Organising paperwork?

wigginsmum

I've let all the paperwork get out of control (not behind on any bills, but I'm sure I could make some positive changes if I could find all the paperwork when I need it and if I weren't drowning in bank statements etc). Any tips on how to organise it? A filing cabinet is out of the question (lack of space).

Jules

GameOver_2

I have one idea, you could get "Microsoft Money 2006", its very good indeed, it even tells you what you have to pay, when you have to pay it etc.

Cheers

Matt

tru

I have one of these

wigginsmum

Thanks Matt - I've got everything organised on a spreadsheet and payments coming out by monthly direct debit (but will look into Money 2006 if it can offer better things than my basic forumlae calculations, especially for forward inerest rate amounts), but I was just wondering what everyone does with physical paperwork. I used to put everything in a lever arch file with dividers, but it's building up rather too much for that. I don't like throwing anything out and have years' worth of bank statements etc.

Jules

wigginsmum

Thanks troo - that might do me for 'needing action' stuff.

Jules

pin

For my paperwork I have a lever arch file with several dividers. Does the job and its easy to flick through everything.

se999

If you absolutely can't make room for a filing cabinet, you can buy corrugated cardboard archive boxes and use the same hanging files in them. One of our sons uses one at Uni.

But we admitted defeat and found room for a filing cabinet!! It was brilliant, it's not just the admin paperwork, it's holiday brochures, sheet music, sections on info you're researching, folders for birthday cards you buy in advance, envelopes & paper too, or if you're into crafts like knitting they're ideal for that too.

The effect on the house was amazing the little heaps and stacks vanished too. There was also the amount of time saved looking here there and everywhere for these things when they were scattered. People also got less 'ratty' as they could find things!!

You can get just 2 drawer ones, if you don't have room for the bigger ones.

We couldn't cope without our filing cabinet now!!

makingendsmeet_2

I Have a kitchen Drawer,the Glove Box Of the Car Oh and inside coat pockets gets a bit full too. Still pay all the bills on time. I have stared to take up various companies offers on Paperless bills, they all do it now. It saves the rainforests and frees up space in my glove box for cds. It so easy to go back and print of any previous bills you need from the internet, you can normally go back up to 6 months.

Magentasue

We have a two drawer filing cabinet. Bottom drawer files are labelled Garden Equip, TV and DVD, Small Kitchen, White goods etc and house the instruction manuals for such items.

Top drawer has files Birth Certs etc, Car, Insurance, and so on for documents and twelve files with Jan - Dec.

Statements etc are put in the approp month so this months are going in November but December's is full of last year's stuff. Next week that'll get chucked out leaving the file empty for Dec 05's paperwork.

I keep an empty cereal box in the hall and put junkmail straight in for recycling. As I open the post I sort into two piles Keep and Bin. The Bin stuff (most of it) goes straight into the cereal box. The rest goes in the box on top of the filing cabinet for filing.

I also have Microsoft Money and everything is paid by Standing Order/Direct Debit and would recommend it to anyone. Doesn't have to be the latest version, an old one from a boot sale/charity shop will do and they're easy to pick up because they're often given with new PCs.

Finally, online banking means you can amend standing orders, make payments as soon as you open the post so you don't have to have those pieces of paper laying around.

If you don't want a filing cabinet, one or a couple of those files suggested by Troo would dothe same job. It's worth spending a morning organising yourself - it's liberating to have a system that works!

Penny-Pincher!!

Hi

I use Quicken for all my accounts being kept up to date etc and update daily bit freakish really...LOL.

PP
XX

Spendless

I use a few lever arch files, putting the paper work in poly-pockets and labelling each polypocket.