{organizing file cabinets}

One thing I love to do is organize. As soon as I take the Christmas decorations down I feel the need to organize and start fresh. I think its perfect that New Years follows Christmas. What better way to start off the new year than to organize your home.

My first project was to organize my small filing cabinet. I have two filing cabinets in my home. One is a large cabinet with four drawers. This is where I file things that I need but I don't need daily. For example house papers, birth certificates. insurance papers, holidays, shot records, etc.

The other filing cabinet is a small one that I attached to our computer desk. This is where I keep all my daily papers. I needed to take them out of my big cabinet and move them all to one central location.

Here is what my cabinet looked like when I started.



Here is the finished product.
Categories:
Incoming mail - when the mail comes in the house it goes here. The kids love to get the mail but they always just put it wherever. Now it has a home.
Outgoing mail - Mail that needs to be sent.
To pay - after opening the mail I put the bills that need to be paid here.
To file - bills that have been paid, bank statements, etc. go here until I file them.
Sign & Return - This file is mostly for the kids school papers but I also put in a jury slip that I need to fill out and return.
Address labels - this is exactly what it says address labels that I stick on letters that need to be mailed.
Grocery list - When I run out of things I will add it to this list that I keep in here. Before I was always losing my list now it has a home.
Cards - this is where I keep those cards that never have a home. Like Dave and Buster's cards that the kids like to keep and take with them to keep adding their tickets too. It also has the kids school id cards, and other plastic cards that I don't want taking up space in my wallet.
Labels - blank labels that I use for address or my Scentsy business.
Coupons - I have a coupon book but this is where I keep over sized coupons. For example free bowing, or coupons that I need to use asap.
Kids files - this is where I keep notes from teachers, report papers, sport papers, etc. That way I know what belongs to what kid.
Lined paper - the kids know where to go to get paper for homework.

I do have room to add more so as the needs arise I will have space to add new files. How do you keep your important papers organized?