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Friday, August 24, 2012

Simplify Challenge Day 5: Paper Clutter and Budgets

This week I’m following along with the Life Your Way Simplify for Fall Challenge. Six days, six areas of the home to simplify. I’ll be sharing my progress here all week. 

I have four file drawers and two desk drawers to go of paper files as well as a fire safe. One file drawer holds genealogy records and I'm ignoring skipping it (for now).

What I am going to do is make a list of actions that need to be taken regarding financial records such as scanning paperwork, turning paper bonds into electronic ones, finding out what records we actually need to keep on the three houses we have owned including this one, etc. I just learned that there may be a property tax break for us since I am over 62 - will call and find out requirements. We also need to look at what to do 5 years pre-retirement. I'm going to create a list and work at getting answers and taking action on this over time.

Our budget is OK although we aren't saving as much as I would like. Of course if I would work more that would improve LOL. Next year will also be expensive with the final five monthly payments for my orthodonture, the second half of our wedding gift to our son, travel to his and a nephew's weddings in California, and other trips to see family. I am hoping to turn one of those trips into an add on vacation as well. We'll just have to wait until the beginning of next year to see what our 2013 budget will be after the actual numbers from this year are in.

Update on yesterday's challenge: 6 items to donate and 3 to trash.  Slowly but surely decluttering continues.

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