One of my tasks this week is to get our home finance records under control. My file cabinet is bursting with papers, many of which are no longer relevant or necessary to keep. There is very little chance that I will need an invoice from the gardener who mowed the lawn nine years ago at my old house!
Do you keep financial records obsessively like I do, or do you toss them and then find you need them later on and are unable to locate them? Real Simple has a helpful article entitled Deciding Which Financial Records to Keep which provides several good guidelines on which documents should be kept, and for how long we should be keeping them.
One reminder: if you are deciding to destroy records that no longer need to be kept, remember to shred them rather than simply tossing them in the trash. If you don't own or can't afford a shredder, contact your local police department to learn about organizations in your area who sponsor shredding events (you bring the stuff, they shred it). These events are frequently sponsored by banks and office supply retailers.
Home-work for Today:
- If you are not already doing so, create a system for capturing credit card receipts so that you have easy access to them for reconciling them against the monthly credit card statement. After reconciling, these receipts can be shredded.
- Determine which of your financial records need to be kept long term and/or permanently and create a secure system for maintaining these records.
On the Bookshelf:
Let Go of Clutter
Reading Room Resources for Today:
(blog posts from this week related to home finance)
Grocery Shopping Strategies
How to Simplify Your Finances
What Frugal Habits Did Your Mom Pass On to You?
Simplifying Your Financial Life
The Cheapest Days to Buy Certain Items
