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.
We have a fire safe for important stuff like house deeds, passports, etc.
I also have files of stuff because I am an inspirational packrat from way before Pinterest existed. I have a woven green file box of inspiring art torn out of magazines, travel ideas, 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.) from my mother's house. Yes, I know, I'm hopelessly sentimental.
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 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.
