Organised people, I want to learn from you....

[AddisonmontgomerySheppard]

Filing your paperwork....do you have a filing cabinet or Lever arch folders or what?
What works best?
TIA

We have boxes. I wanted ring binders and plastic wallets but dp thinks that's a waste of time and money. Even though he gets annoyed everytime he has to empty whole box to find something.

we have an expandable wallet thing

we call it the home file!

I have a two drawer fooscap filing cabinet like this one which sits under the stairs. Absolutely everything goes into that. When I got it I thought it would never get filled, but it is now!

I have a small pretty box in the kitchen which I use as an "in tray" - all post and paperwork goes in there until it's actioned or filed.

I use gmail as my inbox/to do list - all my plans are on google calendar, which emails me a reminder just before things are due. If my inbox is empty my to do list is empty. That way, I can do things in my lunch hour at work or in the evenings, or even whilst out (I have the google phone so can access my emails out and about).

It's a rough system but it works for me.

Okay - thinking might be OCD here - I have a ring folder (actually a whole series of ring folders) labelled up as follows:

1. Finances financial year x-y (keep 5 years worth) and all divided up with dividers
2. Car (included insurance etc)
3. DS finanaces (his statements etc
4. DS medical (have had more specialists than can count and need to keep track of everything)

It continues...

As long as i keep on top of the filing I can find everything immediatly (just have 2 months of filing that I am actually supposed to be doing right now but and netting instead)

DH and I use lever arch files with separators inside, so you can file more than one thing in each file eg pensions, ISA, gas, water, council tax, mortgage ...

We must have at least 10 files bursting and caused our shelf to bow. We had to call in a handyman to reinforce and strengthen it.

My dream is to move to a bigger house with unlimited shelf space so I can expand my empire to 20 lever arch files

Try burning unnecessary archive - its very statisfying

full to bursting filing cabinet, and several cardboard boxes of unfiled stuff, recent post etc. has been on my todo list for a while

I have a 2 drawer filing cabinet like Babbity. Everything is inside in wallet files ("telephones", "childminder", "Mortgage") etc in cheerful colours so I don't feel like I'm at work. When I can't squeeze any more in, I go through and shred some of the older stuff.

Have not yet got the paperwork in the "in" pile to file itself though...

let me know if you discover a solution to that i could use it.

I have a large storage box on top shelf inside my wardrobe, inside that I have foolscap wallets (around 20 all individually labelled ie gas, water, car, sky, kids ctf, mortgage, birth certs/passports etc) am very anal about filing stuff and only destroy stuff after 3 or 5 years however dh is constantly removing things then doesnt know where they are so I have to search everywhere and then put it back where it belongs.

I also have a A4 sheet of paper with details of different life policies, my pension details, mortgage info so should anything ever happen to me someone could help him sort the finances and ensure everything is claimed (he is a bit blase about these things, but as I work in a bank I am conscious of making sure that there is enough money to pay mortgage off and provide a decent standard of living for surviving sposue and our dd's)

Ringbinders with dividers for all really necessary stuff (insurance, household bills) Separate box file for all the mortgage stuff. I opted out of bank statements as I view online, and then if I need copies they're free of charge.

Everything else goes in a bag hanging in the hall, and once a week that goes in the shredder at work

ring binders,and foolscap wallets ...too much work for me.. simple expanding wallet...then magazine boxes or box files...my mate has one of those tall drawer things with about 15 drawers...all the size of A4 so just pop stuff in correct drawer then edit when it overfows...might move to this system ...so she does instant filing by the phone/front door...rather than putting it into a pile to do later