by Jayme Radomski | Jul 13, 2017 | Digital, Money & Paper Management
Are your filing drawers overflowing? Do you have several stacks of paper documents with no idea as to which you need and which belong in the trash? Are you overly concerned that the IRS will come knocking at your door and you won’t have something you need? Your stress is over. This checklist on how long to keep all your financial and other important documents will help guide you!
Documents to Keep Forever
- Income tax returns
- CPA audit reports
- Deeds, mortgages and bills of sale
- Legal documents (wills, living wills, power of attorney designation, medical and burial instructions, beneficiary documents)
- Vital records (birth, death, marriage, divorce, adoption)
- Investment trade confirmations and statements that indicate buying and selling, retirement and pension records, year-end statement for investments
- Trust documents
- Receipts for warranties
- Automobile titles
- Current insurance policies
- Medical records
- Education records
- Important correspondence
- Property records (keep until sale of property)
- Car records (keep until sale of car)
- Insurance policies (keep for life of policy)
Documents to Keep for 7 Years
The IRS may go back 7 years to audit your tax returns for errors or incorrectly claimed deductions – so it’s important that you keep all tax-related documents for that length of time.
- Bank records
- W-2 and 1099 forms
- Receipts for tax purposes
- Personnel and payroll records
- Cancelled checks
- Disability records
- Unemployment benefit records
- Settled accident claims
- Mortgages, deeds, leases on sold property
- Records on sold stocks and bonds
Documents to Keep for 1 Year
It’s rare that anyone is going to want to see an electric bill or credit card statement dating back more than a year. But you may choose to keep the following NON-TAX-RELATED papers:
- Checkbook ledgers
- Paycheck stubs (keep until reconciled with W-2)
- Monthly financial statements
- Monthly mortgage statements
- Credit card statements
- Utility records
- Medical bills (in case of insurance disputes)
Documents to Keep Less Than 1 Year
There are always those papers that don’t fit into any of these categories. Retain these records according to the following guidelines:
- Credit card receipts (keep until reconciled on your credit card statement)
- ATM and deposit slips (keep until reconciled on your bank statement)
- Bills (keep until the payment verified on the next bill)
Now, it’s time to simplify!
Now that you know the guidelines on how long to keep all of your documents, it’s time to get organized. Start cleaning out those file cabinets or sorting through those paper stacks that are taking up space and causing you stress.
*NOTE: This checklist is a guideline. Please be sure to consult your accountant and/or the IRS for the most up-to-date rules.
If you don’t have the time to get your business and personal documents organized, Top Shelf Home Organizing would love to help. Call Jayme: 262-373-9416.
by Jayme Radomski | Mar 2, 2017 | Mindfulness, Nesting
Early spring is the season of intentional giving and sacrifices as we approach Easter. Getting organized around your home can help fulfill these seasonal traditions. Here are some tips on intentional organizing:
Plan the amount you will give to a charity, organization or family in need. Whether it is one item or one bag for forty days to charity, or an amount of money, set a goal.
Box for charity.
Reach deeper into your own resources by allowing yourself to let go of items that are holding you back. This could be a sweater that was expensive, but no longer serves you. Maybe you have piece of exercise equipment that is collecting dust in the basement waiting for that day you start an exercise program. Items that are valuable, but no longer useful to you, are excellent ways to dig deep into giving.
Cleanse your pantry of food items that are indulgences or could be donated to a food pantry.
Pray that your household will best serve the needs of your family and nothing more. Remove the items that don’t fit your needs.
An organizer can help you on your journey to getting organized and determining the best resources for you unneeded items. Top Shelf Home Organizing helps people realize and reach their organizing goals.
by Jayme Radomski | Dec 3, 2016 | Self Care, Bathroom
Let’s be honest, we don’t like rules. If you are serious about home organization, there are just three simple rules to follow:
- Touch It Once. This rule will save you time. When you place your hands of something, it goes to its final destination. Clothing gets put in the laundry basket or on a hanger, instead of on your bed or chair to be dealt with later. Paperwork is filed, discarded or completed as it enters your home. You are busy and managing your home is tough. Dealing with each item as you come across it, will save you time.
- Keep Like Things Together. Sweaters with sweaters. Shirts with shirts. One shelf for snacks and a shelf for cans. Designating a space for everything and keeping like items in their space will help you manage your items and save you time finding exactly what you need.
