Because (as I have previously mentioned) I am new to all of this. My last post gave me an idea...
Why don't I every so often, before doing the next BIG task (the crawl space, clothes collection, the paperwork, etc) ask people for tips on that specific task?
That way it should help people in similar situations, while at the same time make me less likely to put the job off because of its size.
So in episode one of Ask the Readers, I plan on tackling my paper piles. These include old pay slips, old phone bills, old bank statements, University notes, business planning course material and other stuff along the same lines..
I will be doing this on Wednesday so would like as many tips as possible! (what is safe to get rid of, etc)
You can put the tips in the comments, and if you include a link to your blog/project site with your comment I will be sure to include the links in the post I make after I have had my battle!
If this goes well it could be a good asset for people new to uncluttering.
So yes, in summary:
I am going to attack my piles and piles of paper on Wednesdayand would like tips. I cant digitize them for the computer as I have no scanner. and some items in there are probably from back in 1999 or possibly older?
My best tip is to buy a Fujitsu ScanSnap. It's difficult to imagine life without one once you have one. So buy it. Tax information needs to be kept for 7 years. Other than that, there's no need to keep a receipt once it has no meaning. For example, if you got a receipt at a restaurant for a credit card payment, as soon as the receipt shows up on the credit card bill, recycle the receipt. In reality, there's almost no need to keep any receipts. As for college notes, again, scan them. Make everything digital. *GET A SCANNER* NOW.
ReplyDeleteI recently went through a ton of paper (just bills/financial stuff) and used this chart as my guide: http://www.bankrate.com/finance/personal-finance/how-long-to-keep-financial-records.aspx
ReplyDeleteAlso, make sure if you get rid of anything that has personal info on it, shred it! I have had issues with my identity being misused (NOT FUN) so be sure no one can get a hold of yours.
Good luck with your project! :)
Amy (http://letgoandgoon.blogspot.com/)
In the UK you only need to keep your records for a maxiumum of 2 years as a private person and five years if you have a business (Info found in this pdf: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/sa/rk-bk1.pdf ). I'd say throw out anything older than that... Here is also a lot of info: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/sa/record-keeping.htm#3
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to getting rid of papers this is my advice: Get rid of as much as you can. Then get rid of half of what you have left. :)