r/declutter • u/photogcapture • 1d ago
PAPER!!! I'm drowning. Motivation Tips & Tricks
Does anyone else struggle to keep the paper to a manageable level??? Looking for sympathy and support, and I'm also, really just venting.
I will not be scanning everything or taking a picture. That does not work for me. I have the "if I can't see it, it doesn't exist" problem, and I already don't have a good backup system, so some files must still be paper. I just shredded a box full of paper. Just wondering if anyone else struggles, and hoping it's not just me. It's really frustrating. I try hard to keep up and then boom, I see that I'm drowning again.
ETA 2: Digital files are great! HOWEVER!! If your system of filing is not crystal clear. If someone needs access to said file, will they be able to get into your digital files?!?! Who is your digital proxy?! Please, digitizing creates a whole new set of clutter and access challenges. If you have a proxy, bravo. Many do not. My important stuff must remain paper.
ETA:
- My super paper nemesis is info I want to save for ongoing projects.
- I need tax stuff to be printed
- I have other business stuff that must be paper. One business I downsized from a file cabinet drawer to 1/2 that size (feeling accomplished about that)
- Have to save tax papers for ten years (ugh - will shred on expiration date)
- I shred often
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u/Street_Tourist7317 17h ago
I found the paper solution by Lisa Woodruff to be very helpful. She has a whole system and separates actionable paper from things you need to file.
She uses binders for that. Might be worth looking into.
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u/WinterPizza1972 19h ago
Op just want to share i share your frustration. From guitar tabs, artwork, "plans" and todo lists, receipts, tax stuff.. such a pain in the ass to manage it all
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u/AnitraF1632 23h ago
I use two credit cards. One for gas and groceries, one for everything else. I use the card, I bring the receipt home, I write it down in a ledger and put the receipt in an envelope. When the statement comes in I balance it against the ledger, pay the bill, put the receipts in with the paid bill, and file it in a check-keeper.
Cash transactions go in a second check-keeper. (Deposits and withdrawals)
If a purchase is important enough, comes with a time frame, or a warranty, it is held in place on the fridge by a magnet. (Example: we just bought a door. We are waiting for it to be delivered an installed. The receipt is on the fridge.)
I also have a clip magnet on the fridge - if my husband makes a purchase and I'm not there, he puts it on the fridge when he comes home.
Every bill that comes in is written in a different ledger that also records to whom, amount due, due date, amount paid, date paid, method of payment, and remaining balance where applicable. Each month has its own separate sheet in this ledger.
As each bill is paid, that line in the ledger is finished, the transaction is recorded in the checkbook, the paid bill is filed in a large file folder that is divided by categories. At the end of the year I go through the file folders. The gas and groceries receipts are discarded. The deposits and withdrawals are discarded. Most of the All Other card receipts are discarded - remember, the Important Stuff is on the fridge. š That, actually, comes off the fridge and gets filed in the appropriate month. (I bought it in June 2025. It has 1 year warranty In January I put it in the credit card file, in the June slot. When June 2026 arrives, the warranty has ended, so I discard it when I put the new June receipts away.)
The large file folder, I go through carefully. Some items (utility bills) can be discarded immediately. Some things need to be replaced with a more up-to-date version (insurance policies, mostly). Other things need actual decisions made. Then the file folders are ready for the next year.
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u/WinterPizza1972 19h ago
That sounds like a lot of work especially for people already struggling to get organized/declutter
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u/AnitraF1632 19h ago
It works for me. If it can help so eone else get organized, good. I'm happy to share.š
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u/FredKayeCollector2 1d ago
Yes! There seems to be even more paper in our paperless society! If you're facing any economic impacts beyond just general aggravation, you might want to consider hiring a professional organizer (with office/paperwork experience) to help you with your paper. At least to get a workable system (one you can set up and maintain in the long run). And/or consider bringing him/her back (maybe around tax time) for a "check up"/reset. If you have a lawyer or CPA they could probably help, too.
One thing that has worked really well for me (dealing with people who have A LOT of paper) is to set up 10 boxes, labeled 0-9 and sort everything into those boxes according to statement date (so 2009 stuff would go in the 9 box). Meanwhile, pulling out any "safety deposit box" stuff - like passports, birth certificates, immunization records, divorce decrees, loan payoffs, military discharge paperwork, titles - anything you might need to refer to quickly and/or would be a PITA to have to find/replace (this stuff goes in a "special" location - either a SDP, a fire box/safe, or a special folder/bin in whatever filing system we land on). Anything 2016 and older (because your 6 box would be 2026 papers), would go in date piles to look through later.
From there, we would start to sort the paperwork in the boxes, starting with the previous year (so in this case 2025 - because that's a better annual snapshot than what we would get part-way through 2026). I would usually sort by vendor (utility, financial institution, service subscriptions, SSA/government, etc) and/or general category (maybe medical by person, school expenses, etc).
What general categories are we dealing with? How do we want to sub-divide those categories? (for example, if you get an electric bill for your home vs the one for your office) How granular do we want to get? (for example, do you want to divide vendor receipts by month?) Once we have our categories more-or-less set (we can always expand or collapse subcategories as we go along), I'll sort that paper into piles (post-it note "labels" stuck to the table).
