Paperwork Disorganization

Do you ever struggle with what to do with the mounds of important paperwork that you need to keep?  What about the bills and other random miscellany that arrives in your mailbox each day?  Managing a household of seven people keeps me on my toes at all times, which sometimes leaves me behind on managing our paperwork.  After being married for three-and-a-half years, I can say that my husband and I have found a system of organization that truly works for us; but not only does it work, it flows.

When it comes to the really important paperwork (like our written wills, birth certificates, mortgage documents, etc.), those are safely filed away in our fireproof/waterproof safe in our storage room.  The key to this safe is safely tucked away, too - somewhere very safe, I promise!  I'm sure that you've all figured out your systems for paperwork, too - but what about the daily stuff that comes up, but can't be forgotten (can anybody say that dreaded word: BILLS!)?  This is where my overly-organized self found a system of filing that works for us!  See?

The first two files are for the bills that come and go - the first folder being the ones that are due anywhere from the 1st to the 15th of the month, the second being for the ones that are due anywhere from the 16th to the 31st of the month.  When I open the mail and come across these bills, I immediately put them in their appropriate folders.  This way I don't lose them and I don't forget to pay them - they're right where they need to be (and on the rare occasion that our schedules have been overly crazy and I'm not home when they need to be paid, I can easily communicate to Monte where they are and he can take care of it with ease!). 

I digress ... sort of! :)

If there is any form of paperwork that we need easy access to, you can guarantee it has a folder: medical receipts, our cell phone bills and contracts, owners manuals, the current contracts for our kitchen upgrade, various health forms for Ethan ... you name it, there's a spot for it!  

What do you do, then, with something that you know you need to keep, but it doesn't fit one of the many categories available?  You put it in this folder:

Yes, that really IS labeled "Seemingly important things that I don't know what to do with ...".  Believe it or not, we do have some things that fit that category!  Then when Monte inevitably asks me if I know where this one form that was sitting in that one place went - I usually do! :)

This filing system is one that has worked for us and helped us out immensely!  Do you have any tips you can share with me (I love to learn new organization ideas!)?

Are you interested in finding more suggestions to manage that out-of-control paperwork?  Visit BlogHer's Life Well Lived page to hear what others had to say!

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