Start the New Year Off Organized!
Does your filing cabinet look like a pack rat has turned it into his home sweet home? Unravel the rat’s nest and make sense out of all the confusion by following these tips to organize your important records the easy way. Send that rat packing, once and for all.
Never destroy these nine documents. The Federal Trade Commission recommends safeguarding these important official papers.
-
Social Security card
-
Birth certificates, death certificates, and adoption papers
-
Passports and citizenship papers
-
Marriage and divorce decrees
-
Tax returns
Stick to this shredder schedule. Hang on to tax-related receipts and canceled checks for seven years before you send them off to the shredder. Why? The IRS has up to seven years to audit you.
Other papers, like your bank statements and medical bills, can be destroyed after one year. Scrap your pay stubs, too, as long as they match up with your W-2. But shred your credit card and utility bills every month, as soon as you pay them.
And don’t worry about keeping track of most sales receipts. Go ahead and shred them — unless they’re related to your taxes, insurance, or warranties. You may want to keep receipts from home improvement projects as well. Certain expenses may help lower capital gains taxes if you make a large profit when you sell your home.
Keep them safe and secure. Now that you have your papers in order, how should you store them? Documents like bank records, pay stubs, medical bills, and tax documents are best kept in a fireproof safe.
For records that are difficult to replace, like birth certificates and Social Security cards, invest in a safe-deposit box at your local bank. You’ll rest easier knowing your paperwork is organized and protected.
Now that all of your documents are in order, discover how to cut the clutter and organize the rest of your home in From Overwhelmed to Organized!
Recent Posts
Categories
- accessories
- acid reflux
- Active Aging
- Aerobic Activity
- Age-Away Skin Cream
- air
- air freshener
- air quality
- Allergies
- Alzheimers
- amazing deals
- antioxidant
- antioxidants
- anxiety
- apples
- appliances
- arteries
- Arthritis
- Artificial Sweeteners
- asparagus
- avocado
- B vitamins
- back pain
- bacteria
- baking soda
- bananas
- bathroom
- beauty secrets
- beauty sleep
- belly fat
- belly faty
- benefits
- benign prostatic hyperplasia
- blood clots
- blood flow
- blood pressure
- blood sugar
- body fuel
- book
- boom_a
- boom_b
- BPH
- Brain & Memory
- brain food
- Brain Health
- brain training
- BRAT diet
- Budget
- Budget Friendly
- buy used
- Calcium
- calories
- canceer
- Cancer
- car maintenance
- carotenoids
- carpet
- castor oil
- chemical-free cleaning
- cherries
- chocolate
- cholesterol
- citrus
- cleaning
- Cleaning & Stain Removal
- cleaning supplies
- Clutter Control
- Coffee
- cold season
- Cold Symptoms
- common cold remedy
- composting
- computer
- computer knowledge
- Computers
- contacts
- Cook Healthy
- cost of living
- coupons
- curb appeal
- daisy
- Dark Chocolate
- Dehydration
- Dementia
- Dental
- deodorize
- depression
- devotions
- Diabetes
- Diabetes & High Blood Pressure
- diet
- Digestion
- Digestive
- digestive issues
- digital voice assistant
- Discount
- discounts
- doctor visits
- easy crafts
- Energy
- energy savings
- english ivy
- Essential Oil
- Exercise
- Eyesight
- faith
- Fall garden
- Fall gardening
- fashion
- Fatigue
- fiber
- fiber-rich foods
- fibromyalgia
- finance
- financial goals
- Fitness
- fixed income
- flavonoids
- flaxseed
- floor
- flu season
- Focus
- foot care
- free radicals
- fresh air
- Fresh Fruit
- Fresh Vegetables
- friends
- Fruit Juice
- fruit remedies
- furnace repair
- furniture
- gallstones
- Gardening
- garlic
- gastritis
- GERD
- gift card
- Ginger
- grapefruit
- green cleaning
- green tea
- groceries
- group call
- grout
- gut health
- hacker
- hair growth
- HALLOWEEN CRAFTS
- HDMI
- headaches
- Health
- Health & Healing
- Health Insurance
- healthcare
- healthy brain
- healthy breakfast
- healthy diet
- healthy eating
- Healthy Fats
- Healthy Habits
- Healthy Heart
- Healthy Living
- Healthy Recipes
- Healthy Shopping & Cooking
- Heart
- heart disease
- heart health
- heart healthy
- Heart/Cholesterol/Blood Pressure
- Heartburn
- heating and cooling
- Herbs
- high blood pressure
- high cholesterol
- holiday savings
- holiday tips
- Home Cleaning
- home improvemenet
- home improvements
- Home Organization
- Home protection
- home remedies
- Home Tips
- Honey
- Household Tips
- Hydrate
- ID theft
- Immunity & Infections
- immunity boosters
- inflammation
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- insulin
- insurance
- insurance fraud
- Internet deals
- Internet Scams
- iPhone message
- jewelry
- joint pain
- Landscaping
- laxatives
- light fixtures
- log in
- low fat diet
- low salt diet
- lycopene
- Magnesium
- Marketplace
- medical coverage
- Medicare
- memories
- memory
- menopause
- mental health
- metabolic syndrome
- migraines
- modern technology
- Moisturizer
- money
- Money Management
- Money-Saving Secrets
- moving
- Muscle aches & pain
- Muscles & Sprains
- mushrooms
- MyMedicare
- Nap
- Napping
- National Health Education
- natural
- natural cleaner
- natural healing
- natural health remedies
- Nausea
- neck pain
- neurobotics
- nutrients
- oatmeal
- oil change
- olive oil
- omega-3
- onion
- online coupons
- Online security
- Organic
- Organic Food
- pain management
- pain relief
- Pain Relief Rub
- paint
- palm
- password
- Pest Control
- planting
- plants
- Potassium
- potassiunm
- prayer
- prescriptions
- Probiotics
- profile
- property value
- Prostate
- Prostate Cancer
- protein
- psyllium
- PUMPKIN CARVING
- pumpkin seeds
- Radiant Skin
- Reduce Stress
- refurbished computer
- reliable car
- religion
- retirement
- samples
- saving money
- savings
- Security
- senior discounts
- senior living
- senior skincare
- Senior Sports
- senior streaming
- Seniors
- seniors on computers
- serotonin
- sharethelove
- shopping for computers
- Skin Care
- skin cream
- Skin Hair & Nails
- skincare
- skype
- Sleep
- sleeping problems
- Smart Living
- Smart Money
- smart phone
- SMART SPEAKER
- Smart TV
- Smartphone
- smartphone streaming
- Social Media
- Social Security
- Soda
- Sodium
- soil
- solutions
- spirituality
- spirtual growth
- spirtuality
- sports
- sprains
- Stanger Danger
- stomach issues
- stomach problems
- stomack ache
- stop wrinkles
- strains
- streaming on an app
- Streaming services
- stress relief
- Stress/Mood/Depression
- stroke
- stroke fighters
- sugar cravings
- summer
- sunsafety
- sunscreen
- Supplements
- taxes
- Tea
- Technology
- texhnology
- texting
- thermostat
- thrift store
- tools
- transportation safety
- Turmeric
- Type 1 Diabetes
- united states
- upset stomach
- Urinary
- used books
- UTI
- utility savings
- veg
- veggie remedies
- vehicle maintenance
- videochat
- vinegar
- VITAMIN A
- vitamin C
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin D foods
- Vitamin E
- Vitamin K
- voice commands
- walking
- watermelon
- weather
- weeding
- weeds
- weight loss
- Weight Loss & Fitness
- weight management
- when to buy
- white flesh fruit
- yogurt