Bank Statements, Utility Bills, Important Documents-Birth Certificates

onredbull

QUOTE=Shez;4548671]Hello Onredbull
Funny Ive just been doing my filing tonite!
Well I dont have room for a filing cabinet either in my house, I have those Filing Boxes - you can buy them from Argos and they are either A4 or foolscap size and usually fireproof ones. These fit in the bottom of my wardrobe at least!.
I keep bank statements, utilities bills, car stuff, mortgage, tax stuff, c.tax, insurances etc.
QUOTE]


Hiya, Thank you for you reply above and to everyone else aswell.

I did write a reply last night but sent it just after 10:30pm and so it was closed and looking now - it obviously didnt go through.

Anyway :think: Trying to remember what i wrote last night.......

I used to have one of those 'Filing Boxes' (in argos cat - p.548-no.8 or cat.no.676/1415) except mine was plastic and very flimsy and would only hold a few peices of paper.

I do like the look of the "R-kive file storage module" (Argos p.548-no.7 or cat.no. 062/1245) The filing cabenits are all v.expensive.

Also while i was looking on same page - they are selling "Multifile plus blue files" which i know go in the filing cabnets, but underneath they have 2 types of files and i'm confused to what the difference is (sorry to sound thick) ?
Can anyone explain please.

Cat.No. 676/4209 = Foolscap

Cat.No. 676/2115 = A4


Like Skystar & Churchmouse, I do staple the receipt to the instruction booklet/manual for my electrical items & large items. They are all stored together in a folder seperatly to the 6 i sorted and have this week.


"When your children have illnesses,operations etc, write it with the date on the back of their birth certificate," Quote from Churchmouse.
What a Great Idea - Do you have anymore regarding children as they would be greatfully recieved please. :T

"In the case of putting everything on computer - I am often worried as computers break down you lose everything" Quote from Shez.

This would also worry me and the security side as i have already been mildly fraudulently cloned - probably the wrong words & phrases!

I have had credit card used/tryed to use on 2 seperate occasions in 2 different locations with having 2 new card account no -(when had c/c it was only used for insurance - and i have all statements so bank could see & were v.helpful & understanding)

1st transaction happened at toy shop(UK) & bank canceled & sent new card.

Then year or so later it happened again someone bought/tried to buy on internet from USA.

And someone bought from catalogue in my name/account no.

Luckily this has only been very mild compared to what does go on and it has made me very consious about all documents and the bank & catalogue company were great and v.helpful with situations.

I am especially wary about entering details on computer (I'm not brillient with things im unsure of especially security&computers) but Thanks for all advise.

(Sorry i write so much.)

hilstep2000

I've got a large metal filing box. Bought it in a charity shop actually, it's also fireproof. DD has just bought herself one, metal with all the files in it from WH Smith, half price, £7.99 instead of £14.99. I store all my insurance, passports, banking ,wage slips etc in this, and then have two other folders. One for Piad Bills, (Gas, Electric, Water, Credit cards etc) and one for Tax Credits, and DWP, (I get DLA, and the letters go on and on!)

I have a clear out every January, and only keep a years worth of everyting, except P60's. I keep 6 years worth of those. I can always find anything when it's needed!

katieowl_2

I'm doing this at the moment too...Must be something in the water.

If it relates to tax, tax credits, council tax - I keep it. OH has been investigated twice by the IR (lovely people!) so I'm a bit careful. You are required by them to keep six years worth I think....

Bank statements, after I've checked them - I'm keeping for six months.
CC Bills, Utility Bills, Catalogue bills etc just six months.

I'm being brutal, as I just can't stand all the paperwork anymore!!! I've got POA for a friend so I have all her stuff too, and I'm site secretary for a local allotment, and I do DH's books - somedays I do more paperwork than I did when I worked in an office!

I've got a pile relating to 'kids' school reports, school newsletters with their photos in, and certificates, which I'm keeping as I thought they might like them when they are older. I also have trouble throwing away cards - but I try to turn them into gift tags - and I sold some for a charity last year.

I just invested in some box files from Savercentre (£2.50) to try and make some order. Bank stuff like paying in/cheques and card details are kept in a hidey hole with the passports. Important stuff like birth certificates are seperate so they are really safe.

Regards

Kate

Catmeister

skystar wrote: »

Wage slips usually get kept for a year and that's only because I know I need to send some of them to Student Loans.

