Self-Cleansing File System

I was talking with a group of amazing women and papers came up. There was a brief bit of the conversation that went into once things are filed, then what. Be it electronically or physical papers, we often file things away and that's it. While some items may need a longer shelf life, like taxes for seven years, other things simply don't need to stick around. A few years ago, I setup a self-cleansing file system for the 'regular' bills and haven't looked back since. 

Regular bills are things I consider that typically happen on a recurring basis, usually month-to-month. For me, it's things like the mortgage, water, gas/electric, insurance, subscriptions, ect. While I do have most things setup for electronic delivery and I track confirmations on a spreadsheet, some stuff still comes in the mail and it's what to do with those or any printed documents that brings the questions.

Here at Hopeful Headquarters (what we call our home when in reference) I've got a file box setup in the office. It's got the following folders inside: January through December, Past Agreements, Previous Rentals, and Personal (one for me and one for my son). Let's focus on the January through December ones. Inside these you'll find a years’ worth of 'paid' bills. If the water bill comes in paper form, it's marked with the date paid, how it was paid and a confirmation number if available and stuck in the folder for the month it was paid. So, if I paid that bill 01/01/2023 via online and the confirmation is XXX, you'll find it in the January folder. Here's where the self-cleansing piece comes in- fast forward to January 2024. When I go to file any January bills paid, the entire folder is emptied and shredded creating an empty space for the current year to live. No more do I have these regular items piling up for years then have the dread of going through the space when it's busting at the seams and overly full. 

I'm not gonna lie, electronic files do pile up for a longer time but once or twice a year I get the courage to do some digital deleting. 

How do you manage your regular bills? 

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