Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Things You’ll Need:
- manila folders with tabs
- hanging folders with tabs
- a pen
- a piece of paper
- your stack of papers to be filed
- filing cabinet
Step1
Sort your papers. Makes a pile for bills from each company, a pile for health insurance, car insurance, bank statements, tax information, paystubs, credit card information, etc.
Step2
Make a list of each category to be filed, including subcategories under those. For example: if you use one bank for your checking, savings and investments, you should make the category "Community Bank" and the subcategories "checking," "savings," and "investments."
Step3
After you have made your list, you should create tabs for the hanging folders. On those tabs, write the category names, such as "Community Bank."
Step4
On the manila folders (which will go in the hanging folders), write the subcategories, such as "checking," "savings," and "investments" on separate tabs.
Step5
Alphabetize your files by category and put then in your filing cabinet.
Need to organize those papers?
Authority 
Comments
MSTMTNS said
on 7/15/2008 I need some real examples of the actual taxonomy. I'm organizationally challenged and a little thick when it comes to the more obvious filing points. If anyone has any samples of headers and sub-heads for files I would really appreciate the share.
Nouvisimo said
on 1/12/2008 Great Advice!! You also might want to consider the management of on-going files (i.e. bank accouts, insurance, mortgages,.....). For each one of these files make a MASTER FILE. This will contain the original documents when the account was opened. The MASTER FILE should always remain at the front of the vendor file. In other words, ABC Bank MASTER FILE goes in front of ABC Bank files. At the end of each year you should box away the previous year's files. DO NOT file away your MASTER FILES. Keep them in your filing cabinet in the same place.
Also, when boxing up previous year's files, it is advisable to store them in an accessable place thru June of the following year should you need them. After that, allocate them to permanate storage.
ThinLizzy said
on 1/11/2008 Or if you want to keep lots of important data on PC and make it easy to find again, check out www.home-sec.info
WriterGig said
on 12/20/2007 Funny, I am just working on my files today! I have three of the portable file boxes and they work really well. Thanks for the tips.