One additional thing I would suggest about receipts. You touched on this with respect to appliances, but I've run into situations where I had a smaller item that was expensive enough that I used warranty repair or replacement on it when it malfunctioned (I've had this happen with an electronic toothbrush and a touch-free soap dispenser). I needed the receipt to prove when the item was purchased to show to the manufacturer that it was still within the warranty period. I recommend that after you decide that you don't want to return something, decide whether the item is something you might want warranty service on, and store the receipt (physical or digitally) for the duration of the warranty.
Another great video! Thanks! And thank you, kitty, for the great cameo. Never have I breathed as freely as when I let go of all of my course binders from 20 yrs of grad school. Took me 5 years to use up my dissertation drafts as scrap paper. My friend uses hers for gift wrapping - I'm always curious which piece of theory I'll get this time. It's really fun, but you have to have nerdy friends who also went through grad school and get it ;) Looking forward to your next video. Lots of love from Canada
Twenty years?!? That sounds...horrible, truly awful, I would die. I only have a master's and every now and then I have a pang of wishing I had gone for a PhD, but I have my husband, who is still writing his dissertation, to remind me of how grateful I am to no longer be a student. I will tell him about the wrapping paper idea--that's fantastic.
lol! The best time of my life. 7 degrees, 3 countries. Finished my PhD and immediately wanted to do a second one :)) Now I work as a dissertation coach, and it's the best thing in the world. I live vicariously through my students. Do it! :) It's so much fun.
Thanks for the video content! Excuse me for chiming in, I am interested in your opinion. Have you thought about - Mahorrla Control Clutter Method (do a google search)? It is an awesome exclusive guide for decluttering your home minus the normal expense. Ive heard some great things about it and my work buddy at very last got cool success with it.
Thanks for another useful video that I can refer to for decluttering tips! My belongings are paring down as I have wanted for yrs because of helpful videos like this.
so my parents own a very old house - it was built in 1859 and it sits on 3 separate land titles. They discharged their mortgage in 2000. They didnt need to keep any of the paperwork for that after 7 years because that's generally the last time you need it. Because they're massive paper hoarders, they kept the stuff. Apparently in 2011 the land titles office in NSW decided that one of the three titles that their house is on has a mortgage on it. Without all the paper trail that they had they wouldnt be able to address the issue - because the bank didnt keep a record beyond "discharged mortgage" after 7 years. Honestly its these bureaucratic nightmares that make me reticent to get rid of information!!
I keep deeds, mortgage generation documents, and documents saying that I've paid off things, but I store them digitally. My husband and I have shared online folders for our houses, cars, and tax records for each year. I now request that digital copies be sent to me instead of paper copies (except for things like deeds, which you need the original of) so I don't have to scan them myself. Hope your parents get the issue squared away soon! If the state has record of it not being paid but the bank does, it sounds like the land title office has bad/old information...
Great video! I recently went through a very similar undergrad/grad school decluttering session. I'll admit - I eventually kept about the same quantity of items as you and your husband ended up with, and I live alone, lol! It was extremely gratifying because it was my second attempt at this task, the first time being several years ago. I realized I'm ready to be ruthless about not holding on to things unnecessarily.
I still have the box of notes you saw in this video. Similar to your experience, it felt great to pare down that much, but, now that I've lived with it for a while, it's time to revisit it. Time definitely changes my feelings about things, and maybe you'll notice the same thing.
I just scanned 40 years of photographs and destroyed and recycled the physical prints and albums. There’s a disc for each of the kids to do with as they choose. I also dug out 16 totes of paperwork my husband thought he needed to keep. When he actually looking at them he was able to reduce the contents to two ziplock bags. I took all the rest of the paperwork to the bank to be shredded. The cashiers applauded! I’m really proud of him, because minimizing is my passion not his, but it’s really important to remove or destroy everything before he can second guess himself. Thanks for the inspiration.
Great video...some very good insights. Just wanted to comment though, that sometimes it is important to keep medical records longer than you might think, particularly those that deal with immunizations. Until I needed my daughter's for her university, I was under the impression that doctors would have her records. Not so. Our doctor only keeps them for 10 years. I had the handwritten records (yellow cards) but these are not always filled out correctly or completely. I would advise making sure at the time of immunization that you get verified copies from doctors to avoid this situation.
