Do you recognize this? you receive mail, but instead of opening it, you put it in the big pile of papers already there. you don’t read messages and e-mails, you forget about automatic debits. the pile of magazines, brochures but also important documents and bills on your desk keeps getting bigger and bigger. How to organize important papers and bills if you can’t find them anywhere?
Although he will often have the intention of cleaning up his mess of papers, he really fears it and goes off to do something else. that’s why the pile of paper and mail remains and emails disappear to the bottom of your mailbox without even being read.
If you’re embarrassed to read this, don’t worry, you’re not alone! this scenario is a reality for many people and has been my own reality for many years. But this situation can be very annoying because it can lead to unpleasant surprises such as late payments, missed appointments or higher interest rates. or you forget things you’d like to have fixed anyway.
Fortunately, you can quickly solve this by organizing your important papers and bills, which is easier than it initially seems. so don’t put it off any longer and start today!
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how to organize important papers and bills
The biggest advantage of good management of your important documents and bills is that you keep an overview of your income, expenses, bills, applications and taxes. Management may not sound very exciting, but creating a little order out of the chaos of your role will bring you peace. and everyone can learn to do this. I’ll tell you how in this post!
step 1: sort all your papers and incoming mail
The first step in tackling paper clutter is to collect all the papers in your home. Search every room, every desk, and take each pile of paper to a place where you can tidy things up. put everything in one big pile and add your latest incoming mail to it. all kinds of brochures, cards, newspapers and magazines arrive at the same time as your important letters and bills. they are all certainly interesting, but most of your mail does not belong to your administration. Start by taking out all the magazines, newspapers and advertising brochures. you’ll instantly notice that your heap is much smaller!
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tip!
If you find that you often receive mail you don’t care about (such as advertising flyers or a newspaper you no longer read), you can put a polite “no spam” tag on your mailbox to notify your mail carrier not to I don’t want to receive those anymore. take a look at this do not spam etiquette. this selection at the door will save you a lot of time later.
tip!
If you’re having a hard time starting to sort through your stack of papers, you can ask a friend or family member to help. especially starting this whole process can be difficult and it can be nice if someone is there to support you. keep in mind that once your administration is sorted, it’s very easy to keep it up to date!
step 2: make a plan
How would you like to organize your important papers and bills?
- You can organize each category using a name tag first in alphabetical order and then by date.
- But you can also create separate folders for Bank, Insurance, Tax, Income, etc. in. I recommend this form of organization, since you don’t always remember the name of a specific company, but you always know the category you’re looking for.
step 3: sort the work by topic
Whatever filing system you choose, start by sorting your paper by subject as mentioned below. put each category in a separate stack.
- taxes (appraisals, refunds, and returns)
- subscriptions (gym, magazines)
- charities (gifts, sponsorships)
- home ( lease, purchase agreement, mortgage, purchase and mortgage deeds)
- bank (credit cards, account information, annual statements, paid loan statements)
- transportation (license information, paid vehicle titles)
- insurance (policies, liability insurance, health insurance)
- public service statements (energy, water, telephone, internet, maintenance)
- income (pay stubs, employment contracts)
- study (diplomas, certificates, internship contracts)
- guarantee certificates and proof of purchase for large, more expensive purchases (such as your car, a bicycle, a computer or laptop, your washer, dryer, refrigerator).
tip!
If you’re wondering how long you’ll need to keep certain important documents and bills, check out this schedule. I created this chart to help you remember which documents to keep and how long to keep them.
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Step 4: Archive magazines and newspapers
You can file magazines, newspapers, or certain items you’d like to keep in a storage box or folder. you can also store cards or other keepsakes in the same way.
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step 5: organize the newly arrived mail
decide for yourself what works best for you, keeping in mind that items should be easy to locate. when new mail arrives, you can deal with it right away and put it in your dedicated folder. in this way, your administration will remain perfectly organized in the future. your mail stack is finally gone and you will certainly have a much better overview of your important documents and bills. This will take you a long way on the right track. now everything is located in physical or digital folders and new mail goes directly there.
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step 6: schedule and plan
In addition to sorting out your mail, it’s important to plan for the payments you need to make and the things you need to take care of. Some examples are:
- filing tax returns
- collecting a passport
- paying bills
- scheduling automatic debits
an invoice usually contains a final payment date. you can use this for timely payment of your bill to avoid additional interest. You can use a paper planner or a digital calendar to support your planning. The advantage of a digital planner is the option to enter reminders to be notified when your payment date is due. If you do not receive notifications, it is important that you check your agenda periodically.
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tip!
Place your planner (on paper) in a place you visit often, like your kitchen counter. train yourself to look at it every day. that way you don’t forget anything and you stay on top of everything. another way to program is by using a whiteboard or perhaps by creating a hidden command center in one of your kitchen cabinets. this way all family members will have an overview of the planned appointments and activities.
bonus: summary of income and expenses
Do you find it difficult to keep an overview of your income and expenses? a ledger could also be helpful. how does it work?
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- Basically, you put your income next to your expenses. Your income can be wages, benefits, a student allowance, tax refunds, or child benefits.
- In addition to all income, you list your expenses. you include fixed expenses such as insurance, utility expenses (water, energy, electricity), subscriptions and taxes.
- and finally, you list your daily or weekly expenses on groceries, clothes, hairdresser, medicines, children, pets , etc.
If you’ve listed your income and expenses side by side, you can immediately see what your spending pattern is. and what adjustments you may need to better balance your income and expenses.
simple savings tips to balance income and expenses
- Find out which supermarket in your neighborhood is the cheapest. do most of your shopping there. if you have to spend too much extra gas for this trip, choose a supermarket closer to home (cheaper than the closest one).
- buy your fruits and vegetables at a local farm market.
- Cook larger meals and make good use of your freezer.
- Don’t shop when you’re hungry. you’ll tend to buy more when you’re hungry.
- Watch for special offers and product promotions. if it’s a sale on a product you use regularly, try buying in bulk (and yes, you’ll need more money to do it initially, but you’ll end up with a better price per product).
- only wash your clothes when be dirty Generally, you don’t need to wash clothes after wearing them once. pick up the laundry until you have a full drum and measure out your laundry detergent.
how to organize important papers and bills: conclusion
Hopefully, I’ve given you some handy tips on how to organize important papers and bills. tell me about your experiments in the comments section below!
Would you like more tips on how to sort paper?
Are you really excited about organizing paper in your home? Check out these items!