Welcome to the first day that actually feels like summer vacation. How do I start it? I have decided to tackle some of my “Summer Projects 2015” list from pinterest, since its June 1, 2016. (Head Slap) One of the things that I’ve had pinned for some time is a file box with all the important files in it.
Except heres the problem with this post…. it’s a dead link. Everyone I’ve found is gone so I’ve decided to make my own!
So I went to staples yesterday and purchased a file box, files, and hangers for $28.00
And so I started with my files, using the picture from the pin that didn’t work, and immediately got overwhelmed. What a way to spend my summer vacation. Ugh. So I did some research to find out what you need to keep and for how long.
I found this helpful post from Clean Mama How Long Should I Keep it For? (Free Printable). 
I found this to be an über helpful link to, going into more details about what to keep and not to keep.
This really simplified so much of our paper problems! I went from ^ that mess to….
This made things much easier for me to find important papers. Some important notes I did figure out. Separate your service contracts, I kept our pool, HVAC, insect, and lawn all separate. I also want to go back and separate medical documents.(i.e. Dental, OBGYN, ETC)
I was torn about what to keep with bills. I keep all of my power/water bills to track cost. (We’re going to have to replace our AC very soon, it will be exciting to see that price drop!) I tossed all of our cable bills up to the last 2 months, we dropped cable and only have internet. Also all of your statements are available online so you can always go back and print them off.
One more thing that I highly recommend is a running spread sheet. I make a google document and tab every month throughout the year. 
It allows you to keep track of bills, debt, and payoffs. I love seeing the numbers go down each and every month. It came in really helpful when we did our home refi. It also allows us to see how much extra money we have each month. It’s kind of our own little Mint.com
I also called around and UPS offers document shredding through Iron Mountain. the first pound is free and then its $1/lb after.
Lavender & Mint 