This is just what I needed today. I’ve KonMari’d papers from my home, but then schools send it home with the kids. Plus we need to do post-tax purging. I must away to plug in the shredder and giggle with maniacal glee. **creepily taps fingertips together** But first: any suggestions on sentimental papers, like letters, etc.? Every time I think I’m a decluttering ninja, I am disarmed by adorable scribbles and love notes. It’s my kryptonite. So many feels.
I should have mentioned something about a shredder in the video! I find a shredder far more useful than a scanner. Re: sentimental papers: I'm a bit wary to suggest things here because I don't have kids, but I do have a few letters from when my husband and I first started dating. Perhaps I should find another place to keep them, but right now they're actually in the envelope/folder that holds our marriage license. One thing I find useful for dealing with sentimental items is to get rid of sentimental "duplicates." I've mentioned this in comments before, so I should make a video about it already. Anyway, if you have, say, lots of items from when your kid was in elementary school or a particular grade, keep the one you think is most important and representative of that time and get rid of the rest. I had a lot of items that reminded me of a time when I finished grad school and moved to a new city, but I was able to get rid of them all because the thing that most strongly reminded me of that time in my life was a particular perfume. I don't even own it now, but every time I see it in a store, I spray it on myself and I remember that time. Sometimes you don't even need to own the things that evokes the strongest memories. You could also create a "memory chest/box," limit sentimental items to that space, and periodically edit your collection as you make new memories.
Actually, I think storing your letters with your marriage certificate is a great idea. It seems better than storing in a separate container because you really have to limit your keepsakes to what fits in that folder, plus they’re right there with your other important stuff. I REALLY like your suggestions here-thank you so much for the reply! Also, shredders > scanners.
@@tawnytuppence5573 I kept a file for each of my kids. I kept report cards, awards, funny stories, great tests, great drawings, autographs they got, and yes, the files got fat. If they made something huge, I took a picture of it. I don't think they were aware that I saved these things. They are grown now and I recently gave them all their folders. They were tickled that I had saved these things and enjoyed going thru them. Now it is up to them what they want to save and show their kids!!
I love your videos! Thank you for taking the time to share your decluttering tips with us. All of your videos have been so helpful to me. Keep up the good work please and thank you again! Cheers!
I use a two year monthly rotating filing system. One year is even one year is odd. When a new month starts, I remove the contents from the previous (even/odd) year’s month that I’m currently in. After two years, it’s a lot easier to throw out the papers once time has given me perspective. Plus only having to decide one month at a time eases decision fatigue. This file system is small using one desktop file box I store on a shelf. I have a small permanent file box too. I’m not sure I explained that clearly.
I understood it perfectly, and it sounds like you've found a good system that works for you, so kudos! As tax season recently passed, I actually just went back through my own paperwork and got rid of more documents than I'd realized I kept! I kept the paperwork saying I purchased my car and vaccination records for both myself and my cat as a reminder for when they need to be done again. I really like your point about your system easing decision fatigue. Whatever works works!
I use Microsoft OneNote to write down recipes and save them to the cloud. That way I avoid using things like index cards (which were very useful, but ultimately took up space and get lost), and can access them on phones or computer.
Very nice! I mostly cook simple things that don't need a recipe, like tossing vegetables in olive oil, seasoning them, and throwing them in the oven to roast, but, when I do need a recipe, I use the Yummly app on my phone. It has a cool feature for finding recipes if you want to use up a particular ingredient and good filters for setting what ingredients to avoid.
I use the internet a lot too. I used to cook for a living, so i don't really use recipes; at the end of the day they are guidelines. Recipes are useful for baking as baking does have to be precise, in which case I will modify the recipe and save it on OneNoe. I do have quite a few cook books, mostly professional/trade cooks, and some particularly curated items like Thomas Keller books. But again, those are more "reference books". Thanks for your video.