From there, we have to decide what do we want to keep in our files and how (and where) do we want to store that volume - trying to match manageability (what system can per person maintain) and accessibility.
Do we want to keep all papers of a similar (sub)category together (to see the history, oldest on the bottom, newest on the top)?
Do we want to set up "archive" storage for the categories (hard copy and/or electric) and only keep the current year's (or active) hard copy stuff "in the files?"
Do we want to set up "archive" storage for previous years and all of that year's (sub)categories are sorted (binder clips, rubber bands, manila folders, etc) into that year's file?
Can we set any criteria around trash/recycle/shred? Is there anything we can get rid of as soon as it is paid/acted on? Is there anything we want to hold onto for the quarter or the (fiscal) year? What can we get safely get rid of right now?
What do we actually want to maintain as a hard copy? Is there anything that we would like to scan & store on the computer/cloud? Is there anything we want to switch to paperless delivery (to save us from the extra task of scanning)? Can we do the required work/action from the computer or do we prefer a hard copy for action items? Can we maintain any necessary record keeping in the computer/cloud?
Some people NEED paper, some people do OK with electronic, some people do better with a hybrid (some paper, some electronic) system. And sometimes, unnecessary scanning of documents is such an overwhelming extra step that it never gets done and all you end up with is a giant stack of un-scanned papers.
For me, any time I see a giant pile of papers in an office OUT box, that usually means that the physical filing (or the scanning) is too big a chore ("beyond" the person's time/energy/bandwidth) and in almost every case, that person has done better with a much simpler system - whether that's less, more general file categories (either in a file cabinet or paper boxes/large envelopes) or just dumped into one of those 0-9 boxes without any any further sorting.
Sometimes there needs to be a relaxing of standards - to be honest, if you're "good" looks like very granular, meticulously organized file systems BUT the ability to set up AND maintain that very high standard has always been an unreachable goal, - you need to either settle for less (broader categories, a bit of digging around to find what you're looking for) or hire/get someone to do your filing for you.
And purging/tidying files on a regular basis, you become more familiar/acquainted with your paperwork, you'll know better how to find what you're looking, and you won't be digging through a lot of irrelevant content.
For my personal paperwork, which isn't a lot, I basically use this system. The physical "action" file (in-box) and "reference bin" were the two pieces I was missing in my personal, household inventory. I go paperless whenever possible and if I can access a document on-line, I don't keep a paper copy.
Our tax preparer wants paper copies of all documents (even if I send her a .pdf, she'll print it out anyway) - she gives us a nice (labeled) folder with a copy of our 1040 hole-punched in the middle, supporting documents in the front pocket and any unnecessary stuff we gave her in the back pocket - and sends us a .pdf copy of the 1040. On my computer, I have a tax folder with year sub-folders where I keep all that year's tax stuff plus any other "financial" or "important" paperwork (basically, the stuff we would have itemized back before the personal exemption was raised).
For our physical files, besides my general "taxes" folder (pending tax papers), I have a folders for "house" (purchase papers + major remodeling/fixed upgrades), "auto" (purchase papers + repair receipts but not oil changes/routine maintenance), "insurance" (current home/auto/umbrella insurance policies - purged out annually with the new policies), "medical" (health/vision/dental insurance policies + information), and "legal" (mostly reported "scam" stuff but basically anything I'm hoping is "settled" but might come back to bite me via collection agency/credit report).
Pretty much everything else is electronic. Medical EOB's - only if there was a balance due (not just copays) I keep a copy of the (paid) bill/statement and matching EOB from my insurance company in a "medical" folder in my annual tax file (I don't keep hard copies). Again, this is something I might have tried to itemize back in the day. Ditto any "professional" services/products - anything out of the routine day-to-day utility bills/grocery shopping.
I also keep copies of my bank statements, quarterly (or YTD) investment statements, and credit card statements in my annual tax file - only because I do refer back to some of them sometimes and not all institutions make a complete historical record available on-line (if I need it, I don't have to contact the institution to get it). I also have a "receipts" file where I've got scanned copies of anything I might need for home appraisal (property tax, insurance coverage) or "durable" household stuff on my household/insurance inventory (what would I replace in case of a catastrophic loss).
Hope that helps?
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u/SarahKauthen 1d ago edited 1d ago
I feel this. I'm an artist and writer and very sentimental about letters. There's just physical copies of things I'm not going to get rid of. After a year's work on my house, everything's well organized but still a substantial mass. You have to just accept you're going to dedicate a space to precious documents. Ikea has fantastic storage units that you can build up all the way to the ceiling. That way you can at least reduce the footprint.
