How to Organize a Four-Drawer Filing Cabinet for Household Papers

A filing cabinet is an excellent organization tool. It stores your papers so they won't clutter up your desk or kitchen table. The problem with many filing cabinets is a lack of organization inside. While you may keep your papers in the cabinet, if they are not organized, you won't find important documents when you need them. You'll also be less likely to file future papers into the cabinet, rendering it useless. Put a simple organization system into place, and you'll turn your filing cabinet into an efficient tool.

Things You'll Need

• Ruler
• Hanging file folders

Instructions

1. Sort your papers into groups. These can include "Receipts," "Instruction Manuals," "Tax Forms" and other groups of similar papers. Throw away old papers you do not need to keep for your records.

2. Measure the inside of each filing cabinet drawer, and purchase hanging file folders small enough to fit inside the drawer but not so small that they don't touch the sides of the drawer and therefore won't hang. Use a different colored set of folders for each drawer.

3. Label each drawer based on similar groups of papers. For example, the top drawer could be "Financial Documents." This drawer would include tax papers, receipts and bank statements for each person in the family.

4. Label the hanging folders in more detail than the drawers. In the "Financial Documents" drawer, for example, make a separate folder for each bank account, and write the bank's name and type of account onto the folder.

5. Use the second drawer to store information relating to important possessions, such as car insurance, home mortgage payments and important receipts.

6. Hang folders in the third drawer. Use this drawer for health documents like health insurance papers and medical bills. Keep birth certificates and social security documents in this drawer as well.

7. Use the final drawer to hold other important documents based on your personal interests. If you like to travel, for example, use this drawer to track your passports, frequent flier miles and ticket receipts. This way you'll always know where your paperwork is when you go on vacation.

8. Place papers in the corresponding folders. Create new folders as you gain new groups of papers. If you have extra papers that do not belong together, create a "Miscellaneous" folder. Once a month clean out this folder to make sure it doesn't become filled with papers you forget about.

Tips & Warnings

• Pick a day of the week to spend 15 to 30 minutes organizing your filing cabinet. Keep this appointment with yourself, and repeat each week until it becomes a habit.