The File

I have a two drawer filing cabinet that I got at target around when we got married.  Just your basic metal filing cabinet.  I've decorated it with the children's "magnet art."  Each year in elementary school, my kids bring home some art that has been turned into a 4x5 magnet.  I digress...I try (try) to keep my papers in order.  I do find that I make a big stack before getting around to filing.  If only I filed as I went along, it wouldn't be such a chore. 

Anyway, yesterday I got around to filing almost all of the stack.  Some stuff I filed, some recycled and some for the shredding stack.  I also pulled papers out of files that were super old and put them in the shredding stack.  This website http://www.onlineorganizing.com/NewslettersArticle.asp?newsletter=go&article=672 gives you great guidelines about what papers you should keep and for how long. 

I do have a folder that says "Taxes 2011."  Whenever I have something that might needed for our taxes at the end of the year, I file it away here.  I have donation receipts, receipts for car tax, stuff like that.  It's nice to have it all in one place.

So, as a summer chore for my kids, I've set up a shredding station to shred all of the papers that might have personal information.  Big trashcan and shredder.  Too bad my shredder is broken!  I'm off to buy a shredder.