https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/filing-and-organizing Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Wed, 29 Apr 2026 15:58:33 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/filing-and-organizing#post-958842 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 04:37:41 +0000 elpgal 958842@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I need to look into a fire safe, I considered the one in Costco and am glad you recommend it. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/filing-and-organizing#post-958840 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 04:36:01 +0000 elpgal 958840@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Thanks for all the ideas. I like the idea of a scanner and a dedicated filing shelf. Pretty-baby, I used to be very diligent and had a pretty good memory for things. I am slowly losing my cognitive skills and can no longer remember where things are so some disciplined filing is becoming a survival skill. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/filing-and-organizing#post-958562 Mon, 17 Jun 2013 23:48:09 +0000 Rambling Ann 958562@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Another plug for the Fujitsu. DH bought one for the lab, then for home. I didn't want it at first, because I knew who'd be doing the scanning (moi). Now I'm its biggest fan, because when we moved I have zero filing space. And we have two households, share a Dropbox folder, so I can scan something into that folder that he can see right away. Almost everything&nbsp;goes straight from the PO Box to either the recycling or the Fujitsu and then shredder. Yay no clutter.</p> <p>The key for me has been good file-naming hygiene. A medical bill is going to have a long name, starting with the date, in yyyymmdd so things sort right:</p> <p>20130617 DH med taxes 53.47.pdf &nbsp;</p> <p>A filename like that usually comes up on my first search. In Apple OS, the double . isn't a problem, don't know about windows. &nbsp;Now I'm scanning a few knitting patterns, from pre-Ravelry issues, and dumping boxes of mags I saved.&nbsp;</p> <p>With the Fujitsu and Evernote, I'm actually feeling organized for once, with almost no paper files.&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/filing-and-organizing#post-956875 Sat, 15 Jun 2013 20:09:42 +0000 Janet 956875@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Oh jeez, don't get me started. We have so much paper. But I am my mother's daughter and have a hard time tossing stuff until I absolutely know it is not needed anymore. Plus I'm self-employed and hubs owns two businesses, and we own four pieces of property, so all of the records for the businesses and houses end up getting filed too. So in addition to files for each rental property and files for documents necessary at tax time, I keep files for medical, financial, investments, veterinary, warranties, etc.&nbsp;</p> <p>We have a fire safe for important stuff like house deeds, passports, etc.&nbsp;</p> <p>I also have files of stuff because I am an inspirational packrat from way before Pinterest existed. I have a woven green&nbsp;file box of inspiring art torn out of magazines, travel ideas,&nbsp;home decor and garden design ideas, articles I find interesting and want to keep, etc. I go through every so often and toss things that no longer appeal to me. I also have two wicker file boxes full of paper "keepsakes" (letters, documents, etc.)&nbsp;from my mother's house. Yes, I know, I'm hopelessly sentimental.</p> <p>I do all the filing (my husband just throws everything away). I have one of those cabinets like Mander describes, and at tax time each year I go through and toss a bunch of unnecessary stuff as I prepare our tax worksheets for our accountant. I then make room for the coming year by&nbsp;transfering the last year's documents to a plastic file box in our basement where I keep back tax files for the seven years recommended by the IRS. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/filing-and-organizing#post-956826 Sat, 15 Jun 2013 18:50:10 +0000 rachylou 956826@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Eh... still chucking. I used to chuck by year into photo boxes, but they started to really eat up the space. Now I save handled gift bags and chuck in those. Then I take everything and put it in my mother's basement. Ha!</p> <p>But I'm a contractor. I have to keep all my receipts and papers for-ever. There's no way to slim down on the paper. </p> <p>Oh - within the boxes / bags, everything is sorted by type in envelopes. Medical, business, charity, etc.</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/filing-and-organizing#post-956821 Sat, 15 Jun 2013 18:37:34 +0000 Laurinda 956821@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Not to sound like an ad, but the Fujitsu ScanSnap changed my life. It was a splurge for us, but you could share one among friends or family. Info here:<br /><a href="http://unclutterer.com/2007/04/20/paper-clutter-begone-part-1/" rel="nofollow">http://unclutterer.com/2007/04.....ne-part-1/</a></p> <p>Once the docs are in electronic form I encrypt them (TrueCrypt works for me)<br /><a href="http://blogging.cwl.cc/2012/05/that-great-tool-truecrypt.html" rel="nofollow">http://blogging.cwl.cc/2012/05.....crypt.html</a><br />and store the eFiles in two copies at a couple locations.</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/filing-and-organizing#post-956773 Sat, 15 Jun 2013 17:06:33 +0000 lyn* 956773@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Oh yeah, I have a safe too, for my passport, and for my MD certificates.