Where does the reference paper go?

Reference paper refers to paper that you need to keep, but you don't need to access on a daily basis.  Some examples of this are mortgage, insurance, taxes, birth & death certificates, warranties, receipts for large purchases, and financial documents., medical and special needs paperwork.

Reference papers need to be easily accessible, but not stored where your daily actionable paper is kept.  First, decide how you want to store your reference paper.  Options are: folder and files, home binder, in a safe, or scan to an online storage system.

Once you decide how you want to access your reference paper, begin by sorting out all of our papers into piles.  Chances are as you do this process, you will get rid of even more of the reference paper that you initially saved during the initial paper purge.  

Traditionally, the filing cabinet was the way that people kept their paperwork. Now, as we have access to computers and online storage, more people are moving away from filing cabinets.  We don't actually need to save as much as we think we do.  And chances are, we have saved so much paper over the years, that we have just added cabinets, boxes, and totes without purging all old and outdated papers. 

Creating a home reference binder (3 ring binder) is a way to store your papers. This usually is easier access instead of using a filing cabinet or boxes.  You can create your own binder (if you love to DIY), or you can take advantage of binders that have already been created.  Purchasing a binder that has already been created with you in mind is a BIG time saver!  

Once you have all of your important documents sorted, you may want to invest in a safe.  This is a great place to keep birth, marriage, death, and divorce certificates.  I always suggest making copies of documents that you might store in reference binders as well.

If you are trying to go paperless, you can scan your documents onto your computer, cloud storage, and storage devices for safe keeping.  Make sure you know where the documents are as well as passwords to access them if you choose this solution.  You may want to make a copy to keep it in a safe with the rest of your important documents. 

You can grab my Reference Paper Tip Sheet here to help you as you work on your paper.

I have been using these reference binders from my friend Lisa at Organize 365.  They are a great solution, especially if you don't have a file cabinet!  And, if you would like to purchase a reference binder, feel free to contact me hereand I can help you get set up!  I am a certified organizer through Organize 365 and am All Paper Certified! :)  This means I'm one of those crazy gals who loves paper organizing!
I'll be back tomorrow to talk about what to do with your sentimental paper!  

Grab a friend and gather up your paper. Now, it's time to take some action!

​Let's Do It Together!

Part 4 in a 5 part series