I think I’ve pretty much got my paperwork game on point by now but I still enjoyed watching this video :) I like to keep all of my docs in an expanding/accordion-type folder; like your method, it’s finite and every now and then I’m forced to sort through it all to see which ones I can shred or digitise. It’s probably one of the areas in my life I can actually say I’m a ‘minimalist’ in. Now whenever I go to a house and see a cabinet/drawer/surface top full of unnecessary paper clutter I get a headache 😅
I have a scanner built in my printer. BUT It is in a different room. Whenever I want to print or scan something, I need to go in another room, turn on the machine, wait for it about 2 minutes to fully turn on and then turn on the wifi thing that I connect it to my computer with. That makes me think twice before printing or scanning something. I scan and print maybe once every few months. It happened accidentally after I was painting the room with the computer, but worked out for saving ink and clutter!
.Great tips. Now I just need to convince my husband that going paperless is a good idea and that we don't need to keep every piece of paper that comes into the house!!!! :)
I've needed medical documents several times (Insurance paperwork). I have a lot of health problems, and your medical folder would be about one week's worth for me, lol. I've also needed car paperwork to prove that we did the maintenance to our car so that they would honor our car's warranty.. Obviously, i won't be one to go totally paperless. I still enjoyed the video!
My husband is not too computer savvy and is afraid that if something were to happen to me, (we are seniors), he would not even know the passwords to get the bills online, or what they are. He insists on the hard copy. Oh well. lol
The issue is my education is continuous and my classes last not one semester but 2 to 4 semesters (1-2 years). And I do find myself going back looking at notes and it actually is necessary b'c not a lot of professors/supervisors are willing to teach you something more than once and that information is usually not something I can find elsewhere. Honestly it's a little disheartening to keep notebooks etc. that I know I will only look at once or maximum twice a month. However I also can't look into the future and know which topics/issues will come up again or which decision about my thesis I'll need to date back etc. And I have yet to find a solution to this so they currently sit there in a shelf making a small clutter but a clutter nonetheless.
I mentioned this to someone else, but decluttering in the middle of an ongoing course might not be the best time. If you're concerned with needing a source for future thesis work, you could always keep a list of sources you appreciate in a word document and possibly get a jump start on your thesis citations. I'm sure getting rid of those materials will feel great once the course is finished!
I am from the older generation, and even tho I am experimenting with scanning, and getting rid of things, there is still the matter of all the new photos coming in, my kids photos growing up, and things like insurance papers. Some papers you just HAVE to keep or scan. Hospitals and insurance companies often over bill. My husband will NOT go paperless with bills; he wants to see the hard copy. Also, I was wondering about your file on the bookshelf. It may be hidden from burglars, but what about a fire? Wouldn't it be good to have a very small fire-proof safe? That is what I have, but I am also aware that a burglar could come in and just pick up the entire safe and walk out. My son's neighbor had a huge fire and lost everything. She had to remember virtually everything in her home, go out and buy it again, and then get the insurance co. to reimburse her. She said they did, but it was a huge hassle. Maybe you could do a video on how to do a home inventory in case of a fire. Maybe I worry too much about that, but when you see it happen, it makes you think. Also, my daughter's in-laws both got ill. They had years and years of paper, all filed. They did not know, due to confusion from a stroke, and alzheimer's, where their bills were or what their passwords were. My daughter had to go thru boxes upon boxes to figure everything out. It was a nightmare. I am determined not to do this to my children. I am going to have everything spelled out for them. Your video is great and has really made me think about getting rid of more and more stuff!! Keep 'em coming and I will keep watching. I like your simple, clean, sensible approach.
Thank you! I'm glad you like the videos. Re: medical and insurance paperwork: I haven't had many non-routine medical expenses, but I can definitely imagine that if you have chronic or serious health concerns, those would be a more important thing to keep record of. I've been over-billed twice that I can remember: a bill came in, I knew that I had already paid the bill because I deal with paperwork as soon as it arrives, I called the office, and the staff apologized immediately and fixed the problem. All that said, the medical industry is such a disaster that you should keep whatever gives you peace. --- Re: keeping papers safe: I've never had a problem with my previous paper storage system, HOWEVER, my husband and I recently paid off our cars, so we received the physical titles to said cars. I think it's 100% ridiculous that you don't have to have car titled notarized or anything to transfer ownership; someone just needs to find your title and take your car. (I'm pretty sure it would be easy enough to fight that in court, but it's still a situation I would like to avoid.) So, with the introduction of that piece of paper, we (really my husband) decided to get a safety deposit box. We're charged once a year, the papers are safe, and I never have to think about it. --- Finally, I think it's great that you're decluttering and organizing your paperwork for your family. I know some people who have survived family members in the last few years, and, even though they didn't have to deal with a paperwork maze, going through an entire lifetime of possessions was incredibly taxing. Plus, when your house is in order, it makes it easier for YOU to enjoy your life!
