How are your personal files organized?

[johnsontrio]

DH and I are self-admittedly very picky about the way our household is organized and managed. While I'm sure it's too much for some people, it helps keeping things here running smoothly. One area that needs desperate attention is our filing system. After 20 years of marriage, we still have not been able to organize our filing systems into one. His files are organized in a system that doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. He files include employment info (including our benefits), warranty information, hobby information, and all his records that he brought with him, while I have our tax info, retirement, all household finances, doctor visits, health info, and all records for DD. I have been going through the files regularly to purge any unneeded papers so it's not years and years of clutter, just not a system that is organized overall. I tried several years ago to co-mingle our files but it seemed like just too big a task to ever get started.

I have been looking for an organized, comprehensive system to use to create one new filing system. The only thing I have come across that seems like it might work is FreedomFiler. While I'm sure there are features of that system I don't need, it seems like a system that would allow you to put your hands on anything you need in seconds.

I have considered creating my own system using color coded folders, labels etc. but think it may, in the long run, end up costing more than the $42 the FreedomFiler costs. I hate to spend many hours making P-touch labels and just end up frustrated and overwhelmed by the scope of the project. I have about 8 full file drawers of papers to organize.

What system do you use to organize all your files/papers? Is it a system you created yourself? Do you use a color-coded system to separate business, home, employment related files? Does anyone here use FreedomFiler, and if so, what do you think of it? Any helpful hints are appreciated.

 

[Carly_Roach]

I reviewed the FreedomFiler website and watched the demo. That looks like a workable product that will keep your records in order for years to come, so if it seems to be a plan that might work for you then by all means invest in that system. But I'll tell you what I tell anyone whom I intend to organize for:

Any system, no matter how simple or complicated, depends on one crucial component - the user's ability and desire to stick to it, year after year. No matter how wonderful the filing or record-keeping system is, it's worthless if it's not used on a consistent basis.

DH and I have a VERY simple system that I've used for decades and he inherited when we married. Most of our records are kept in one two-drawer file cabinet with past year's records stored in banker's boxes. It goes like this:

Permanent records are kept in the bottom drawer since they're so rarely accessed. This is the place for appliance manuals, backup disks, etc. The top drawer holds our month to month expenses and is a holding area for tax receipts, quarterly bank statements and the like. We have one permanent hanging file folder for each expense: gas, electric, water, cable, etc. Add more hanging folders as needed if different expenses come up.

At the end of the year, I write up a manilla folder for each folder in the top drawer and transfer ALL records in the top drawer to the manilla folder - the only exceptions are insurance plans or other yearly plans that will expire next year. These manilla folders get put into a banker's box, the taxes get done and put into this box, then the box gets put away. Everything in the banker's box is organized in the same manner that the top drawer of our cabinet is organized.

We've never had a problem putting our hands quickly on a document from last year or six years ago.

At the end of seven years, the oldest banker's box is opened, I do a quick review of one or two key files to make sure I want to shred those documents, then I shred everything in the box and recycle the manilla folders and box for the files I'm putting in it for last year. Don't write the year directly on the box. Use a mailing label and either rip the label off or put a new mailing label with the year on it directly over the old label.

As I said, this is a very simplistic system but it's worked for me/us for decades. DH and I had to agree to some name changes when we married*, but after we adjusted to each other's comfort zone, the system went on as normal.

With a filing system as extensive as yours, it'll take some time to introduce change and tweak it to the way you and your DH will be comfortable using it. Always remember - this system is for YOU. Someone else's system isn't written in stone and you don't have to always follow their rules. If you like the overall system but want to 'personalize' it, and you know that the personalization will make you more consistent, then by all means make the small changes.

Good luck!

*(examples: I had separate folders for each pet, he wanted just one folder named "pets". I had one folder labeled "health", he wanted them separated into medical, dental, eye, etc)

edited to add:

I just reread your OP to make sure I didn't miss anything and realized I forgot about important documents like birth certificates, deeds, etc. Those few documents are kept either in our safe deposit box at the bank or, believe it or not, in a ziploc bag in the unused crisper drawer in our refrigerator.

LOL! I know, sounds funny doesn't it? We put the titles to our cars in the crisper box. However, if there is ever a fire here at the house, the items in the fridge will likely be the last to burn. Just a suggestion if you don't want to go the safe deposit box route for important documents.

 

[disykat]

Wow, and I thought WE were organized! We have a four drawer file cabinet. DH likes to keep EVERYTHING and wanted to get another cabinet when it was full. I finally talked him into letting me archive stuff I know we won't need every five years, so we have some boxes up in the attic of old stuff. I archive by year - 5 years to a box. They've been up there so long and we've never needed anything I archived so I almost have him talked into renting a shred box and doing a big clean - who needs a power bill from 1992?

Our system is sort of like Carly's. We have household bills in one drawer, tax and employer stuff in another, warrenty info and manuals in another, and travel stuff and trip planning in the bottom along with menus and coupons.

 

[AKL_Megs]

Yes.

We have a file cabinet, and inside we have everything and everything in its place.

I have a file for each bill, and a separate file for DHs insurance, my insurance, house insurance, car insurance, investment information, product manuels/booklets, and probably more I am forgetting. EACH of these is in alphabetic order for easy filing.

I also have separate envelopes for reciepts... an envelope for each store.

 

[Abbie]

Our system is ridiculously simple but I'm also very organized and picky and it's worked for us for 30 years.

We maintain (or I should say I!) two separate file cabinets. The one under my desk in the kitchen is a two-drawer one. Top drawer is for various accounts (cable, electric, visas, american express, paycheck stubs, medical expenses, etc) and the bottom drawer is for less-needed files (one for each vehicle, home and auto insurance, retirement, investment statements, etc.) The key for me is not keeping more than a year's worth of anything in each file. Most are labeled like "paychecks 2010" (one with my name, one with my husbands), medical expenses 2010, etc. The credit card files, utilities, etc. are purged every December but then I move anything labeled 2010 to the downstairs file cabinet and start a new one upstairs. No file is every really bulky or full.

Except for utilities, cable, etc. I have paper bills mailed to me but pay them all online. Then I'll mark the bill with the payment date and confirmation number and file it away.....and again, at the end of the year I'll toss the statements.

In other words, only those files accessed on a monthly basis are in the file cabinet upstairs. Everything else goes into the cabinet downstairs!

 

[drag n' fly]

I scan everything into searchable PDF. I keep important stuff like taxes in paper form for seven years and paper bills etc one year before they are scanned and shredded.

 

[Acklander]

I just hole punch everything and stick it in a 3 ring binder, with dividers in them. Seems to work for me, and I'm able to find things quickly.