The Junk Cabinet

Several times I have talked about my love of planning and all things organized, but I have a confession to make.

I have a junk cabinet.

That’s right. It’s not just a junk drawer, but a three-drawer Sterilite container that contains all the things I would “like” to file.

Look! I can appear organized, and not actually know where anything is!

My intention of this 3-drawer system was to semi-sort everything, and then go through the drawers and file things away as necessary.

The filing never happened.

Before you lose all faith in me—the drawers are at least categorized. We have Warranty Information/Instruction Booklets, Keepsakes, and The Bottomless Drawer of Crap.

A few days before we moved to Laramie, I buckled down and went through Every. Single. Drawer. I was pleased to throw away or shred two-thirds of what was in there, but since the filing cabinet was taped and secured, I did not get around to filing.

Which brings us to my next problem—I HATE to file! I hate it at work and I hate it at home. But, I know it is a necessary evil—so I force myself to stop crying and buckle down.

I have always filed things into categories such as food, utilities, recreation, jewelry, furniture, tithing, school expenses, cell phones, gas, car repair, etc. And most of the time the folders were empty.

But I would now like to share with you my miracle way of filing. (I learned this online—I’m sure from a blog a few months ago, but can’t find it now, so if you know the original author give her a humongous hug and let me know who she is so I can shower her with praise and gifts!)

I now have one file for each month. Every receipt, bill, and bank statement for that month is put in the folder as it is paid. At the end of the month, the folder is placed in the filing cabinet. (I keep the current month folder in the kitchen, since that is where I do most of my check writing, etc.) When it is tax time, I go through the year and grab the papers that are vital, then everything is put into a 2007 folder and the months are empty for the next year. (I actually have two folders for January and February since these months happen before my taxes do.)

In addition to the month folders, I still have folders for tithing, furniture, jewelry, and other large purchases since these are items that I want to be able to access quickly.

Seriously, I love it! There isn’t a junk drawer and everything is automatically filed at the end of the month. And lets be honest—who references all of their sorted receipts regularly anyway? I can usually remember the month that something was purchased if I need to return it and then I can find the receipt.

I apologize for the length of this rather boring post if you made it this far! If you happen to have any other miracle tips regarding corralling your household papers let me know!