@@VestedInterests Thank you, and you are so correct. I go thru my house at least once a year and I am always amazed how much I get rid of, digging deeper each time. It does make life easier. I think older folks, like me, who are not as accustomed to so much being digital, find it harder to let go of the hard copy of things. I am considering a safe deposit box; that is a good idea and no worries of a fire. When my daughter had that problem with her in-laws, they could not get into their safe deposit box, even tho they had "power of attorney." So that made things hard, too. I have one file cabinet holding up one end of my desk, and I use one drawer for the household. That is finite and keeps me in line. I have subscribed and I like your videos. All helpful info and right to the point. They make me really think about what I am keeping, and whether it is necessary. I had a big file of ghost stories I collected over the years. (I am a HUGE paranormal buff and used to be a paranormal investigator, which my grandkids find amusing.) I reread it and threw it all away. After all, there is tons of scary stuff online to enjoy!! lol Best wishes to you and I like your kitty!!
That's awesome--what an unusual and interesting career! I watched so much X-files and Twilight Zone as a kid that I refused to sleep alone for a little while, which probably wasn't the best idea, but I loved it anyway!
What do you have a degree in? You mentioned master’s in this video. My husband had a PhD in Nuclear Chemistry and we kept his doctoral thesis ... it’s HUGE and unless you were schooled in Nuclear Chemistry or Nuclear Physics, I doubt anyone could understand a word of it. He was killed in 9/11 so almost everything of his has gained great significance since his passing nearly 17 years ago. My daughter (now 29 & married) has done a better job of letting go of his things than I have.
I'm so sorry for your loss. I understand somewhat how things left behind by those who have passed can take on greater significance, but I've been fortunate so far to not lose anyone very close to me. I only have a bachelor's and master's, but if I had or ever decide to go back for my PhD, I will require that my dissertation be encapsulated in glass, placed on a pedestal, and surrounded by it's own velvet ropes!
One caveat perhaps if you're currently working on a degree: if you think it will be useful for your thesis/dissertation, you could keep a list of potentially useful sources so you can revisit them later if you decide to reference a particular work. Essentially you'd be getting a jump start on your citations.
Mochi Sunshine I've got my undergraduate and masters, and currently doing a PhD in psych. Download a programme called Mendeley to save all your references/articles/book chapters/super important notes, only keep your notes while you're on a specific course. But after the assessment I'd say get rid, personally I've never looked back at any paper notes I've ever made after the hand in. When you want info about something you've done previously, you can find plenty of journal articles and book chapters to jog your memory
One additional thing I would suggest about receipts. You touched on this with respect to appliances, but I've run into situations where I had a smaller item that was expensive enough that I used warranty repair or replacement on it when it malfunctioned (I've had this happen with an electronic toothbrush and a touch-free soap dispenser). I needed the receipt to prove when the item was purchased to show to the manufacturer that it was still within the warranty period. I recommend that after you decide that you don't want to return something, decide whether the item is something you might want warranty service on, and store the receipt (physical or digitally) for the duration of the warranty.
Another great video! Thanks! And thank you, kitty, for the great cameo. Never have I breathed as freely as when I let go of all of my course binders from 20 yrs of grad school. Took me 5 years to use up my dissertation drafts as scrap paper. My friend uses hers for gift wrapping - I'm always curious which piece of theory I'll get this time. It's really fun, but you have to have nerdy friends who also went through grad school and get it ;) Looking forward to your next video. Lots of love from Canada
Twenty years?!? That sounds...horrible, truly awful, I would die. I only have a master's and every now and then I have a pang of wishing I had gone for a PhD, but I have my husband, who is still writing his dissertation, to remind me of how grateful I am to no longer be a student. I will tell him about the wrapping paper idea--that's fantastic.
lol! The best time of my life. 7 degrees, 3 countries. Finished my PhD and immediately wanted to do a second one :)) Now I work as a dissertation coach, and it's the best thing in the world. I live vicariously through my students. Do it! :) It's so much fun.
That sounds like the perfect job for you!
