How long does it normally take for you to find a receipt when a bill is in dispute? What about warranty information when your refrigerator stops working?

If you're like most, you'd simply lose money because of not being able to find the proper paperwork for the situation you're in. It doesn't have to be that way! Follow the steps outlined on this page to help you create a system that'll help to keep you on track.

First, gather ALL (yes, ALL!) of your papers that are scattered throughout the house, and sit down at the kitchen table or another large work surface. Sort through each paper and put it into one of the following stacks:

Actionable Files - This is for papers requiring immediate attention such as bills still unpaid, important documents that need your reply, and other essential papers still in need of attention. Think of this as your "to-do" stack.

Basic Files - These will be your properly filed papers that are imperative for you to keep. Bill receipts, tax records, warranty information, school documents, etc. I suggest creating a folder for each bill to make filing a breeze. For taxes, you may simply label the folder as "Taxes 2004" and place all tax receipts (property tax, fire tax, federal tax, etc) into the proper year's folder. You may only need one warranty folder depending on the amount of paperwork, or you could split it up into "Warranty-appliances" and "Warranty-other" etc, as you see fit.

Cold Files - just as the name implies, these will be the papers that you have not needed in at least 6 months, and don't feel like you'll be needing again anytime soon....yet don't want to throw away. Homeowner's policies, prior year's tax returns, etc.

Ok, now you've got all of the hard work behind you! Simply box up all of the 'Cold Files' and store them safely in a dry place. Just getting that much out of your way will give you breathing room and motivate you to continue.

Now, properly file all of the 'Basic Files' if you haven't already been doing that as you went along. If using boxes for storage, make sure that you don't put the box in a difficult to reach place. Remember, these are papers you will more than likely need to get back out at some point.

As for the 'Actionable Files'...you can work those down at your own pace! But just by having them all where you can thumb through them easily, you'll make it much less complicated for you to find (& remember!) anything needing your immediate attention. Once you've attended to a paper in your 'Actionable Files', simply decide whether it needs to go into your 'Basic Files' or 'Cold Files' from there.

I hope you've enjoyed this organizing tip!