Once you have the supplies you need, all that is left is to take time to organize your important documents into categories that will make storing and finding them again simple. I would suggest making piles first so that you know what categories would best fit your filing system. Here are some categories you might find helpful, along with possible subcategories.

• Automobile – maintenance records
• Correspondence – letters, cards, even printed emails
• Employment – job records, current resume, benefits information
• Family – keep a file on each member of your family to keep track of records, favorites
• Financial – checking, savings, loans, investments, receipts
• Hobbies – ideas, projects
• Home – contracts, maintenance, utilities, design ideas,
• Important Documents – important enough to be kept separate from other docs, but not important enough to go into a fire safe (i.e., birth certificates, marriage license, passports, etc.)
• Insurance – home, auto, medical
• Medical History – records on each member of the family
• Pet(s) – keep a separate file on pet health, favorite vets/kennels
• Taxes – keep 7 years of tax records

We could all benefit from any special insights you might have into filing systems. Feel free to share!