rmc28: (babysitter)
[personal profile] rmc28 posting in [community profile] unclutter
Last week I wrestled with the local freecycle list and got rid of some bulky but not-saleable items.

I also looked up how long we need to keep financial paperwork for. This obviously varies by country, but for the UK, the advice is here: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/sa/record-keeping.htm#3 and means by default I can now get rid of everything up to 5th April 2009. (Unless I want it for some specific reason other than tax).

My husband was a bit skeptical that this was "worth bothering with" because the volumes are relatively small, until I demonstrated on his own paperwork that it turned a folder bulging at the seams into a slim and easy-to-use folder. I'm also setting a note for next 1st Feb to purge everything up to 5th April 2010 ...

I found a memory box: a large shoebox handpainted by my son at nursery for Christmas. It should hold everything I've got tucked away in 3 or 4 different "important memories" places, once I feel up to the mental hit of walking down memory lane.

Totals:

IN:
For child: 3 dressing-up clothes, 6 plastic toys, 1 pile of art materials
For me: 1 scarf, 3 juggling balls, 1 book, 2 folders of "Rachel achievements" from my mother's own decluttering
Total: 17

OUT:
To freecycle: 3 bathroom wire racks, 1 breadbin, 1 storage tray
To charity shop: 12 clothes, 1 rucksack, 2 books, 1 bricabrac, 1 wallet
To recycling: 3 piles of ancient bank statements, 1 pile of miscellaneous paperwork discarded while hunting through files for a receipt, 1 pile of Christmas cards divided into recycling and art materials
Total: 27

Totals so far: In: 162, Out: 343, Net out: 181 on day 38.

(no subject)

Date: 2011-02-07 10:26 pm (UTC)
peaceful_sands: butterfly (Default)
From: [personal profile] peaceful_sands
You're doing well and it's great to see that the memory box idea is inspiring other people. It's funny that you should mention old paperwork as I started in on some piles of old paperwork yesterday. Frighteningly, I found stuff as far back as 1998 but wasn't sure how recent I needed to keep things - I've opted for 2007 at the moment (I'm not sure what local advice would be from our tax office).

(no subject)

Date: 2011-02-08 06:11 pm (UTC)
twigletzone: (Default)
From: [personal profile] twigletzone
Ah - having spent two solid days on the Filing Behemoth this weekend it's good to know I can really get rid of some of it, even if I have to keep the self-employment stuff for a while. Old bank statements don't half take up space.

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unclutter: pairs of antique shoes (Default)
uncluttering one day and one thing at a time

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