- Organize One Space At A Time. Work on one small space at a time in set increments as you have time. It might only be for fifteen or twenty minutes, but the key is to get something organized everyday. Break larger projects into manageable mini-projects.
Getting it done is the key. One small step at a time.
Organized Office
Following these simple rules every day will help keep your home clutter free and peaceful. Organizing is a process, not a destination. Top Shelf Home Organizing can help you on your journey.
by Jayme Radomski | Sep 27, 2016 | Mindfulness, Nesting
Regular tidying and organizing can keep your home feeling peaceful and productive. Here are small stes to keep your home organized, and save you time and stress.
Store things in a place that makes sense. Drop your keys in a dish by the front door so you won’t waste time looking for them throughout the house. Put anything you need to take with you by the front door- outgoing mail, your briefcase or the library books that need to be returned. Store kids’ school gear near the door to avoid multiple last minute trips through the house to gather gear.
Straighten up as you go. Pick up the newspaper and put in the recycle bin instead of leaving it on the coffee table. Fill the dishwasher after every meal instead of once a day. Put your groceries away rather than leave them on the kitchen table. This makes the kitchen an appealing place to enjoy a meal instead of a constant reminder of chores that need to be done.
Finish one project before starting another. Having too many projects going on at one time is overwhelming.
Tidy your bathroom. Wipe up the sink and vanity top after you shave or wash your face and put your toiletries away. Doing these small things as you go keeps the bathroom cleaner.
Organize your closets. If your closet is filled to capacity, you can’t see what you have. Keep shoes in boxes or shoe racks. Donate any garments that no longer fit or if you haven’t worn them in the past season. Donate items you don’t need or love; someone will be grateful to take them.
Closet organized by clothing category for simplified mornings.
File your important documents and papers in a safe place. Birth certificates, passports, marriage license, divorce papers, the deed to your house and the title to your car should be filed in a fireproof lockbox or in a safe deposit box at a bank. Back up important financial information that is on your home computer.
Taking small steps every day to keep organized will help keep your home clutter free and peaceful. Organizing is a process, not a destination. Top Shelf Home Organizing can help you on your journey.
by Jayme Radomski | Sep 9, 2016 | Work & Home Office
Part 3 of 3 by Laurel Schenkoske
The goal was to bring my home office from cluttered to focused in two weeks. I did it. My office is now a place where I can work without distraction from physical clutter or from mental over-stimulation.
Last week I worked through the process of making things worse before better by pulling every item out. And due to this, all the randomness is now either out of the house, or in an appropriate place. That clears a lot off my mind.
The work done at home is split between reading and writing, and I have an appropriate space to do each. For reading, I settle into the bean bag chair, with my Moroccan rug sticking out just enough to keep my feet off the cold tile. For writing, my desk is clear of excess clutter. (A longer-term goal is to get rid of the PC and monitor, but for now, I’m still using both computers.)
Hanging on the walls are simple reminders to keep me both calm and focused: an inspirational message above my desk, my grandma’s old Hummel pictures on the wall, ceramic angel statues throughout. There’s also a white board with my work-to-do list (our home to-do list is in the kitchen), and a larger board where I can scribble out my work while thinking – just like Sheldon on the Big Bang Theory.
As for noise distractions, I have great success listening to music in alpha-wave frequency. This type of music does more than block out noise; with headphones, it helps stimulate the brain’s ability to think. There are many free tracks out there, up to 6 hours long.
The process of getting the office organized was simpler than I’d expected. And because I focused on just one room, it was manageable. Even when I feel the rest of the house is in chaos, I have a space to go where everything is in its place. In this environment, I can feel calm, and I can get work accomplished. The cats are happy, too!
While I met my two-week goal, the task going forward will be maintenance. For me, this will mean clearing my food dishes and coffee mug out; folding up the blankets after reading; putting away books, pens, and highlighters – every day. See Top Shelf Home Organizing Process for simple steps for organization and upkeep.
By: Laurel Schenkoske
Laurel is a busy college instructor, Ph. D. student and wife. She is also writer for Top Shelf Home Organizing. Follow Laurel as she discovers efficiencies in her own home, office and busy routine.
by Jayme Radomski | Aug 27, 2016 | Work & Home Office
Part 2 of 3 by Laurel Schenkoske
It’s been about a week since my last post, and since my commitment to get my home office in working order in two weeks (by September 6th). If you remember, that meant creating a space of efficiency, which includes serenity and mindfulness.
