I'm all for uncluttering your paperwork (and the rest of your home), but that doesn't mean that you should get rid of every piece of paper. Some of the things that you should hold onto are obvious - like birth certificates, passports, and the title to your car.
However, there is a lot of other paperwork that not only should you hold onto but that you should also have filed in a way that you can easily access the information. If a lot of your "paperwork" is stored online, you should still be able to go to this information when you need it.
Check out the government's suggestions for what you should keep in Managing Household Records. Have a file bin or cabinet with folders where you can keep these documents. If you and your partner have two credit cards, make a file folder for each individual card as opposed to a generic "credit card" folder. Even if you pay your credit card online, do you have something that would guide your partner regarding account information if something happened to you?
Make a folder for receipts for large purchases - one (or more) folders for computers, one for bedroom furniture, one for each large appliance. You can keep warranties with the purchases. If something goes wrong, you won't waste time looking for the paperwork you need.
Organize your gadget's owner's manuals with this plan from my article, Organize the Owner's Manuals for All the Appliances and Gadgets in Your Home on Squidoo.com.
Organizing your paperwork isn't about trying to create a perfect system. It is about saving time and frustration when you need to access something. You don't have to worry about forgetting the last time you had a physical because you'll have a file folder with the printout from your last series of blood work. You'll be able to take those tax deductions because you've kept the receipts for your donations in a file folder.
Make your files work for you.
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