Organizing paper work

[quesyrah]

How long do you typically keep things like medical bills, EOB, co-pay receipts, etc?

What about other important papers: auto & life insurance statements etc.

I am trying to organize my desk and thinking I keep waaaay too much lol! I guess I can throw out the receipt for the couch we bought 9 years ago and no longer own lol...

[momin2013]

Probably too long, but we keep everything in a filing cabinet so space isn't really at a premium. But yeah, if I don't own something anymore, I generally wouldn't keep the receipt. 

[mamaalysson]

I hate keeping paper. I probably recycle way more than what I am supposed to. I generally don't keep any statements, EOBs, or most receipts. Most of that stuff is available online. I will keep the book that our home/medical/auto insurance send us at the renewal period that explains our coverage, but I don't think I have ever actually looked through them. We keep receipts for things like charitable contributions, or big purchases. We generally keep user manuals to big things, but I don't know where half of them are, and in the last two days have looked up the user manual for both the stove and the Blu-ray player online, so that makes me think maybe I can purge most of those. We also own a rental house, so I do keep more of the papers associated with that, but still no statements or anything.

[Deleted]

In general I'd say I keep any non-tax related paperwork for about a year, unless it's a huge purchase that has a warranty. Medical records I keep for longer just out of curiosity and because I can claim some of them on my tax return. We were audited two years ago because we moved across the country and could claim a lot of our moving expenses, since it was for DH's work. I've hung onto all the records from that audit, just in case it ever comes back to haunt us again!

I also keep any receipts for repairs and/or renovations around the house. Just because it's fun (to me) to look back and see how much we've done, and in case we ever sell and want to have a record of all the upgrades we've done. But we bought a fixer-upper and have done a lot of work to it.

Other than that, I don't keep much. It all fits in one file box. I keep manuals in one of those big plastic expandable envelopes.

I file paperwork every month or so. First we just throw it all in a designated paper drawer, then when I file it I go through and throw out/recycle anything I don't really need.

[dizzycooks]

I save everything tax related by year and everything health insurance related by year because we are on high deductible insurance and have to prove all the expenses with a receipt of audited.

I keep manuals for appliances and things In a binder. If an appliance has a warranty I keep it there as well.

I save everything for our rental due to taxes in it's own folder by year.

I guess basically I have three folders per year - taxes, health insurance, rental; a binder for manuals, and I toss the rest?

[auroraloo]

Until it's paid?

I can access everything I need online. I keep w-2s but that's it.

[Deleted]

I keep as little as possible. I have gone paperless on all bills, do my bills online and only have a folder for tax stuff. Otherwise, toss!