You must keep your pay slips, P60 and P45s and if you're SE, receipts for your claimed expenses for six years. Otherwise you could be in major !!!! when the men in pointy hats come! When companies go bankrupt, the records aren't always kept, so if you find yourself with a period to claim back tax you might not be able to if you haven't made the effort to keep your own records

Saying that, like other posters I don't receive bank or phone bills - can view up to six years online with HSBC so no point.

Stuff I keep gets filed into lever arched files; one for work - pay slips, job contracts, pension scheme etc; one for 'me' - mobile bills, student loans, docs like birth certificates; one regular house bills - utility, council tax, household receipts; and one for pure house stuff - insurance, mortgage, building work invoices, etc. I also file DH's stuff as he is akin to keeping it in a box - despite my clearly(!) superior, organized system, he still grumbles and complains, and is constanty chucking his bits in boxes when I'm not looking! :rotfl:

PS I keep the folders in a bookcase on which the phone sits, and as I use dividers, it takes me only a few seconds to find the relevant info

skystar

Catmeister wrote: »

You must keep your pay slips, P60 and P45s and if you're SE, receipts for your claimed expenses for six years. Otherwise you could be in major !!!! when the men in pointy hats come! When companies go bankrupt, the records aren't always kept, so if you find yourself with a period to claim back tax you might not be able to if you haven't made the effort to keep your own records

Saying that, like other posters I don't receive bank or phone bills - can view up to six years online with HSBC so no point.

Well if the company I work for goes bankrupt and the records aren't kept you might not be able to view those bank statements - I work for HSBC! - right back at you

tanith

I hope you are all being good and remembering to SHRED all that old paperwork before you chuck it.....:T

Ishtar

For filing we pretty much do the same as already mentioned - file in lever arch files. We have different files for different things - bank/credit cards, cars, utilities, house-related, etc. At the end of the calendar year I empty out the paperwork from the year before (ie at the end of 2006 I removed paperwork relating to 2005), put these into manilla envelopes, then into Archive boxes in the loft. I try to keep things for 7 years, then shred.

For things that are a pain to replace - driving licences, marriage certificates, birth certificates, passports, etc, etc - we have a smallish plastic box kept in the bedroom. The idea is that in the event of a fire we grab it on the way out....OH is now archiving our photos onto a CD, which is also kept in the box.

Sorry its a bit rambling, but hope it helps!!

D.

Shez

onredbull wrote: »

I used to have one of those 'Filing Boxes' (in argos cat - p.548-no.8 or cat.no.676/1415) except mine was plastic and very flimsy and would only hold a few peices of paper.

I do like the look of the "R-kive file storage module" (Argos p.548-no.7 or cat.no. 062/1245) The filing cabenits are all v.expensive.

Also while i was looking on same page - they are selling "Multifile plus blue files" which i know go in the filing cabnets, but underneath they have 2 types of files and i'm confused to what the difference is (sorry to sound thick) ?
Can anyone explain please.

Cat.No. 676/4209 = Foolscap
Cat.No. 676/2115 = A4

Yes the metal blue one is like what i have got.
Regarding the sizes: A4 is obviously a typical letter/paper size - and foolscap is bigger, so will take longer/bigger pieces of paper.

The R-kive storage thing looks fine too - just depends which you fancy - you'll probably end up using both maybe?

people have given great ideas as to how they separate up their files/titles - so you should have a pretty good idea by now! Especially by tanith...SHREDDING anything you are going to get rid of with yr details on!

good luck!

Gingham_Ribbon

These threads might be of use too:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=195914&highlight=organis%2A

http://http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=383016&highlight=organis%2A

Catmeister

skystar wrote: »

Wage slips usually get kept for a year and that's only because I know I need to send some of them to Student Loans.

You must keep your pay slips, P60 and P45s and if you're SE, receipts for your claimed expenses for six years. Otherwise you could be in major !!!! when the men in pointy hats come! When companies go bankrupt, the records aren't always kept, so if you find yourself with a period to claim back tax you might not be able to if you haven't made the effort to keep your own records

Saying that, like other posters I don't receive bank or phone bills - can view up to six years online with HSBC so no point.

Stuff I keep gets filed into lever arched files; one for work - pay slips, job contracts, pension scheme etc; one for 'me' - mobile bills, student loans, docs like birth certificates; one regular house bills - utility, council tax, household receipts; and one for pure house stuff - insurance, mortgage, building work invoices, etc. I also file DH's stuff as he is akin to keeping it in a box - despite my clearly(!) superior, organized system, he still grumbles and complains, and is constanty chucking his bits in boxes when I'm not looking! :rotfl:

PS I keep the folders in a bookcase on which the phone sits, and as I use dividers, it takes me only a few seconds to find the relevant info