My Extremely Thorough Home Filing System, Part 2

Welcome to Part 2 in this two-part series on my extremely thorough home filing system! If you missed part 1, you can read it here. Enjoy!

Part 1 covered how to make your home filing system (and I stressed that there is no correct way). Part 2 is going to cover each of my sections, and what's in them. Let's get started!

Pay Stubs
:: Elizabeth
:: Nathan
This section is quite obvious. When we get our pay stubs from work, the slip goes in this section. Because we get direct deposit, we just get stubs from our office the Monday after pay day. These never get thrown out until tax time. If everything matches up, they get shredded after our taxes are filed.

Banking
This section is not divided by our names, because we have a joint bank account. I just have our account numbers on a post-it in this section, our banker's business card, and some misc. papers from Bank of America. Obviously if you have more bank-related stuff-- Bonds, Roth IRAs, etc, you would have a more thorough section. We just have a few accounts so one simple section is enough.

Receipts
This is the section that is used most often. Any receipt that we get goes in this section. At the beginning of each month after I've matched all our purchases up, I'll empty out the receipts we no longer need. Receipts for big ticket items like our computers, phones, and my engagement ring stick around for a bit longer. I used to keep this section separated by our names, but because we have joint bank accounts, I don't think it's necessary.

Dogs
I keep the dogs' shot records in here, along with any vet bills. At their last appointment we were told Cocoa had a heart murmur, so I keep the sheet with the "medical term" for it in this file.

Misc. Papers
:: Elizabeth
:: Nathan
This section is probably my most chaotic, but there's really no way to avoid it. Any random papers we get go in here. Nathan's section is quite empty besides his voter card. Mine, on the other hand, has our marriage license and information on getting my new passport.

Product Manuals 
This section also speaks for itself. Product manuals for anything from my camera to our belgium waffle maker. Every few months I go through this and remove anything we don't have anymore. For example, I will probably remove the belgium waffle maker's manual soon because everybody knows how to work one, right?

Gift Cards
I keep gift cards in here rather than with my coupons because we get a LOT of gift cards. I don't know why! They stay in here and are safe and sound. I also get the exact amount by calling the number on the back of the card and writing it in sharpie on the front of the card.

Return Labels
I keep our return address labels in here for letters, mailing bills, thank you notes, etc. I have 2 kinds-- ones for both of us and ones just for me.

Apartment Info.
:: Camden Potomac Yard
:: Comcast
:: Renters Insurance
This section has everything related to our apartment. The comcast online bill login information, our renters insurance information (Policy number, etc), and a copy of our lease.

Transportation
:: Metro Cards
:: Nissan Sentra
I keep our car's title in here along with information on our metro cards. We have an online login to add money to the cards, so that information is kept in here. I also know who's card is who's so we know which one needs money.

Phew, that's it! I know it seems insane, but just remember to do what is best for you. You don't have to do this all in one day. Shoot, you don't have to do this all in one week! It just feels so wonderful to be organized!

Want to go back and read Part 1? Click here.