The Quickest Paper Organizing Tips Ever

Paper. We all have it, whether we want it or not. Most of us don't want it. Some of us do, though! And, that's totally fine, as long as whatever paper we do keep, we keep in an organized manner. Paper's tough, too. We're never quite sure what to keep or for how long...and we end up keeping it all forever. Time to take control!

1. Keep anything for taxes for seven years. I'm not a lawyer or an accountant, so check with yours to make sure you know what you need for your own taxes. In general, if you needed it for a deduction or proof of income (W2, 1099, etc.), you should keep it for seven years with tax documents.

2. Keep most anything else for a calendar year. That's pretty much everything else. Utility bills, bank and credit card statements, other bills. Unless you need proof of purchase (say for a sofa or diamond necklace), receipts can go once your monthly statement is settled and any returns have been made. But, if you feel more comfortable, keep them for the calendar year. 

3. Keep vital records forever. That includes birth, death and marriage certificates. Estate records, wills, power of attorney paperwork. Medical records (test results and diagnoses, not bills or explanation of benefits).

4. Shred account numbers or social security numbers. If something has only your name and/or address and/or phone number on it, you can recycle or toss it. Shredding takes time, and frankly, anyone with the internet can find your name, address and phone number.

5. Label things. When you make folders or bins or files to contain the papers you want to keep, make sure it's labeled! It doesn't have to be difficult: Taxes, Health and Bills can suffice, as long as you know what's in there. If multiple people are accessing the files, make sure everyone knows what the labels mean.

5 Tips For Couponing

Are you an extreme couponer? Do you clip and save any coupon that comes across your desk or screen? Maybe you've managed to keep them organized. And, maybe not. Regardless, here are 5 quick and easy tips to consider before you clip:

1. Save coupons for products that you already know you will buy.

2. Save coupons that you know you can still use (whether they have an expiration date or not).

3. Don’t use coupons to buy more than you realistically know you can use before the item expires (food or beauty product).

4. Don’t use coupons if it’s going to mean that you have to buy more than you have space to keep (Do you really have room for eight bottles of ketchup?).

5. Don’t always assume just because you have a coupon, it’s the best deal. Compare prices before you toss it in your cart. Sometimes, there's a more economical option than the product with the coupon's discount.

Spending Money On Organizing Products

It's not always necessary, but sometimes a new product can make a space so much more efficient. A few things to keep in mind when spending money on organization items:

• Don’t buy stuff until you’ve gone through and weeded out what you don’t want. You don’t want to buy stuff - to store stuff - that you don’t even want to keep!

• There’s a really wide range of prices available. For example, you can go to a dollar store, and get plastic bins for a couple dollars. You can also get bins at The Container Store for four times as much. Now, the quality is different, but sometimes it’s not so much that it matters for your needs.

• Sometimes, if it’s a specific product that will really make your space efficient, you may have to shell out a little more money that you anticipated. But, if it's a specialty item, it'll likely be worth it.

• Consider functionality and style before buying something – especially if it’s something you’re going to see. 

How To Organize Recipes

Having trouble finding recipes? Want to convert your recipes from paper to digital? Here are a few ideas:

First, you’re going to have to decide if you want to keep the recipes on paper, or if you'd like to make all recipes digital on your computer. Regardless of which medium you’re taking, organize them by how you cook. Maybe that’s by kind of food (Indian, Italian, American) or maybe it’s by type of ingredient (beef, chicken, or vegetarian) or by kind of dish (appetizer, dinner, dessert).

It all depends on how you would look for the recipes, really.

Then decide if you want the recipes to be on recipe cards or if you want them in a binder with sheet protectors. It could also be a combination of both. Maybe you could have a recipe card box or use sheet portfolios in the binder? As long as your categories are consistent, then whatever works is great.

In terms of cookbook organization: 

Categorize cookbooks the same way you would for other books. An example of this would be to organize by type of cookbook (ex. cookie cookbook v.s barbecue cook book). Or, you could organize them by author. Maybe purely for decorative purposes (ex. color, height, etc.) works best for you, if you want the shelf to look pretty, but know you won't access them often.

Happy cooking!