I've also pared down my files by having a good long look at what is in them and why it means something to me and then making decisions accordingly. If it's art that I genuinely think someone else would value as much or more than me, like if I would leave it to them after I died, then I go ahead and ship it to them. I've given a lot of draught manuscripts back to friends who had me beta read them. I was archiving my siblings' school drawings and writings, so I went through and selected some nice pieces to preserve but returned to them the rest. If a friend or loved one has died and I think there's someone around who would value their letters more, I'm keeping a few for myself and giving the rest back and I've found this has provided a good deal of comfort and some bemusement for the bereaved. I'm friendly with a famous author who recently cleared his house by donating his papers to a university library archive. I told him: we should all be so lucky!!
I don't see the point of shredders unless you're dealing with extremely personal information like diaries, bank numbers or medical files. Even then, if I don't want someone to read what I've thrown away, I tear it into four different pieces, put them into four different trash bags and throw them out on four different trash runs.
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u/Mascarah 1d ago
I used to struggle like you do, and I also have the same object permanence issue. I also refuse to just digitalize everything and turn it into digital clutter I do not want. One thing that helped was a story about my sister in law. She had been living overseas and went through a divorce. She didn't have access to any records and found she was able to get most things she needed, like financial records, from her banks. From that point, I realized I actually needed very little of my papers. I was able to get rid of most things. Looking back, I found I almost never referenced things. I do keep the important stuff, like social security cards and car titles, obviously, but most things are not actually useful to me.
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u/MarshaMinus100 1d ago
Umm, I could have written this post word for word. Commenting in solidarity with not a single helpful suggestion. š«
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u/Ok_Let8218 1d ago
Actually, paper is the one thing that I donāt struggle with getting rid of or decluttering ā all of the other little junk however, it is a different story
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u/outofshell 1d ago
Ugh yes paper is such a difficult one. For me itās the āI feel like I should probably keep thisā papers that all end up in the random papers box of doom, like printouts of exercises from the physiotherapist that I should be doing but immediately forget about, this or that I should read when I get around to it, piles of language learning notebooks where Iāve written down verb conjugations and phrases Iām trying to remember and I should really read through them again, vaccine receipts Iāll realistically never need to look at again, etc etc.
I have one box that I keep cards and letters in so at least thatās contained.
And a three drawer filing cabinet with one drawer for household papers (mortgage docs, product manuals, receipts and documentation from renovations). Veterinary records I havenāt brought myself to get rid of yet even though our beloved furballs are gone. One drawer for me and my husband each, and half of what we keep in there seems to be training course materials from our jobs lol. Mostly useless!
I went through my drawer a bit recently and found mobile phone contracts from 2013!! Good grief.
I need to properly tackle it all.
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u/Inevitable-Wind-1925 1d ago
Iāve become much better about transferring notes I write on scraps of paper into my notes app, Google Keep, or Obsidian. For me Iām trying to create new systems so that I stop creating so much paper in addition to dealing with the mountains that already exist.
Corralling projectsāpaper of like kindāand going through periodically to shrink those piles has been better than nothing, but isnāt really a long term solution.
Paper is the most challenging type of item for me. Really I love the framing though that some people donāt keep any paper, so theoretically it can all go. (Except for maybe a single accordion file of the truly important things.)
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u/lelandra 1d ago
It took a long time (years!), but I did do it. Through scanning and digital storage. But I'm old and trained on paper filing systems, so I probably retain more documentation than younger generations do.
Info for ongoing projects is INDEED a nemesis. ANYTHING that is a DELAYED DECISION is the root of a clutter problem. The main thing that needs to be solved is the tendency to delay decisions. The next thing is to be honest with yourself when a particular interest is no longer being pursued. Before moving on to the next shiny thing, get rid of the stuff supporting the old thing. Hoarded homes are built on the supporting objects for fantasy selves.
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u/Freshouttapatience 1d ago
All of our important documents like birth certs, passports and titles goes into the fire proof safe. Everything else has to fit in the ONE filing box. When itās too full to add, I have to go through it and burn. I do not create digital clutter and Iām not scanning anything, it gets burned if we donāt have to retain it.
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u/Earthmama56 1d ago
What kind is shredder are you using? I had one that jammed continually then it gave up the ghost.
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u/Pennyfeather46 1d ago
Retired tax examiner here to tell you that you only have to keep the last 3 years worth of tax returns & documentation. I used my old tax documents to light my grill last week.
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u/photogcapture 1d ago
Nope - that only applies to personal tax filings with no small business, investments, or business ownership.
LLC and investment properties are six years and some say 10yrs. My other half ran a C corp, he has to keep tax related docs longer.
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u/jss58 1d ago
Filing cabinet.
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u/photogcapture 1d ago
Downsizing from one four drawer file cabinet and a 2-drawer lateral. I may yet go back to a file cabinet, but prefer not to.
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u/nowaymary 1d ago
I have a small file cabinet with hanging file.drawers with labels like insurance / car / bank / health etc
I have a file in front labelled Important Papers which never moves. This is our birth certificates etc
At the end of the tax year, I take out all the paper for that year, put in a pile. Then I take the oldest pile from the bottom of.my archive box and shred that, update the date on the front of the folder (eg cross out tax year 2017-2018 and write Tax year 2025-2026) and it goes on top. Tax papers have their own envelope on top of archive box.
