File It!

Let's face it: some things in life just aren't glamorous. :-)  Filing definitely falls into that category.  When my DH and I were first married, I quickly discovered that one neat freak (me) does not breed a second. My husband is a major saver/pack rat and I am a major thrower-awayer.  I knew I needed to come up with a system for storing all those little annoying receipts that pile up faster than snow in a blizzard.

So I purchased a plain ole' filing box from Target:

and then I printed labels for the stores and businesses we frequent the most (bank, gas, Wal-Mart, grocery store, Costco's, etc.) There are also a few categories for purchased items that are unique to our family, for example, an "arts and crafts" folder because I am at some sort of craft store often enough to warrant it's own space.

Here's what the inside looks like:

Like I said, not too glamorous, but it works!  I invested in a label maker several years ago, and it is the best thing for identifying where small bits are stored.  And when a file become obsolete (like when we moved here and needed to change the names of the stores we shopped at) the tab peels right off, ready for a new one.

A few minutes taken to tuck those annoying little papers away really does save hours of time and aggravation when you are looking for that receipt to return something that broke or what have you.  One of the biggest benefits is that not only are you able to find something, but anyone else in the family can as well.  Which is also why I have so many categories.  There is also a misc. folder, but I try to make sure that most everything is in a specifically named folder because it just makes it easier to find.

Happy filing!