This is just going to be a quick blog post on how I organized my documents binder. I can't take too many pictures obviously, as these are my personal documents but I will try to explain what I did.
To start with, I took (what I thought was) all my documents and went through every single letter. I realized that I still have quite a bit to put away.
I shredded all the stuff I didn't need (I had stuff from January 2012 in there!), and then I made piles of stuff, sorting them into little categories which were then going to get sorted into the binder.
The organizer thing I bought (I can't even remember what it's called) was actually plastic instead of paper which is amazing as they often wear off and tear but this one will last for ages. I had to stick on some labels though. They're slightly covered though, but you can still work out which section is which. I'm just gonna go through them for you, and explain roughly what's in each section.
Debt-This section sounds scary, I know, ha ha. But we all end up with things that somehow didn't get paid. Maybe it was our fault, or maybe it was the bank, either way, if I get a letter and I know something needs paying I put it in the debt folder and then I have all the information I need just to phone up or make a bank transfer and pay off the balance.
Contracts-This is pretty self-explanatory. It's where I keep all the contracts. Credit card contracts, broadband and phone contracts, and so on.
Important-I wasn't sure what else to call that section without making the name too long, but anyway, in that section I keep documents that I know I need to keep for a period of time, if not forever, and they safely just sit in the 'important' section of the binder.
Receipts/Warranties-One again, self-explanatory. I keep all my receipts in there, whether it's because I don't know if I'm keeping something or because I need a receipt in case an item breaks. I also keep all the warranties there. Any warranties I have, I take the receipt and staple it to the warranty certificate, and this way it's all in one place in case I need it.
Statements-I keep 6 months worth of statements. I might actually start keeping up to a year worth of statements, just to be on the safe side.
Temporary-This is where all the 'in and out' files go. If I get a letter and I need to contact someone, it goes in there until it's done. If I get a hospital appointment letter, which tells you where to go, or and appointment that tells you what to bring, it goes in there. Basically just things that are moved in and out of the folder on a regular basis.
That's it for my documents binder. It's really simple and once you get the hang of organizing your letter and documents, your life will become that little bit easier. I can remember being asked to bring a copy of a certain thing and I would always have to go to a bank, or phone up companies as I could never find what I was looking for because all my letters and documents were literally scattered all over the place. There was stuff in the cupboard, on the table in the living room, upstairs, in kitchen drawers..! I still have a few bits and bobs to sort out but I already know where everything is and I know where to put things as I get them because they have their own category and space.You'll be amazed at what difference it makes.
I hope you found this helpful.
Loads of motivation from me to you,
Love, Daria xoxo