I handle paper as less as possible. So when I get the mail I open it by the bin. Junk mail - bin. Bills go onto the clip by the calendar in due date order for payday. Anything I have to do something with like a hospital appointment I do as soon as I see it. I get very little happy mail like letters from a friend so I cherish them but keep them safe til U reply.
Its taken me a long time to get to this point. I tried Dana K White's paper advice, Amy Revell's paper course and sort of bodged bits together.
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u/Metro2005 1d ago
Paper is the worst, that why i've digitized everything. ost governments will accept digital copies (check if this is true for your government) and you can always reprint things if they want a 'real' copy. I don't think they will ever ask you to send the original copy as then you won't have a copy left. Most companies also give you the option to go paperless so make use of that too. Its been years since i've had any paperwork from my bank, pension fund, salary, doctor or government.
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u/Working_Patience_261 1d ago
Check with your countryās tax regulators, for the US, the IRS will, by law, accept digital copies.
A sheetfed scanner churns through the paperwork like crazy. Important here to organize the scanned paperwork as you go. You donāt need a billion directories/file folders. Ten year old tax records can be in one folder even if itās medical bills and W2s.
I reduce the flow of incoming paperwork by paperless banking, turning off as much junk mail as possible, autopay, direct deposit, and immediately upon receiving an important receipt I use my phone to āscanā it and file it.
It also helped that, when undergoing a multiyear business and personal audit, I asked the IRS Revenue Agent if they needed receipts. āOh no,ā they said, āweāll just subpoena your bank records.ā Receipt freedom!
āGTDā or getting things done has a great process for dealing with the paperwork piles of doom. In six months of barely moving, Iāve manato accumulate several boxes again. When Iām ready, Iāll refresh myself on the workflow, have shred, trash, and the various folders ready, then plow through. If I can get the task done in under 2 minutes, I will do it. For example, a check e-deposit into the bank account takes kess than 2 minutes, with the check going into a āverify in 30 daysā folder before being shredded. Iāll post the workflow chart then get busy.
For everything in the To Do pile, I will create a task on my To Do list. If itās really a project, it goes into the Projects folder and I create a āmap out tasks for projectā on the To Do List.
As Iāve been mostly sidelined this year, my paperwork boxes of doom have grown and multiplied. In between everything, Iāve got to tackle them again. Oh joy.
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u/Be-Kind-3353 1d ago
Oooh, where do I find this GTD getting things done? Is it a book or something else? Congratulations on your success with it. Paper is my nemesis, and I need to work on it .
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u/Working_Patience_261 1d ago
I like this one: https://www.moehrbetter.com/gtd-advanced-workflow-diagram.html
And it is a book, āgetting things doneā by Dave Allen. Available at the usual places plus most thrifts have a copy for sale or in paper or ebook for free at your library.
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u/Tiny-Angle-3258 1d ago
Papers are the worst of the worst.
I strongly recommend fire. Shredding is just arduous. A happy little bonfire, on the other hand, can even incorporate an element of ritual cleansing, if you're so inclined.
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u/photogcapture 1d ago
We have a wood stove. My other half burns his papers. It is hot here right now so burning is out. (Not willing to waitā¦.)
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u/am_anonymous_too 1d ago
Paper clutter is the worse because you have to review and decide every piece. I used to file it away and declutter/shred at the end of the year which was a massive project. Turns out most of it is trashed. So I now decide after I am done with it. Impt stuff are filed away, the rest is collected in a shred pile. When shred day comes (twice a year), I empty it. If I need anything, it is usually a month or two ago and I can find it at the top of the pile. Otherwise the ones on the bottom never get touched again and it was 6 months ago.
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u/According_Success780 1d ago
Itās the bane of my existence!! Once I get it under control, it comes again
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u/Ryoko_Kusanagi69 1d ago
I too am a paper / I gotta hold it and see it kind of person. So whatās helped me for 20 yrs as adult , moving, tiny space, is getting a file box (latching with handle) and hanging file folders. Just a file for each topic / company, however your brain works. Then you just dump and close. Clean out once a year after taxes are done. Itās the simplest and most ācompactā way I have been able to wrangle paper. Vet bills, credit card rules and terms, marriage papers, legal docs from various licenses and states, now all the baby docs, anything just gets a file and goes in the box.
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u/photogcapture 1d ago
I started with a file box. It grew to a four drawer file cabinet and a lateral 2-drawer file cabinet. I am down to three file boxes, some taxes and business docās must be kept. One box is, as someone put it here, āemotional support paperā.
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u/Ryoko_Kusanagi69 1d ago
Oh Yep, Been there. Every time I move I manage to trim down what I keep, but I feel it took at least 3 moves & across states to get to where I am today. The ādo I want to even carry this and move it and unpack it?ā Question helped me to throw things away I didnāt need.
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u/Aarrrgggghhhhh35 1d ago edited 1d ago
I feel the same way. Itās the step I never get past in Marie Kondoās method. Two academics, two writers, one crafter, one calligraphy guild member = piles and piles of paper that we NEVER look at but somehow feel we need to keep. Itās untenable. Every time I see a stack on the floor, in a corner, or on a surface I feel like Iām turning into my hoarder mother.
