To ask how you manage your household financial paperwork?

[LizzyBennettIsMyAlterEgo]

More of a wwyd than aibu.

My grandparents had a massive book where they wrote every single last little purchase and all their income so it totted up and then saved receipts in an envelope.

My parents saved every bill and letter and contract etc in a metal fireproof filing tin.

I keep most of my files on my computer and backed up via the cloud and the few things I have on paper in a tin and also a spreadsheet on my computer for the main monthly bills but not the day to day stuff.

How do you manage your paperwork?

I have a big box and a kitchen side full of random paperwork. Feeling really disorganised now.

Once a month I download my bank statements into Excel, tot up income and expenses and reconcile them to a balance sheet.

I do a budget (on Excel) once a year.

I receive most bills by email, regular payments are direct debit or automatic payment. Those I still receive on paper I keep for two years.

I also keep an instruction booklet for DW so she knows what's where if I die or become incapacitated (she has no interest in household accounts).

Winter down here, and I've just used a bunch of old payslips as kindling

All bills by dd, online bank accounts checked most days by me.
We're just finishing renovating the house ( thank goodness,3 years in and counting) and I'm determined to have a proper office type area. I've bought the filing cupboard, got a load of box files that match instead of the old manky ones and labelled everything. We have two in trays which i put stuff in and file it when i can ( sometines not often!) I can't get to it at the mo, ladders and shit in the way but when the hall is finished it's gonna be super organised. Mind you, i worked in a bank for 12 years and was an accountant for the MOD for 12 years so I have a tendency to file and label everything!

As an accountant by trade I do it for our household. All bills are paid via DD and I file annual paper copies for all utilities and contracts with Sky etc.
every month on pay day we add together the balances on all accounts, savings, CC etc to work out the movement in the month - e.g. Did we add to our savings or dip into it for big purchases

I also export all statements from our joint and individual accounts and categorize transactions (groceries, travel fund, sp be on baby, eating out etc) to keep track of our spending habits. I do this monthly and it takes me 1-2 hours but I find it very insightful.

Microsoft money here too, love it. Even gives you little pie charts showing where your money is going.

So today I've shredded 4 black bin bags full of stuff I didn't need to be keeping!
Wow, well done! If you're ever having a cull again and find the shredding too much, most self-storage places sell large sacks to fill with paperwork and take it back there to be shredded. It was £7 when I did it.

I use YNAB it has completely transformed me from being in debt to having savings!