Susan Hansen, Extension Educator Colfax County

 

With a new year upon us, now is the time to set up or revise your filing system. There is no perfect filing system. Every person and household has different needs.

 

A good filing system means buying the proper filing helps. Whether that’s a four drawer file cabinet or a cardboard box is a matter of personal choice and personal finances.

 

The home filing system is actually two systems in one; a system for ACTIVE files and a system for INACTIVE files. Active files are those that you refer to often. Inactive files are those records no longer in active status but which need to be kept for tax or other purposes.

 

Go through active files at least once a year to remove materials no longer current. Throw away papers no longer needed. If you have access to a paper shredder, use it to destroy papers with your financial numbers printed on them such as credit card slips or bank accounts.

 

Color coding of active files may be of help to you. Use colored labels of files in different colors for different types of records such as household, business, or personal.

 

An alphabetical system can save time. A list of all folders in the system at the front of the file will also speed filing chores. It also may be helpful to list on the file folder what actually is in the file folder. This reduces your work.

 

As you work with your filing system, you’ll see where you need to make changes.

 

Do I have to keep all my papers? The answer is no. Some papers need to be kept forever; most only need to be kept for a short period of time. Personal and household records and important papers are usually stored in four places: at home, in a safe deposit box; in your purse or billfold; or in each vehicle you own. If in doubt about a specific item and whether to keep it, check with an accountant, tax specialist or attorney, depending on the type of record.

 

Organizing Cookbooks And Recipes

 

Americans love to collect recipes, but what do you do with them after clipping them?

 

How many times have you been unable to find a recipe that you know you saw somewhere?

 

Try putting your clipped recipes in a file or manilla envelope labeled “untested recipes.” If you try the recipe and like it, transfer it to a recipe box (either a physical box or on the computer) of tested recipes. If you don’t like the recipe, toss it. The hard part is continually trying new recipes so that the file doesn’t overflow.

 

Keep an index of recipes and which cookbook or web address each recipe can be found. This system works well if you have a lot of cookbooks.

 

Periodically go through your cookbooks and recipes. How often do you use the cookbook? If you don’t use the cookbook, is there a reason for keeping it?

 

Finally, it is okay to mark in cookbooks. Comments about when used, whether the recipe was good or not, or substitutions and changes made are helpful in the future.