Friday, April 30, 2010

A Life in Shreds

You know how it is when you clean. One thing leads to another to another to another to "Oh, I should take care of that." It is thus at my house as I spring clean in anticipation of Carole passing through next week.

I have two rooms completely clean and am working on a couple more. It may not be as spic and span as I would really like but, to do that, I should have started in February. The house feels cleaner.

One thing that didn't get done was the storing of records. I keep things for 10 years and then they get tossed. Some things, I've been told, can be pitched after one year or two years maximum. I verify any credit/debit card charges on the monthly statement and then the receipt could be tossed. Could be in 1985. In 2010, not without shredding. Call me paranoid but shredding documents, paid utility bills, medical prescriptions, anything really, that has an account number, my name and address on it just means there's nothing for some criminal element to find when I put out my trash.

As part of my cleaning, I'm also shredding. I had not sorted the paperwork in, I'm embarrassed to say, 2 years. I found a couple of items that could have gone on my taxes for 2008 and 2009. Yes, yes. I know I can file an amended return, but when one item was a $35.00 donation and the other was a $50.00 donation, I don't think that's going to result in much more than pennies being returned to me. My real estate tax bill came today and, this year, I started a file folder "Taxes 2010" for things like that and any donations I can possibly squeeze out of my budget.

And I'm shredding. The shredder is currently taking a break as it got a bit warm, but the results of 45 minutes upon coming home tonight are above in the recycling can. There is still a stack on the table in the living room. Pilchard likes to lie on the stack. It will be done tomorrow, in between baking and cleaning.

There is something slightly liberating, too, in shredding all this. Shredding represents a change in outlook and attitude. Clean out the old and move on with life. I'm vowing to be better about filing. No more stacking the stuff. I have files for everything and that's where it has to go. I got paid today. I paid bills. Everything is filed and the shredder waits for the next batch.

Beverage: English Teatime

Deb

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