filing

[leanne2006]

Evening guys, here goes...am in the process of moving house from a disorganised mish mash of living to an organised minimalistic home (hopefully)...was interested to know how everyone files their bills bank statements etc, mine at the mo are just piled everywhere and shoved in drawers,,,any suggestions? and also how long should you keep these bills etc for before disposing of them? cheers x

[mimififi]

I generally keep my bills for about 10 years and I have a 4 drawer filing cabinet in the attic in which I keep everything and a very small filin cabinet in the study (tho it used to be in the hall) for stuff I use on a regular basis like passports, birth certs etc.

As for bank statements and credit card statements even some bills now adays, I have all online so I don't get sent them anymore. However some years ago before companies went paperless, my husband spent a long time scanning in important bills and stuff and stored them on a computer. But then again, he is a bit like that and had a very large hard disk on a seperate computer that we were using as a server. (Say no more).

I don't think we need to keep half the paper that we do, frankly, I think all the stuff they send is a waste anyway, what about all the reply envelopes, adverts and glossy information leaflets you get with each bank statement/bill/correspondence etc. Just what do these people think the information superhighway is for???

ANyway, good luck with your move. I hope it goes well.

[leanne2006]

True true, Alot of mine are just repeated every month coz I'm paying off a credit card and loan debt so it is a fixed payment they just seem so pointless to keep. But I will be sensible and keep them all AND invest in a posh filing cabinet, cheers for advice x

[KARL]

If you never want to find yourself in a position where you cannot prove you are right then it is important to keep all receipts and statements for some time. All other documents (insurance policies, birth certificates, etc.) should be kept so long as they are valid and even past such dates. The taxman requires you to keep all financial documents (and possibly more, depending on your circumstances) for five full years as a minimum - otherwise if he asks you are even more guilty until proved innocent (how, if everything is gone ?). It is a good policy to keep everything in order (by category and year) - when you need it you want to know where to find it. Lever arch files or similar are very good, with "dead" files being bound up by passing an old shoelace through the holes and thick paper (e.g. the side of a cerial packet) front and back.

[KARL]

...cereal, even....