Thanks for the video content! Excuse me for chiming in, I am interested in your opinion. Have you thought about - Mahorrla Control Clutter Method (do a google search)? It is an awesome exclusive guide for decluttering your home minus the normal expense. Ive heard some great things about it and my work buddy at very last got cool success with it.
Don’t stop making videos!! I love them!!!! You are very good at them I can see you getting very popular
Thanks so much! I will keep making them as long as people want to watch them!
You are so on point with a clear delivery. You don’t say the same thing 6 different ways bc you have so little to say. Brava!
Thank you!
Thanks for another useful video that I can refer to for decluttering tips! My belongings are paring down as I have wanted for yrs because of helpful videos like this.
so my parents own a very old house - it was built in 1859 and it sits on 3 separate land titles. They discharged their mortgage in 2000. They didnt need to keep any of the paperwork for that after 7 years because that's generally the last time you need it. Because they're massive paper hoarders, they kept the stuff. Apparently in 2011 the land titles office in NSW decided that one of the three titles that their house is on has a mortgage on it. Without all the paper trail that they had they wouldnt be able to address the issue - because the bank didnt keep a record beyond "discharged mortgage" after 7 years. Honestly its these bureaucratic nightmares that make me reticent to get rid of information!!
I keep deeds, mortgage generation documents, and documents saying that I've paid off things, but I store them digitally. My husband and I have shared online folders for our houses, cars, and tax records for each year. I now request that digital copies be sent to me instead of paper copies (except for things like deeds, which you need the original of) so I don't have to scan them myself. Hope your parents get the issue squared away soon! If the state has record of it not being paid but the bank does, it sounds like the land title office has bad/old information...
Great video! I recently went through a very similar undergrad/grad school decluttering session. I'll admit - I eventually kept about the same quantity of items as you and your husband ended up with, and I live alone, lol! It was extremely gratifying because it was my second attempt at this task, the first time being several years ago. I realized I'm ready to be ruthless about not holding on to things unnecessarily.
I still have the box of notes you saw in this video. Similar to your experience, it felt great to pare down that much, but, now that I've lived with it for a while, it's time to revisit it. Time definitely changes my feelings about things, and maybe you'll notice the same thing.
I just scanned 40 years of photographs and destroyed and recycled the physical prints and albums. There’s a disc for each of the kids to do with as they choose. I also dug out 16 totes of paperwork my husband thought he needed to keep. When he actually looking at them he was able to reduce the contents to two ziplock bags. I took all the rest of the paperwork to the bank to be shredded. The cashiers applauded!
I’m really proud of him, because minimizing is my passion not his, but it’s really important to remove or destroy everything before he can second guess himself.
Thanks for the inspiration.
Great video...some very good insights. Just wanted to comment though, that sometimes it is important to keep medical records longer than you might think, particularly those that deal with immunizations. Until I needed my daughter's for her university, I was under the impression that doctors would have her records. Not so. Our doctor only keeps them for 10 years. I had the handwritten records (yellow cards) but these are not always filled out correctly or completely.
I would advise making sure at the time of immunization that you get verified copies from doctors to avoid this situation.
This is just what I needed today. I’ve KonMari’d papers from my home, but then schools send it home with the kids. Plus we need to do post-tax purging. I must away to plug in the shredder and giggle with maniacal glee. **creepily taps fingertips together**
But first: any suggestions on sentimental papers, like letters, etc.? Every time I think I’m a decluttering ninja, I am disarmed by adorable scribbles and love notes. It’s my kryptonite. So many feels.
I should have mentioned something about a shredder in the video! I find a shredder far more useful than a scanner. Re: sentimental papers: I'm a bit wary to suggest things here because I don't have kids, but I do have a few letters from when my husband and I first started dating. Perhaps I should find another place to keep them, but right now they're actually in the envelope/folder that holds our marriage license. One thing I find useful for dealing with sentimental items is to get rid of sentimental "duplicates." I've mentioned this in comments before, so I should make a video about it already. Anyway, if you have, say, lots of items from when your kid was in elementary school or a particular grade, keep the one you think is most important and representative of that time and get rid of the rest. I had a lot of items that reminded me of a time when I finished grad school and moved to a new city, but I was able to get rid of them all because the thing that most strongly reminded me of that time in my life was a particular perfume. I don't even own it now, but every time I see it in a store, I spray it on myself and I remember that time. Sometimes you don't even need to own the things that evokes the strongest memories. You could also create a "memory chest/box," limit sentimental items to that space, and periodically edit your collection as you make new memories.
