give each person a file drawer or you may want to use portable file storage. This is totally up to you. What IS important is that the files are easily categorized.

NOTE:
For now, use cardboard pieces or cereal box sides to divide the categories. We will not be totally organizing these sections today. We are just making sure that each subsection is labeled and started. We will be coming back in a couple of weeks to complete this project.

So here are your subsections:

– Important – This is for birth certificate, shot records –anything you will need to find in a hurry.

– Medical – For medical papers

– School – Anything school related

– Receipts & Bills

Repeat this process for each person.

HOUSEHOLD FILE
So you are left with your household file….what to do, what to do? There are so many things that can be placed in this file, it can simply just get out of hand.

These categories an be tricky…Instead of getting specific, we can leave a little more leeway to simplify the system.

Your household categories should be: Utilities, Vehicle, Insurance, Home, Warranties & Instruction Manuals

– Utilites: These files should never be stagnant. Every month, you should shred the prior month once you make sure your last payment was recorded.

– Vehicle: This file should contact information about your vehicles.

– Insurance: This file should contain information regarding the insurance that you have for your household.

– Home: If you are a homeowner, this section should contain all the information that pertains to your home, including repairs. Home purchase and refinance papers really should be kept in a fireproof location.

– Warranties & Instruction Manuals: pretty self explanatory

KEEP IT UP! / ITS ALL ABOUT A ROUTINE!
Now, that you have the system started, it should be easy to maintain. Once you establish a routine for how you DEAL with your paperwork, it will become a habit.

Make sure that you open your mail wherever your filing system is. That way you can choose to recycle, toss, or file every piece of mail that comes into your space.

ARE WE DONE YET????
We will be returning to this project on January 16th. Keep an eye out for some reminders and shopping supplies!

THIS WEEK: Computer week! Keep watching for computer tricks and tips. Something new every day!