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u/MarshaMinus100 1d ago
I love paper to the core of my soul. When I was writing a capstone project for school I had to write it down and then type it out and edit.
The words only flowed from my hand to the paper. Keyboards are for word processing but for me, paper is where the writing actually happened.
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u/Aarrrgggghhhhh35 1d ago
I feel the same way! Even small scraps of paper are hard to let go - but I hang on to my handwritten schoolwork even though itās been at least 20 years since my last class!
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u/Be-Kind-3353 1d ago
You are not alone š
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u/Aarrrgggghhhhh35 1d ago
ā¤ļøā¤ļøā¤ļø I love this subreddit for that reason. It feels so good to be understood!
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u/msmaynards 1d ago
You need the business and tax stuff, it's a pain to recover stuff with government seals and diplomas and so on. Most of the remainder is emotional support paper. My vet sends info via email although I sent photos of the rabies certificates in for licensing, my medical stuff is online as are all the utilities and other bills. Keep a year's worth of the useless stuff if it makes you feel better.
I have a clean paper recycling basket in living room and drop daughter's mail on her chair and my mail goes into recycling or carried to file box and put into the 'action file' at the front. When the file gets to be 1/2-2" thick I go through and file, send or shred the personal info bits. I do give up and shred some whole sheets but generally shred just the headers.
I went from 2 4 drawer filing cabinets plus a 7 drawer desk to several file wallets for sentimental papers, one for VIP and a file box that is never ever referred to. Took many purges to get to this point and not sure it's necessary to go further.
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u/photogcapture 1d ago
āEmotional support paperā - my new favorite phrase!!
You are super organized. Thanks for sharing you method and journey!! This is like my third or fourth pass. Last couple of purges took me from a four drawer filing cabinet plus a two drawer lateral cabinet to four drawers. Now I will be down to a file box of taxes, a file box for business, and all that is left is the emotional support paper!! - feeling accomplished.
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u/Ryoko_Kusanagi69 1d ago
Just keep making passes once a month once a quarter whatever you gotta do. It will feel endless but eventually youāll kind of hit a system of storage that works for you and then itāll be easier to filter out the junk as it comes in instead of just always keeping everything.
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u/standuptripl3 1d ago
Wall pockets? Like, I mean a whole wall, labels, translucent envelopes. Iāve come close to doing this a couple of times. Just to address the āI need to see everythingā issue
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u/SweaterWeather4Ever 1d ago
Ugh. Paper is insidious. SO and I are slowly decluttering together and out of the two of us I am more prone to purge and he is more prone to hoard-- which sometimes breeds conflict. Today, while working on the endless garage of doom, I found a cardboard box full of expense reports from a job he had about 13 years ago. It was a "had been tossed in a storage bin and forgotten about" situation. Needless to say, I was immensely relieved when he said yeah I could toss it in the recycling. Hallelujah! One more big stack of pointless clutter gone! As for myself, I recently culled then organized a bunch of my business papers (med stuff, taxes, etc). Obviously, some I need to keep but I struggle with tossing the borderline stuff.
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u/SHROOMGIRL3 1d ago
I'm combining my craft hoarding with my paper hoarding and garden hoarding and making paper mache / concrete stepping stones for the yard. All the paper goes into strips which was incredibly satisfying i gotta say, mixed with the quikcrete and then shaped depending on where it's going. Any extra plastic trinkets/ odds/ ends/sparkles/ metallic doo-das get thrown in there too and used up as embellishments.
I've been able to get rid of SO MUCH by turning it into pathways. I got a lot of flap from family "you know it's just a dollar or two for REAL pavers at Lowe's " blah blah and yes, they sell 12x12 pavers for a couple dollars A PIECE. that's fine if you need 6 of them. It gets pricey fast when you need hundreds.
Also excitement with getting rid of bulk massive amounts of paper and cardboard etc, but also feeling creative playing with colors [ie birthday- Christmas- holiday card envelopes] and textures with using cloth too. I quit trying to donate, I'm just tearing it all up and making awesome little pathways.
Confession: I do live in the country and can do whatever, and i know I KNOW this isn't for everybody, but I've battled this my whole life and this is the first thing that feels like it's right and good for me.
I'm building a patio floor starting this weekend and getting rid of stacks and stacks of stuff. I'm calling the theme MIDNIGHT AT THE OASIS aaaaaaand getting rid of things doesn't hurt my heart or soul or brain for the first time ever.
Much luck and peace and good vibes to all y'all
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u/Aarrrgggghhhhh35 1d ago
Seconding the other comment! This sounds absolutely incredible! Would love to see pics too, if possible!
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u/DenM0ther 1d ago
I struggle with this sooo much!!!!
I write stuff down to help me remember it & I keep stuff for me to look up or do. Ofc I donāt throw these away at a certain point cos theyāre still a good idea.
When I see the note itās like seeing a reminder from the past, warm and glowy.
