General Chat

and how do you organise it? I seem to hoard lots of receipts...not even important ones, shopping receipts etc. I wonder how other people stop the paper mountains from building up.

Hi SRS I shred mine, not unless it's important ones
then I file them. Sad eh?

Emmax

Hello Emma, no it's not sad lol Do you shred yours immediately?

I'm shredding mine as we speak, I've just found a hairdressers receipt from 2007 and I'm thinking why have I kept this so long?

Yes I shred immediately.

Can't stand loads of paper everywhere OH is the
opposite of me can't get his paper drawer open
its full to bursting.

Emmax

Thanks Emma, I think I need to be ruthless with the paper today. Just wonder whether the shredder can take it lol

Have got to admit I'm a bit of a hoarder, have folders full of bills going back years, here's just a couple

May 1966, Penhill Garage...............£66 Pounds.
March.1964, Carrycot. ......... £3-16-3d..........Bath Set. .......£2.00.
Jan. 1973. 3 peice Suite...........£87.00.
March. 1965... 2 Removal Vans......£7-10-0d.
Oct. 1965. 100 Garden Turfs.....£2-15-0d.
April. 1964. Qualcast-Panther Lawnmower.....£7-15-9d.

Although compared to the wages then and now, electrical goods were a lot dearer then.
F

i keep some for 5 years

but because my mum kept all her paper work and that of the family
i have funeral bills from the 1800s belonging to my ansestors

I am a hoarder.I have hubbys wage slips from 1973 onwards to 1988.I dont seem to see them now lol Annie

if its genealogy stuff its been ten yrs, and when i,m stuck i go through it all and can see it differently and can usually confirm something by it, im glad id kept stuff i didnt think was linked and it was

As for bills erm i misplace them but i now have a unorganised filing system.

Depends how important it is.

We have a filing cabinet in the office (small bedroom) in which I have files for all utility bills, bank stuff, insurances, car etc and I tend to keep that sort of paperwork for years, especially bank statements. It is recommended bank statements are kept for at least 7 years - tax purposes, amongst other things, can be back dated if necessary.
Salary slips, well, we've got them going back donkeys years!! Don't know why. Probably in the back of my mind i think we may need them for tax/pension purposes one day!

But things like general shopping receipts, I don't keep them very long. As for clothing receipts, I keep them for a little while just in case I want to return an item.

hi srs, well i keep all the utility bills for two years, then shred or burn the excess.all receipts for shops,ie switch, i shred once they had cleared my bank account.

garage bills or repairs keep for a year then shred.

the only old receipts i keep are for my wedding dress in 1993, engaements and wedding rings1991/2, just for sentimental reasons i guess.

as for paperwork relating to research, i have a sep file for each tree and keep it all,even little scraps of paper that might have a little info on.

but one thing i do have is all my wage slips from the bank from 1979-1995, when i left to start a family and also all my bank statements too. they are all filed in date order. i think working in the bank from 17 years old,taught us to be organised even if it wasnt in us naturally because of the nature of our jobs,ie filing had to accurate at all times for obvious reasons. although not in a bank anymore at home i still file as if in an office.old habits die hard!!
florencex

Tried to answer this but the text was jumping about all over thr place.

Suffice it to say, I used to be organised but not any more.

An age thing but don't tell anyone I told you :))

I HAVE PAPERS EVERYWHERE
BOXES FOLDERS
OTHER PEOPLES TREES
IM WORKIN ON THREE AT THE MOMENT
WITHOUT MINE
OH DRIVES ME MAD AS I USE DINNIN ROOM
TABLE HE INSISTS ON HAVING HIS MEALS OFF IT
LOL
PILES A WHOLE DAYS WORK IN A HEAP

BUT I MEAN WHO NEEDS A TABLE FOR FOOD

ORDINARY PAPERWORK THROWN IN T TUB

All jobs I've had were where filing must be kept in order, so it comes easy for me to have a filing cabinet with hanging folders in it. These hold all paperwork.
I go through them every six months and shred all utility bills and bank statements over six months old.
Legal documents & home improvement - keep forever.
Furniture/electrical purchases - keep until warranty runs out.
Clothing receipts - keep only until they can't be exchanged.
Food receipts - I keep occasional ones over the years to compare prices.
Car services - keep with car documents and hand over when car is sold.