I keep thinking that it will all be worse before it gets better. That it will get better - honestly!
We can't find DH's passport and he needs it to show to work for the latest round of regulations. It's somewhere in some paperwork folder. We do not have established paperwork folders. The folder could be in any of four very cluttered rooms in boxes or on shelves. I have decided that the paperwork is my next target.
Yesterday I started pulling out all of the folders on the study shelves after moving chairs to get to the bookcases. Both my knee and back gave way and when bear came in the study looked like someone had picked up a badly organised office and just shook it onto the floor. It was covered with papers, files and bits of general rubbish, plus a quantity of yarn and half finished projects.
We also had to pull out the tv and cabinet when the CCTV was fitted on Wednesday and took the opportunity to pull out a stack of stuff (mainly Christmas decorations) from behind there. So this morning I frantically shoved several tonnes of paperwork plus yarn into the living room so that the study looked almost respectable for the piano and maths tutors. This stuff mixed nicely with the random boxes of Christmas decorations in the living room that need to be stowed just as soon as I can move the sofa to get at the cupboard in the corner to stash the Christmas stuff. It may be a day or two as the knee is still sore, or I may just go for it and hang the consequences. It may be disrespectful, but I told DH that it looked like the beach at Dunkirk, covered in flotsam, jetsam and miscellaneous.
Tomorrow I am going to settle down and get on with some knitting projects while bear is around. Monday I am going to find every scrap of paperwork in the house and get it shredded or filed. I have several year's worth of bank statements included in the mix so there are going to be lots of shredding.
Bear is not sure what he would like as a treat for a good report. I think he is angling for the best possible deal, and I don't blame him.
I know this may be out of your budget, but maybe invest in a good, double sided, scanner. Not a flat plate one, I mean one with a chute which scans really quickly (and where you can put a stack of papers on the chute in one go, rather than having to scan one at a time.
ReplyDeleteAlso make sure it does double sided.
Then scan things as they come in, and then you can shred the stuff you don't need to keep.
I scan everything, not just receipts and statements. Any notes I get (like hospital notes), medicine information, lists, vouchers, anything and everything. I then only keep the paper copies where necessary, everything else is shredded.
I also back up frequently.
I use a Fujitsu Scansnap. I used to have a Scansnap1300i, which was fab... but I then upgraded to an even better one which connects to my PC by bluetooth. However, something like the 1300i would be a good start.
Other top tip: just start scanning new stuff. Don't wait until you have scanned all your old stuff, because that won't happen and the new stuff will just become part of the old stuff.
Start straight away with new stuff that comes in. Then, you can scan old stuff at your leisure, in small batches. You can take a years worth of bank statements, stick them in the chute and leave them.
Oh, I hate sorting through and filing paperwork! I have two bags of miscellaneous papers to be dealt with! Good luck with finding your husband's passport. Take care of your knee! Just cover the boxes of Christmas decorations and stack them somewhere - you are going to need them again in less than 6 months!
ReplyDeleteI don't have any great tips to offer - I'm not such a great organiser myself. I tend to stick bills in one place and only sort them every so often. Luckily hubby is a little more organised and has all other paperwork in a briefcase.
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