Do you make paper copies of things like receipts you might need for tax purposes, or bill payments?
I pay most of my bills on line, and "print" the page they say to print as a payment receipt ...
by printing to a .pdf file. So everything is in the computer, not on paper. Paper gets overwhelming really quickly.
Things like real estate tax receipts, the original goes into the file for the year, the back up copy is a scan of the original. So if the original hides somewhere with all my socks the washing machine ate, I can easily view or print the scanned copy.
And sensitive things (like papers with credit card numbers of a social security number on them) can be scanned then shredded, so they can't wind up going, intact, into the garbage.
What do you do?
__________________
The Principle of Least Interest: He who cares least about a relationship, controls it.
I keep almost nothing. I do my banking and pay my bills online. All those statements and confirmations are available from the company if needed. If I pay something online (non regular payment or utility bill), I will print the confirmation and keep it until I know the payment has been correctly applied. Paper copies of W2s and other tax records are filed for 7 years then shredded
I rarely print the reciept. I keep the window open until I recieve the confirmation email - and then I keep that. Once the new statement comes out showing the payment recieved, I delete it. Between the statement and my bank statments showing the payment - that additional reciept is unnecessary.
However - if you like to create redundancies without paper - every year, make a disc or flash drive with those files on it and keep that.
The only paper I keep is bank statements, tax returns, important personal papers like birth certificates, and "paid in full" letters/notes, etc.
__________________
LawyerLady
I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you.
My BIL who works at a bank, said you don't need to keep bank statements since most are available online now anyway. My sisters threw away all my bank statements and check stubs while I was in the hospital. When I got out however, I had applied for Medicaid, and they needed copies of bank statements and check stubs for the previous several months. Just went to the bank had it printed out, and went to the city and she printed out a report with all my check stubs.
I recently looked through all of my credit card statements for the last 3 years, to find all the payments to my dentist's office. they have been sending my statements, with no list of transactions, and I can't figure out how they came up with the balance due.
Also used all of the EOB forms from the insurance companies, to see whether the dentist has been overpaid for some of the things they've done.
__________________
The Principle of Least Interest: He who cares least about a relationship, controls it.
I recently looked through all of my credit card statements for the last 3 years, to find all the payments to my dentist's office. they have been sending my statements, with no list of transactions, and I can't figure out how they came up with the balance due.
Also used all of the EOB forms from the insurance companies, to see whether the dentist has been overpaid for some of the things they've done.
I do keep these.
__________________
LawyerLady
I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you.
My BIL who works at a bank, said you don't need to keep bank statements since most are available online now anyway. My sisters threw away all my bank statements and check stubs while I was in the hospital. When I got out however, I had applied for Medicaid, and they needed copies of bank statements and check stubs for the previous several months. Just went to the bank had it printed out, and went to the city and she printed out a report with all my check stubs.
I once worked in the credit department of a big company that would occasionally apply a payment to the wrong customer, and I've read about accounts receivable clerks applying payments deliberately to the account of a co-conspirator.
I want to keep copies of every payment receipt and every bank statement, so if they screw something up, I have documentation.
.pdf files don't take much space, and I have 1 terabyte hard drive, which is 1/4 filled.
__________________
The Principle of Least Interest: He who cares least about a relationship, controls it.
My BIL who works at a bank, said you don't need to keep bank statements since most are available online now anyway. My sisters threw away all my bank statements and check stubs while I was in the hospital. When I got out however, I had applied for Medicaid, and they needed copies of bank statements and check stubs for the previous several months. Just went to the bank had it printed out, and went to the city and she printed out a report with all my check stubs.
Your sisters sound like they over stepped their bounds a bit. I can see keeping your home tidy for you - but they went through your personal papers and purged what they wanted? That would have made me furious. You are a kinder hearted person than I.
__________________
Out of all the lies I have told, "just kidding" is my favorite !
Any receipts, especially those printed on thermal paper, should be scanned and kept in PDF, perhaps printed and put into your important paper files for taxes or warranties. Remember; thermal paper has a shelf life and within a year you won't be able to read the receipt.
__________________
Sometimes you're the windshield, and sometimes you're the bug.
Any receipts, especially those printed on thermal paper, should be scanned and kept in PDF, perhaps printed and put into your important paper files for taxes or warranties. Remember; thermal paper has a shelf life and within a year you won't be able to read the receipt.
Good point. Note, thermal paper may be fragile, and shouldn't be put through an automatic document feeder.
And the scanning process could blank it out, so it could be a one-shot win or lose it situation.
__________________
The Principle of Least Interest: He who cares least about a relationship, controls it.
Any receipts, especially those printed on thermal paper, should be scanned and kept in PDF, perhaps printed and put into your important paper files for taxes or warranties. Remember; thermal paper has a shelf life and within a year you won't be able to read the receipt.
Good point. Note, thermal paper may be fragile, and shouldn't be put through an automatic document feeder.
And the scanning process could blank it out, so it could be a one-shot win or lose it situation.
Yes, scanning will affect the thermal paper so copy it first. I know its the same process with the light but easier to darken the print on a copy than a scan since a copy is more legible.
__________________
Sometimes you're the windshield, and sometimes you're the bug.
I keep a paper trail. It has served me well on numerous occasions. I make copies of important receipts, notes, documents and anything else I have that I want a record of. I will print off things from the computer too.
Digital is great. And a hard copy is better.
__________________
A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.
I've completely gone paperless, the IRS accepts digital reproductions in lieu of paper. I scan all receipts of import (business, tax related, etc) and then shred. I can attach any invoice copies directly into Quickbooks entry window. All are backed up daily into cloud storage. Even our state has created an app that allows me to verify resale/exemption status for sales tax, meaning I don't have to keep paper copies anymore.