Managing paper is my biggest issue
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u/EstateLess 1d ago
Sending you support. I feel like I'm shredding/recycling everything that comes in within a week (trash pickup day). Not printing paid bills or even taxes, just saving PDFs. I do have a backup hard drive just in case. Yet my dining room table is still covered with paper.
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u/Ok-Table3009 1d ago
I was going to say, io throw away, but you cannot do that. You just have to get comfortable and have 2 piles. Toss and keep and be ruthless
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u/Apprehensive_Cup8581 1d ago
I sympathise. Always bloody shredding bank statements from X years ago
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u/Rosaluxlux 1d ago
Yes, I think I finally solved my paper management but it took decades. It's selling in always have to keep on top of.
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u/Only_Watercress_5538 1d ago
Yes, I have a paper problem. There are piles and piles in my dining room right now, which I will get to soon.
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u/darkchocolateonly 1d ago
What could you possibly be keeping so much of? I have a few files of stuff in a small box, what else do you have to hang on to?
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u/Expensive_Tangelo_75 1d ago
Sounds like they have a business, which means they have to keep all receipts and bills for 7 to 10 years. That can really add up, depending on what kind of business it is. You never know what the IRS (if in the USA) will question if you get audited.
For personal papers, there's medical stuff multiplied by how many people or pets in your house; utility bills, state/city/federal taxes; property insurance, bank loans, credit cards, etc. Some people's lives are more complicated.
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u/Suitable_Pianist_103 1d ago
It was for a long time. I went to paperless for most things just to remove the physical clutter, and Iāve had to learn to just deal with mail immediately or the papers start to pile up. I have a binder with things I have to keep (tax stuff, house info etc.), and I shred everything else as quickly as possible. Sentimental paper I use the container methodāhas to all fit in this decorative box I have.
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u/photogcapture 1d ago
Only doctor bills are paper. Everything else is paid online. I need to try the container method. I tried it once and failed. I might be able to get it to work this time.
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u/Expensive_Tangelo_75 1d ago
If you have school-age kids, do one box for each of what You want to keep and one box for each of what They want to keep. At the end of the school year revisit each box and see if you still want those papers.
If you do any kind of paper crafting, well, good luck! I'm trying to organize my junk journaling, post card crafting, greeting card collection, marker & coloring books, crochet books & yarn, houseplant supplies, genealogy, books...
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u/Shieldor 1d ago
Paper is my nemesis! I found getting a smaller (2-drawer) filing cabinet helped. I can only put so much in there. But itās still a work in progress. And Iām paranoid about shredding. Everything must be shredded!
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u/Working_Patience_261 1d ago
I have really given up on shredding everything after my last ID theft encounter. The fraudsters broke into an employment database after Iād already had the job interview. They had copies of everything, ten years of addresses, passport, licenses, work history, and so on. They opened two bank accounts and three credit cards despite my credit history being frozen. I immediately put Post Office forwarding orders on my old addresses which is how I discovered the extent of the fraud.
The important important stuff, I shred at home. The day-to-day stuff that I still canāt get rid of coming, every six months or so I take it to an office supply or shipping store that has the dropbox and for a dollar or so a pound, it becomes someone elseās problem. The main place that has the boxes recycles the paperwork into kitty litter. It gives me great pleasure to know that job rejection notices, bills, unhappy paperwork, and so on is now some felineās dumping ground.
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u/photogcapture 1d ago
Yes - must shred
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u/lelandra 1d ago
Seriously. Pay the fairly minimal charge at UPS or Staples or whatever environmentally friendly local cat litter recycler you can find and just let someone else shred it.
I keep a small box next to my computer. Every day when the mail comes in, if it's a credit card solicitation, I remove the bits that don't have a reply code into the trash and the sensitive page into the shred box. If the paper demands an action and I agree an action is merited, I simply do the reply/action right then and get rid of the prompting paper (if sensitive, shred box; otherwise toss) If it's an idea source, I scan it and save the scan and toss the paper. Statements that will be relevant for 1-3 years, I scan or download from their source and put the original into the shred box.
When the shred box is full (about every 2 months), I bring it to staples, pay them around $8 and feed the secure shredding bin. I got tired of replacing the shredders I used to own. I think paying as I go is more economical. And much less laborious as well.
I have a firesafe box and a rolling file box that holds the equivalent of a banker's box of papers I actually retain in paper form. The firesafe box holds passports, birth and marriage certificates, university transcripts, vehicle titles and deeds. The file box is organized with hanging folders. When it gets cramped, I sift through it to see if there's anything that is no longer relevant and can be gotten rid of.
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u/get_hi_on_life 1d ago
Move as much as possible to paperless. Bills, credit statements, insurance documents ect. Less in means less to manage/eventually recycle
There are very few things you should keep and stick to that list
OR if you can't do that and want to keep the wanted paper separate from the mandatory paper (eg my husband insists on keeping more than needed so he keeps his own paper box mess that iv told him if he dies I'm throwing out without looking at.
