2018 Decluttering: Tax Files

One of my goals for 2018 is not just to declutter 2018 items, but to slim down our file cabinet even further. It is a pain to move file boxes. We don't let the moving company move them since they have sensitive information that we would not want to lose. Last time we moved I think we had three very stuffed full boxes and that was AFTER our big paper purge in 2015.

Since our 2017 taxes are complete, I realized I should probably get rid of some old tax files. The oldest ones I have paper copies of went back to 2007. I pulled 2007-2009 to declutter. And yes, I am counting every single piece of paper!

I sorted each file into three piles.

1. Papers that could go straight to the recycling bin
2. Papers that needed to be scanned first
3. Papers to shred

Scanning went pretty fast, although I had a pause in the progress when I tried to link documents together. In the end, I just scanned and titled each page individually. I already had files for these documents to go into on our external hard drive. At this point, the IRS doesn't suggest that these documents be kept, but you know I like to have a record just in case.

After counting the pages,  I took less than five minutes to shred! When you do small amounts at a time it doesn't take long at all! And because it was trash day, I had those bags out in the garbage bin a few short minutes later.

Finally tally from three file folders was 88! 

My current 2018 decluttering tally sits at 420.

Do you have papers you could declutter this year? 

(Search Purge on the sidebar to see my progress in paper decluttering from January 2015)