In all aspects of life, things often have to get worse before they can get better. The same is true of physical space, and I certainly experienced it in my own office decluttering. A few of the smaller boxes I had stacked in a corner, I was able to make room for and arrange neatly in the closet. But three large boxes in the middle of the floor were very random – a result of last-minute packing from the old house – and had to be sorted piecemeal. I therefore emptied them of their contents, and spread it all out on the floor to better assess what I was dealing with. Doing this gave me a sense of what could be donated, what could be stored, and what needed a place in our home.
During this time, I did not attempt to do any kind of work that required concentration in the office. Even though I could have sat at the desk, with my back to the mess, it would have been nagging at me the whole time.
By now, much of the content seen in the picture has found a home. But even as I type this, I can hear the TV and a video from my husband’s phone. I get up to close the office door, and he walks in to ask what’s going on. The door had been open to begin with because one of the cats was howling to get in. Clearly, space and clutter are more than just elements of the tangible.
The physical office is starting to take shape. But as that develops, I need to work out a system to keep it mentally peaceful, as well.
Goal: Work-ready in 1 week.
By: Laurel Schenkoske
Laurel is a busy college instructor, Ph. D. student and wife. She is also writer for Top Shelf Home Organizing. Follow her as she discovers efficiencies in her own home, office and busy routine.
by Jayme Radomski | Aug 22, 2016 | Work & Home Office
Part 1 of 3 by Laurel Schenkoske
A little over two months ago, my husband and I moved, just a mile away from our old place. After two years in our Tucson duplex, our lease was finally up, and we were hoping for a better landlord, and needing air conditioning for the not-such-a-dry-heat monsoon season. We were lucky enough to have my parents and sister help with the cleaning and moving-in process, but even now, there is still clutter everywhere, and several random boxes sitting in the middle of the office. I was out of town for the last three weeks, for a very much needed break from work. Towards the end, I was feeling like I might be able to get re-motivated for work and school. But returning to the clutter I’d left behind, especially in the office, has made that much-needed motivation vanish.
I am a Ph.D. student and an instructor at the University of Arizona, so, I’m a little busy. I don’t have weekends free and I don’t get summers off. I am never able leave my work at the office and forget about it until the next morning. Always, always, always, I have lesson prep and grading, research and writing, presentation and grant applications, committee responsibilities, and meetings – meetings as an instructor, meetings with my student cohort, meetings with my professors; they don’t end.
That all said, I need an organized, efficient space for work and concentration. This year it’s more critical than in the past since, with my more “flexible” (read, self-management requiring) time schedule, I need a place to work without distractions. And as most of us know, distractions abound. Facebook, Wikipedia, LinkedIn, and ohmygoshNetflix. And clutter. When I see clutter, my mind wanders. I want to clean, or to organize, or to just look in the stuff in that box over there. Whatever temptations the clutter offers, it is more appealing than the important task at hand.
Moreover, the distractions get in the way of my thinking process. In fact, physical clutter has the power to fill my mind with a sort of mental clutter. The more things I see around me, the more I can’t concentrate on my reading or writing. If I pause to reflect on my work and see stuff everywhere, my mind goes into cognitive overload and isn’t able to process anything fully. I begin thinking of all the things I have to do and start feeling anxious. My work takes much longer, and consequently, I have to stay up late, or get up early, or just plain fall behind.
But, if when I stare off into space, my eyes can rest on an empty piece of floor or a plain piece of wall, my mind has an opportunity to process and to rest. This gets me back on track much more quickly.
In German, there are a few sayings that apply here: Ordnung muss sein = There must be order; and Alles hat seinen Platz = Everything has its place. The first is a stereotype for the German lifestyle in general. The second applies more specifically to physical organization. But to have order in your life as a whole, everything does need its place. While my direct priority is to create a functioning office space, the underlying reason is that it will help create serenity and mindfulness in my home and in my life.
Mission: The Office. While much of our new home needs decluttering, organizing, and wall decorating, the office must be my new priority.
Goal: Work-ready in 2 weeks.
