Filing without a file cabinet?

[browneyedsol]

Do you have any great organization ideas for papers?? This is not my strength. I'm very mindful about my home in just about every other way, but the paper takes me over. I get overwhelmed. I'm trying to shred these stacks away as much as possible, but I simply need to keep a lot of these paper trails (everything from court documents from my lengthy custody cases to bills to articles that I collect related to my work to my own artwork and my kids' artwork). Due to sudden unemployment, I have no extra money to go out and buy anything for organizing right now, not even at the thrift store, though what I feel like I need is a separate room for my home office/studio. I definitely feel like I need a tall file cabinet, though whatever I use should be aesthetic since my "office" is in my dining room due to tight resources and space. I do have a medium sized wooden cabinet that doubles as my "office". I have a few shelves, and a couple storage boxes, and a couple squarish baskets.

Anyone? What I would really love is a visual...something online perhaps..an inspiring image. It's hard to find real life real people images that are not magazine polished, but I'd love to see something truly creative, truly inexpensive (or even free)...and absolutely simple.

PS. I prefer to have as little plastic in my home as possible.

T! I! A!

[Om Girl]

Just wanted to offer my advice...IMVHO.
We (meaning I) use a system of 3 ring binders and divider pages to organize our monthly detritus of paper...
I have a binder for all tax-related information that is divided by categories and statements.
I have a binder for monthly expenses: bills, payments, maintenance schedules, etc.
I have a binder for yearly/permanent expenses: health/car insurance information, health records, etc.
All binder have labeled dividers and are stored together. About once a week I go throught the stack of papers and "divide and conquer" the mess into the appropriate category in the appropriate binder. Plus this way it's easy to find things when you need them. If you label the outside it's an easy way to store things from year to year.
Just my $.02!
Good luck.

[sphinxie]

Eep. All I can offer is that I buy the milk crate style filing boxes from staples and office depot, and I like them, they're fairly cheap IIRC.

[browneyedsol]

Thanks mamas, you helped me to realize that I have some wooden crates, too...and a few three ring binders! I even have a hole puncher. Tedious work ahead of me...envy me? Hm? ;-)

[oregongirlie]

One thing that helps me with papers (when I actually do it) is OHIO: Only Handle It Once.

[moonrunner]

this system has worked for me for many years and several military moves...
I have an accordian file for the monthly stuff, one slot for each month, when I pay the phone bill, the kept portion goes in the NOV. slot and so on. There are usually 2 extra slots so I make one for tax deductions. Papers to be compiled or kept in a dated order i.e. divorce, medical treatments, etc. have a seperate file envelope, labeled with subject and year, with an elastic around it. Home maintenance receipts i.e. a/c check up, septic tank pump out, water heater replacement, etc also have a seperate file envelope kept handy in the kitchen/family room. Tax returns go in a manilla envelop and are kept for 5 years. All items not needed on a monthly basis go into a file box in the closet - black box with a lid that holds hanging file folders. File milk crates work too!
Office supply chain stores have great selections of tools. Also try one of the Real Simple books on organizing. use the library for some home office organization books. Since you're creative, resist the urge to make this complicated! use your creativity to make your tools beautiful and fun to use. Try to think like a kid, make your systems as easy as possible. Label everything so if some one needed to find something due to illness or death they could. Very important papers should be kept in a fireproof lock box or a safe deposit box off site. Really important stuff should have a back up copy stashed as well.
I like the binder idea previously mentioned, won't work for me cause it's an extra step to punch the holes!

[kathirynne]

Let them store it...

Something else to keep in mind is that if your custody documents were filed with the Clerk of Court (filed at the courthouse), they keep them forever, and you can get a copy whenever you need one.

There is generally a minimal copy charge, but, in my mind, at least, it's a small price to pay to let someone else store them!

[BornInSeptember]

We don't file really. We have a few large manilla envelopes that keep certain types of papers, but other than that, everything gets dealt with asap and shredded right after. Things that you have to keep for tax purposes are what is in some of those manilla envelopes. But really, all I can think of is that we maybe have 3 or 4.

[hellyaellen]

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