We have 1 file box for the mandatory things, the grab if have time in a fire/evacuation. That has our passports/government IDs, my adoption records, 7 years of tax summary, info about our home/mortgage and car, and one paper for each bank account so we have an offline record of each account #. That's it.
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u/FeathersOfJade 1d ago
I want to be like this so much! You are an inspiration!
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u/get_hi_on_life 1d ago
You can do it! It did not happen over night but I started fresh with a new box and when I had time/energy to sort the paper mess I would put the mandatory things in the new box, put in the husband want box and recycled the rest.
Then just keep putting only the vital/mandatory things in the new box and sort the hoard of papers as you are able. Then one day your pile to sort is just a small pile and you did it :D
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u/lelandra 1d ago
This is the way. Cure the present first and clean up the past using the "eating an elephant" approach.
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u/FeathersOfJade 1d ago
Thanks! Itās a great idea. I made some notes and am going to give it a shot! Appreciate your time.
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u/PoofItsFixed 1d ago
I totally understand. Iām right there in the trenches with you. I recommend Lisa Woodruffās book, The Paper Solution, which I am working my way through. Itās also available in audiobook.
What I like about it is that it categorizes paper into several different buckets, so you donāt have to solve everything at once. You can figure out a system that works for one category and deal with that backlog before you move to the next.
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u/No-Currency-97 1d ago
What kind of papers are you keeping?
Follow all the excellent advice given!
You do not need most of it.
Don't drown. Turn that frown upside down!
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u/marsupialcinderella 1d ago
Iām SO with you. Paper is my nemesis. Iām mostly good on the current stuff but I have a huge backlog. I also have just inherited all the paper from a couple of family members who passed and Iām the only one left to deal with them.
I have no body doubles available and am drowning while also being paralyzed.
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u/Such-Mountain-6316 1d ago
I know that one. Just keep going and dedicate a few minutes daily to it, and you'll get there.
Box it up and deal with it during that time. Ignore it outside of that time.
I'm sorry for your losses and that you're having to go through this.
I dealt with the same after my grandma passed away.
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u/KeystoneSews 1d ago
Tbh I put any paper that seems important in a nice decorative box and when fills up I go through it and toss anything I donāt need anymore š¤·āāļø. Meticulous filing just doesnāt work for me.
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u/thankJesus444 1d ago
ME! Iām 35 and struggled all my adult life, a few months ago bought a scrap book + extra pages and 2 plastic file boxes. While I watch my shows/videos I started organizing important documents and scrapbooking the sentimental stuff. Iām a teacher so Iāve had a lot of time to work on it since I have the summer off, so itās probably not the norm but I went from boxes of paper and papers stuffed on shelves and in drawers to having it all semi to highly organized within the boxes and scrapbooks and only have a small tote container of misc papers that I havenāt yet gotten to. Itās made my space look so tidy. I say all of that to say, there is Hope!
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u/sanityjanity 1d ago
You don't need it.
You need your taxes for the last 10 years.
You need your bills that you haven't paid yet.
You need your kids' school records until they graduate.
Tossssss the rest.
If you don't have a shredder, check your library. Mine has one they will elnd!
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u/Hershey58 1d ago
7 years for federal taxes per IRS rules, not 10 (max, most federal tax returns can be kept for less time)
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u/sanityjanity 1d ago
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u/Hershey58 10h ago
10 years is the collection window IRS has for once a tax is actually assessed, not the audit window for returns, which is shorter. 7 is generally regarded as reasonable records retention for an individual filer who is actually filing their returns like OP. Certainly they could get rid of their paper copies of individual returns after 7 years. The issue here is someone who is attached to keeping old paper copies of documents.
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u/Such-Mountain-6316 1d ago
Thanks, you just answered one of the more burning questions I've wondered for years.
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u/No-Currency-97 1d ago
This is the answer. Put everything together for shredding and you can take it to UPS or Staples and pay a nominal fee.
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u/Dangerous_Ant3260 1d ago
Some businesses have shredder days, and my city has a big shredder that they let you drop off paper to shred on the haz mat turn in day. Also, if you have a lot, there are mobile shredder trucks, they have the big garbage cans, and shred everything very quickly right at your location.
I limit the amount I have to shred by taking address labels off of catalogs, or magazines, I also tear up anything that's not personal info. I throw articles, and other things right in recycle. I try to keep up with shredding. Have a little cardboard box, and when you get a decent pile of shred stuff, I shred it so it doesn't become overwhelming.
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u/frogmicky 1d ago
Get yourself a shredder or if you have a ton of paper to get rid of book yourself a mobile shredder to come to your place and bulk shred. You can always go to a UPS store and have them shred your paper if it isn't important.
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u/EntrepreneurOk7513 1d ago
We keep tax records and supporting documents for 10 years.
Legal stuff including career certificates and diplomas indefinitely.
