We all know that we must file papers to avoid chaos. After first sorting papers, including much of what comes into the mail, into "don't keep" (put it into the recycle bin) and "keep," we need to put the keepers into folders so we can find them easily. Why does this matter? Because finding something can be critically important. Tax materials come to mind, but there are other documents one must be able to track down.

A few years ago, I inherited some shares of stock. I decided to keep the stock and see if it would rise in value, having in mind mainly using it for an emergency not in the budget. Recently, I decided I needed to cash in some of the shares. Could I find the stock certificate? No.

I called the company which handled the stock, asking if I could get a new certificate, expecting to pay a reasonable fee, and possibly having to fill out a notarized form saying the original had been misplaced. The company said that a replacement certificate would cost almost $400! So I started looking for the certificate. And looking, and looking, and looking.

I checked every file in my basic file cabinet over and over. I moved on to related file drawers, even my monthly-payment drawer. I looked in unrelated folders just in case I'd left the certificate there accidentally. I looked everywhere I could think of. I moved into the attic, where all my leftover files are kept, everything from tax records to my son's old school papers and my mother's documents. Some papers had just been put into "random" boxes when I'd had no time to sort them, but had to get them out of the way (there is very little storage space on the main floor, and we have no basement or garage, so a lot of files were up in the attic, accessible only by a pull-down folding stair; the attic also is so hot most of the year that it's impractical to spend much time up there organizing it.

In short, I am sure that in the last year and a half I've spent at least 50 hours hunting for the certificate. Yesterday, I FINALLY FOUND IT! The stock, meanwhile, has lost some of its value. With the present financial instability in the country, it may fall further.

I am basically organized in many ways. My regular files would be the envy of lots of people. But this incident should be an illustration of how EVERYTHING should be filed, and promptly, in a labeled folder that is easy to find. I have wasted time I cannot retrieve, and undergone worry and stress. Why I didn't immediately make a file for the certificate, I have no idea; I had gone to the trouble of copying it. Possibly the original got separated from the copies at the time.

You may not have time to set up a complete filing system (though you might want to check out the one Maria offers). But if you have an important document, create a folder for it NOW. You can always modify it later.

I suggest setting up either a section of a drawer or a separate box labeled "important papers." Or put them eventually in a safe deposit box (yes, I had checked my safe-deposit box, and the certificate wasn't there; I apparently misplaced it before it ever got put there). Another idea is to have, in the Easy Organizer binder or other logical place, a list of what is in the safe-deposit box and/or "important papers" file/box.

I have also set up a folder called "The Safe Place." It is really for fairly temporary items, such as tickets to a play or sports event, a wedding invitation, etc.; they can sit there until the event happens. But in a pinch, something such as the stock certificate could be put there until you can make a separate folder for it.

I hope these notes save you all a great deal of time, trouble, and worry!

Thanks for sharing this with us, Simplicity. Misplaced paper can be a major hassel.

I hope this encourages us to tackle our 'to be filed' and 'to make files for' piles.

As Monica Ricci once said: Filing is about retrieval, not storage.

That is sensational! Thanks for sharing it.

I love the idea of a "Safe Place" folder!! And, that filing is about retrieval, not storage.

I've condensed our family files a LOT in the last year, and it may be time to do it again, with these two concepts in mind.

Simplicity: You are not alone.

Last night I got a call asking for an important paper. I can't reproduce it, and three other organizations can't find it as well. If we don't find this paper, it could potentially force us to lose thousands of dollars that we don't have. The other end of the spectrum is unthinkable.

My DH and I spent four hours last night looking everywhere. In addition I spent 90 minutes this morning looking for it. All four entities know there is a piece of paper, but without actually having it in hand, it doesn't do us any good.

On the, only, positive side my house is now five grocery bags lighter of stuff and I've gone through many papers that I wouldn't have otherwise gotten to.

So I can attest why it is so important to do our paper work at the time in an efficient manner.

Oh jeez Striving. I sure hope you find the paper! That is the worst feeling in the world - knowing you should have something and not being able to put your hands on it.

Striving: Hope you find that paper! Think of the not-so-obvious places it could have been put for "safe keeping" - dresser drawers, etc. Could it have fallen behind a piece of furniture? Between the drawer and the back of the file cabinet or piece of furniture? Could one of the kids have taken it? (I seem to recall you once mentioning how DD1 took some document and put it in her bookbag?) Good luck!

Yes, Striving, I really know what you are going through. Do as Blessmymess suggests, and consider every possible spot the paper could be, logical or not. Sometimes in a moment of inattention--say when the phone rings, or a small child needs help--we set something down, and it seems to vanish. When I finally found the certificate I mentioned above, it was with a batch of unrelated material.

For those of you thinking of "going paperless," think again. It does seem that even now, ACTUAL PAPER is still needed at times.

I think with anything, moderation is the key. There's no reason not to incorporate paper along with paperless. 99% of what we save can be done via a paperless method with no ill effects. We can't allow our fears of that other 1% to keep us from a viable alternative.

Since 80% of paper work is never looked at again, Maria's list or guideline of documents that must be retained and their timeline is wonderful plus paperwork for items that have the potential for dispute based on previous experience.

I have just returned from a week with DSIL, purging papers from 1981 - 2005. She retained every bill, it's original envelop and even the promotional material within the envelop! She had every piece of artwork her children brought home! All of it was dated and neatly organized in banker boxes. However she has just downsized from house to condo with no space for floor to ceiling stacks of boxes. Since it is not practical to shred all that paper at home she is paying to have it trucked to a re-cycle plant where she pays by weight for shredding paper she has not needed and never looked at since it's original handling. She was able to joke that there will not be a museum dedicated to her paperwork and has put a system into practice to eliminate papers annually.