Taming the paperwork monster

This post is part of my September challenge (even if it's October!). I aimed to organise/declutter one small area of my home each day for the month of September (and did ok, until other things got in the way!).

The topic of this post is paperwork. Bills, certificates, bank statements, any sort of important document. I used to have mine in four different places, and each time I'd need a piece of paper, I'd have to remember which category it was in, and where that category was stored. Once I decided to overhaul it, it became one big pile, and stayed that way for a few weeks. Eventually, I'd had enough and devoted a long afternoon to the job. 

I used Brooke from Slow your Home's guide to banishing the paper clutter. It's amazing, so well thought out and easy to follow. I just noticed it was posted on my birthday, which makes it even more amazing. Just sayin' ;)

I started by collecting everything and dumping it all on the floor in the living room. Every single file and bit of paper I could find. This is what I came up with:

Confusing? I think so. As luck would have it, I knew exactly where to find different bits of paper, but in the effort to simplify my life, I wanted it all in one place. My new filing system is based around an idea I found at the Complete Guide to Imperfect Homemaking.

I tried to find a suitable basket, but as I'm not willing to spend any money on my projects, I  searched around the house first, and found a box that was the perfect width. It's made out of thick cardboard. I bodged a banana crate from a supermarket, I basically cut out the middle part to shorten it and stuck it back together!

I then covered it in brown paper to hide the holes, and all that sticky tape! I wanted something plain and simple, because the suspension files I had available are bright red. It's no good having clashing colours (not for me anyway).

I followed Brooke's guide step by step , did all three days work (3 parts) in 5 hours and was so satisfied when I got it done. I shredded a tonne of paper that I didn't need, and finally got everything into one place:




I had the opportunity to test this out tonight. I needed a bank statement, and it was so easy to find because this box sits in the corner of my living room, and it's the only place now where I store paperwork! I was even able to put it back in its place, which I must say is an achievement for me! 


Do you have a paperwork monster lurking in your house?