By: Laurel Schenkoske
Laurel is busy college instructor, Ph. D. student and wife. She is also writer for Top Shelf Home Organizing. Follow her as she discovers efficiencies in her own home, office and busy routine.
by Jayme Radomski | Aug 16, 2016 | Self Care, Bathroom
It is the feeling when you arrive home from a busy day and overwhelm sets in. The countertops are full of miscellaneous things to do. Your dining room table has piles of bills, papers, projects, and laundry. The kids summer crafts, projects and paperwork have taken over your home. Your summer meal planning was lost the second week of the summer.
It is time to reset your home, meal planning, exercise routine and your priorities.
This is what happened in my home. Yes, I am an organizer and I know better. With busy schedules and the desire to keep the family feeling ‘free’ for the summer, everything got out of control. The bedrooms filled with things that do not bring calm and peace for resting. The pantry has filled with processed food due to a lack of meal planning. Routines and structure were gone.
This past week, a wonderful organizer came into our home to help me. That’s right. I hired and organizer. Here is why:
- The organizer was a non-judging third party that gave me clarity on what was important to me.
- Time was dedicated just to organizing my home.
- She offered a new perspective on ways to structure the organization in my home.
- It was easier to let go.
- We worked very efficiently as we went through the kitchen, pantry, craft closet and toys.
Here is what I learned
- It is good to get help.
- I am organized (obviously), but letting go of my kids’ junk is hard.
- The process inspired me to keeping going.
- I would not have set aside the time to dedicate only to organizing.
- The kids only noticed how nice their rooms and craft closet looked. They didn’t notice what was removed.
- An organized pantry inspires healthy eating and better meal planning.
- It was fun.
As summer winds down, schedule time to get your home back in order. Kids need the structure in their homes to be ready for school.
Top Shelf Home Organizing takes pride in helping people get organized. Call Jayme when you are ready to gain control of your home.
by Jayme Radomski | Jun 1, 2016 | Mindfulness, Nesting
Are you where you thought you’d be when you grew up? Have your career and life goals changed? Are you struggling to keep up with your should do list? Do you want to simplify your home and routine?
Owning a large home in the suburbs with auto loans, mortgage payments that consume the family budget and a career the sucks the energy right out of you might not be where you dreamed you would be.
Give yourself some grace. Change takes time. Get on track in your own way and time.
Pick a priority.
Set a goal.
Start small and enjoy the results.
Clear out a drawer. Remove less-than-useful social media newsfeed and email. Rethink a toxic relationship
You can’t get it all done today, tonight, this week or this month. Remember your goals and dreams. Get rid of the clutter that stands in the way. Invite someone who will support you along the way.
Remember your why. Get back to what you love.
by Jayme Radomski | May 15, 2016 | Self Care, Bathroom
How Clutter Affects Health
What an up and down week of weather in southeast Wisconsin. Winter is still trying to stick around with some reassuring signs of summer.
Personally, I have been feeling drained and exhausted which is not typical of my energy level during this season transition time.
After discovering I was avoiding my living room where I spend time with Matt and the kids, it dawned on me: The clutter surrounding our family space is draining my energy. My husband and I moved the kids’ toys, that have been stored in the basement, to our living space while we have the basement painted.
There are 3 Health Benefits to being organized and simplifying our daily routines.
- More Energy
Having clutter drains energy. Stagnant energy builds up around clutter and causes tiredness and lethargy.
- Improved Health
People with limited clutter look and feel better. They are typically more active and have a fresh face. Clutter congests your home and your body.
- Reduced Depression
Stagnant energy surrounding clutter pulls you down. Feelings of hopelessness can be relieved by clearing the clutter. Clearing the clutter allows you to make room for something new and fresh.
This weekend we will focus on clutter reduction in the living room. We will make it a family event and have the kids decide which toys can be passed on to a charity or another child will help to reduce the toys.
Think about what you can improve in your home and routines that will give you some much needed energy and lift your spirits.
Hugs,
Jayme
Organizing is a process, not a destination. Top Shelf Home Organizing can help you on your journey.
Are your filing drawers overflowing? Do you have several stacks of paper documents with no idea as to which you need and which belong in the trash? Are you overly concerned that the IRS will come knocking at your door and you won’t have something you need? Your stress is over. This checklist on how long to keep all your financial and other important documents will help guide you!