Sunday, April 10, 2011
Organization Love
Taxes. I've dreaded doing them this year for some reason. I've procrastinated the past three months and finally it's staring me straight in the face as the deadline soon nears. I have no excuses for January or February. I suppose I can blame March on my trip to Ethiopia, followed by babysitting my sisters 3 youngest kids and then the latest trip to Colorado. Finally time can no longer be wasted. Today I sat down to get them started and realized I did not have one of my more important statements (interest on the house). So one thing led to the next and finally I ended up in hubby's office with a mound of paperwork, bills & files in front of me (and the interest form I thought I was missing). And now I'm obsessing over getting everything organized and clean. It's this sick high that I get from cleaning & organizing me life. And my mood has completely changed; instead of dreading taxes I'm actually looking forward to getting them done. Previously, everything fed off each other and I knew how much work lied ahead of me. But now that I've actually started the process, I don't mind it one bit because I know how clean & organized all my paperwork will be in the end. However, I still need to strategize the best way to get organized in this department. So dear readers of mine, PLEASE share your secrets to keeping organized in the bill filing department. It's one of my biggest disaster zones in my house. I suck at it. Period. I need your help. Thanks in advance :)
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Please consider all my comments prefaced with "your kids are so insanely cute, and look so happy, and". . . I hate tax time so so so much and am disgustingly disorganized. BUT I have a manilla folder each year that says 20__ taxes in my desk and anything related goes in it immediately upon receipt. That's all I got for you, sorry. I did mine super early (for me), March, because I was so excited for (and desparately in need of) the adoption tax credit refund. How cool is that, by the way? I hope it effects you.
ReplyDeleteFor me it's really easy. I let my husband do it all. Does that help? :)
ReplyDeleteI think that's why I secretly love doing taxes... because it's a big organizing project. However, getting the time to sit down and do it, plus gathering all the paper, can make anyone crazy. I spent one day getting organized in the bill dept. and it has completely paid off. I'll show you when you come in July. :) But mostly it boils down to one accordian file that's labeled with each of our bills. I keep one year's worth of the important stuff. As the new bill comes in, the old one (or last year's) goes out. The hardest part was creating the files and going through lots of old files. I wanted everything in one place, rather than two or three. That has helped the most. Good job plugging away!
ReplyDeleteours was decent until we had two more babies. we used to have a desk with files in our bedroom, and threw stuff in there. it worked. desk sold on craigslist to make room for two more cribs. the office organization situation has been BAD ever since. Now, if a bill comes in the mail, I put it in a pile and give it to hubs, who takes it to work, where there is a shot in hell that it will not get lost. the house: there is no chance right now.
ReplyDeleteWe keep it all online, baby! Except those W-2s. We do all our bill paying online and get giving receipts online, etc. I also have a file labeled Taxes 20__, and M does all the taxes :) I'm glad I could be so helpful ;)
ReplyDeleteHanging file folders - either in a desk drawer, a box etc. I keep one for credit cards (like a visa, amex, etc.), one for insurance, one for tax related items, bank and/or investment statements. I only keep utility bills or store credit card bill statements for one month - until the next bill arrives and I see that my payment was credited correctly. I try to only keep receipts for 1-3 months, unless they are related to taxes (they go right into the tax folder), for a big ticket item OR something related to our house. Mostly, I try to stay on it if not week to week them month to month.
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