&nbsp;</p> <p>I wanted one big enough to put the things most precious to me in (my blankie) but my dad reminded me I'm too old for blankies.&nbsp;</p> <p>I bought the big safe &nbsp;anyway. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/filing-and-organizing#post-956729 Sat, 15 Jun 2013 16:12:02 +0000 Glory 956729@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I also have a safe from costco where I keep passports, records (birth, marriage etc), vip papers.<br />the other items I have in a filing cabinets.<br />I have 2 folders for each child - one for report cards, education items, the other for certificates, home made cars etc<br />then I have folders for all of the main items.<br />I do have a shredder but usually end up burning the items int eh fireplace due to speed. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/filing-and-organizing#post-956689 Sat, 15 Jun 2013 14:58:08 +0000 Classically Casual 956689@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>We used to keep the really impt stuff in a bank safety deposit box. But the fees increased every year with no end in sight.&nbsp; Finally we bought a fire proof safe from Costco (online).&nbsp; The delivery of this VERY heavy object was free!<br />Otherwise we have a couple of nice wooden file cabinets that look like furniture. We keep some stuff online, but we still have way too much paper.&nbsp; We both can be paper packrats.&nbsp; Although we have 2 shredders, it's difficult to keep up.&nbsp; There are usually one or two free shredding events in the community each year that we try to attend. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/filing-and-organizing#post-956551 Sat, 15 Jun 2013 10:12:53 +0000 Mander 956551@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>We have a cheap two-drawer fake wood filing cabinet, the kind that holds hanging files.&nbsp; Not necessarily the most attractive thing, but I've been hooked on filing cabinets ever since I was an undergraduate -- I used to keep all my research articles in them, filed alphabetically.</p> <p>I'm not very good at keeping the files up to date but I do keep things in general categories (e.g. water bills, phone bills, my bank account, DH's account, immigration paperwork, etc.).&nbsp; Whenever the "to file" pile gets too big I sit down and sort it all out and purge the old files.&nbsp; Not very efficient, I have to admit, but at least I know that if I need something it will either be in the filing cabinet or in the bag of stuff to file. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/filing-and-organizing#post-956544 Sat, 15 Jun 2013 09:54:14 +0000 Caro in Oz 956544@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I have two woven wicker boxes, with hinged lids,&nbsp;that fit modern drop files. &nbsp;The first one has all the current stuff &amp; are divided in a similar way to lyns. The second has historical stuff - from old tax files that need to be kept to sentimental stuff like the cards &amp; old programs. We edit the first one about twice a year &amp; the second one as it starts to get full. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/filing-and-organizing#post-956507 Sat, 15 Jun 2013 06:54:18 +0000 Mo 956507@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I file all kinds of stuff . . . my BF not so much. &nbsp;Now here is the weird part. &nbsp;He is a financial manager and deals with loans and paperwork all day at his job. &nbsp;But at home he shreds bill statements, credit card statements, phone bills, you name it! &nbsp;The minute he pays, he's ripping up paper. &nbsp;It's crazy. &nbsp;I have to smuggle things into the file box I want to keep. &nbsp;<br />Anyway, I use a box my mom gave me that has a map of the US all over it. &nbsp;File folders hang inside just right. &nbsp;Guess it's roughly the size of a basic file drawer. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/filing-and-organizing#post-956482 Sat, 15 Jun 2013 04:42:15 +0000 lyn* 956482@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I keep a folder system for myself too - but I have it divided into different boxes. There are six main boxes with folders inside the boxes.</p> <p>1) Condo &amp; Property<br />2) Appliances &amp; Electronics<br />3) University<br />4) Investments<br />5) Automobile #1<br />6) Financials</p> <p>I find this keeps most things organized. I also toss my instruction manuals and warrenty cards into the second box, so I always know where they are.&nbsp;</p> <p>I keep a big tub full of not current stuff. I keep records for about 5 years before I shred them in the Big Tub. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/filing-and-organizing#post-956467 Sat, 15 Jun 2013 04:10:51 +0000 elpgal 956467@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>In my grad school days, I had a few simple file folders and that was enough to take care of my very slim tax returns, non-existent medical reports and a few receipts and warranties for expensive&nbsp; things (aka laptop and car). After we got married, we got in the habit of chucking stuff into colorful Ikea cardboard boxes and sorting and arranging each box a few times a year. A few years and many possessions and health issues later, all of our boxes are overflowing and taking up too much space (we stack the boxes on a large baker's rack). Since I have now officially grown up, I am in need of a better system that scales up. How do you smart folk organize your stuff? </p>