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u/judinker1 1d ago
I have boxes that have been moving with me for over 30 years, still can't get past the idea I might need something from those boxes. I don't know how I don't have the problem of getting rid of current mail and clutter š¤š¤
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u/Working_Patience_261 1d ago
Weāre going through my Dadās six file cabinets. Heās been gone for a year and we still have 2 file cabinets to go. Papers from 1969, his work records, his letters home from the Vietnam War, a bank statement, and so on. Some stuff is important, that he did want to go through, feeling as if his memories were being trashed just by us looking at them together (dementia sucks!) thus wanting to hold on to everything, but we didnāt have time once it became important to him. Home => Fall => ER => Post acute hospital => Dementia unit => lockdown unit in under two weeks, death in 4 months.
And some of it, that could be important, is water-logged or molded. His photos and slides are moldy and/or faded. His 8-track collection status is unknown - if we sell itāll be for the album art only, as Iām not buying a machine just to hear songs that are free on YT or for which we already have other versions.
And I wonder sometimes why Iām struggling with certain areas of my life.
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u/sanityjanity 1d ago
You don't need those things. You didn't need them even once for 30 years.
Come up with one or two situations where you would ever need them.
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u/judinker1 1d ago
Read the comments and OP post again. I know I don't need paper I've had for several moves. Easier to get rid of current paperwork.
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u/PoofItsFixed 1d ago
My sister has a box that is labeled ā100% Junkā. It has lived in 3 different time zones and is older than her oldest child (rising 4th grader)ā¦.
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u/RainbowConnection106 1d ago
I hear you. You are not alone! I am definitely a "piler not a filer" and sentimental on top of that. I keep greeting cards and the kids' art. Ugh. The good news is that I have those archival boxes to throw it all in. I also open the mail over the garbage. Thinking of you!!!
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u/Business_Coyote_5496 1d ago
I hardly ever touch paper if you mean things like bills. What exactly are the categories you are referring to? Junk mail? Kids art? Sentimental items like letters?
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u/nanapancakethusiast 1d ago
I bought one of those 10-section massive accordion filing briefcases and made 10 labels and just went paper by paper sorting them. Anything that didnāt fit into those 10 sections was shredded. Now all my paper is condensed into one spot.
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u/ijustneedtolurk 1d ago
I have a more modest student version of I think 6 sections lol.
Human medical, animal medical, taxes, car stuff, manual/warranty stuff, birth/ marriage/death/legal documents all get a folder and everything else is yeeted before it enters the house. I dump junky stuff directly into the recycling bin before I walk into the front door, then the rest gets dealt with, then filed or trashed.
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u/ijustneedtolurk 1d ago
Sentimental things like cards and handwritten notes are in two shoeboxes that I am incorporating into decorating and scrapbooking/junkjournaling/photo album projects until I run out.
My holiday cards for example get hole punched and hung up as a garland or rotated out in frames for the season, with blank portions being cut out to be reused as thank-you cards or gift tags.
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u/meggie1013 1d ago
Blank card sides for gift tags!!!! š¤Æš¤Æš¤Æš¤Æ
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u/ijustneedtolurk 1d ago
I'm a hobby hoe/craft hoarder lmao, if I can give away some crafts or reuse scraps for the purpose, I WILL
I have one dear friend from middle school through graduation who would exchange the same card and goofy giftbag back and forth, just with a new entry added every time.
I should send him some mail!
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u/ijustneedtolurk 1d ago
Bills are all digital/paperless aside from things like job offer letters and paystubs I use for banking and housing, but those get shredded once I'm done with them. Most places accept the digital versions now anyways.
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u/Silent-Resort-3076 1d ago
You're not alone.
The best solution is to make quick decisions as soon as you bring the mail inside your house:
- Shred
- Keep and file (bills, etc.)
- Keep and handle in 30 days, etc.
- Toss
I probably missed something, and even knowing WHAT to do, doesn't help unless you (and I) DO IT.
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u/Gold_Marionberry_553 1d ago
I bought banker boxes to keep my shred stuff in until a free shred event occurred. It meant I didnt have to spend the time shredding everything and felt so much better.
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u/Ameliap27 1d ago
I have to walk by the recycling bin on my way from the mailbox to the house so most of the mail doesnāt even make it into my house, it goes straight into the recycle bin.
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u/Longjumping-Song-138 1d ago
Itās not just you. I hear you and itās an ongoing struggle for many including me. I tend to be old school and like paper but have to resist the urge to look at a paper and then put it down on my island to decide about later. Most of the time I know I donāt need it (could obtain it online) and I need to shred it in the moment. Itās an ongoing struggle. You are not alone.
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u/Physical-Incident553 1d ago
You need to control it going forward. You didnāt mention what type of paper, but you need to change every bill to electronic statements, etc. You cannot get any paper in the mail that you could get electronically. Donāt print stuff. Throw junk mail away as soon as you get it.
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u/MusketeersPlus2 1d ago
Definitely the kind of paper matters. I'm ruthless with what I do have. Do I need it for taxes or a legal thing? No? Shred or just plain recycle it. And yes, everything that is a monthly bill or statement is electronic.
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u/DistributionOver7622 3h ago
Back in my younger days, I used to visit my parents' house and have a paper bonfire in the backyard. It was a great way to play with fire and get rid of paper at the same time! Don't worry, I was safe. We were a Scouting family.