Actually, I think storing your letters with your marriage certificate is a great idea. It seems better than storing in a separate container because you really have to limit your keepsakes to what fits in that folder, plus they’re right there with your other important stuff. I REALLY like your suggestions here-thank you so much for the reply! Also, shredders > scanners.
@@tawnytuppence5573 I kept a file for each of my kids. I kept report cards, awards, funny stories, great tests, great drawings, autographs they got, and yes, the files got fat. If they made something huge, I took a picture of it. I don't think they were aware that I saved these things. They are grown now and I recently gave them all their folders. They were tickled that I had saved these things and enjoyed going thru them. Now it is up to them what they want to save and show their kids!!
I love your videos! Thank you for taking the time to share your decluttering tips with us. All of your videos have been so helpful to me. Keep up the good work please and thank you again! Cheers!
Thank you so much! I'll keep making them as long as people find them useful.
I use a two year monthly rotating filing system. One year is even one year is odd. When a new month starts, I remove the contents from the previous (even/odd) year’s month that I’m currently in. After two years, it’s a lot easier to throw out the papers once time has given me perspective. Plus only having to decide one month at a time eases decision fatigue. This file system is small using one desktop file box I store on a shelf. I have a small permanent file box too. I’m not sure I explained that clearly.
I understood it perfectly, and it sounds like you've found a good system that works for you, so kudos! As tax season recently passed, I actually just went back through my own paperwork and got rid of more documents than I'd realized I kept! I kept the paperwork saying I purchased my car and vaccination records for both myself and my cat as a reminder for when they need to be done again. I really like your point about your system easing decision fatigue. Whatever works works!
I use Microsoft OneNote to write down recipes and save them to the cloud. That way I avoid using things like index cards (which were very useful, but ultimately took up space and get lost), and can access them on phones or computer.
Very nice! I mostly cook simple things that don't need a recipe, like tossing vegetables in olive oil, seasoning them, and throwing them in the oven to roast, but, when I do need a recipe, I use the Yummly app on my phone. It has a cool feature for finding recipes if you want to use up a particular ingredient and good filters for setting what ingredients to avoid.
I use the internet a lot too. I used to cook for a living, so i don't really use recipes; at the end of the day they are guidelines. Recipes are useful for baking as baking does have to be precise, in which case I will modify the recipe and save it on OneNoe. I do have quite a few cook books, mostly professional/trade cooks, and some particularly curated items like Thomas Keller books. But again, those are more "reference books".
Thanks for your video.
I think I’ve pretty much got my paperwork game on point by now but I still enjoyed watching this video :) I like to keep all of my docs in an expanding/accordion-type folder; like your method, it’s finite and every now and then I’m forced to sort through it all to see which ones I can shred or digitise. It’s probably one of the areas in my life I can actually say I’m a ‘minimalist’ in. Now whenever I go to a house and see a cabinet/drawer/surface top full of unnecessary paper clutter I get a headache 😅
I feel the same way, and I have a really visceral reaction when I see filing cabinets.
catalog choice is a website that allows you to opt out of unwanted magazines that are mailed to you!!
Ooo, good to know, thanks!
I have a scanner built in my printer. BUT It is in a different room. Whenever I want to print or scan something, I need to go in another room, turn on the machine, wait for it about 2 minutes to fully turn on and then turn on the wifi thing that I connect it to my computer with. That makes me think twice before printing or scanning something. I scan and print maybe once every few months. It happened accidentally after I was painting the room with the computer, but worked out for saving ink and clutter!
.Great tips. Now I just need to convince my husband that going paperless is a good idea and that we don't need to keep every piece of paper that comes into the house!!!! :)
Ask him if he's literally ever needed the papers. I would be shocked if he has.
I've needed medical documents several times (Insurance paperwork). I have a lot of health problems, and your medical folder would be about one week's worth for me, lol. I've also needed car paperwork to prove that we did the maintenance to our car so that they would honor our car's warranty.. Obviously, i won't be one to go totally paperless. I still enjoyed the video!
My husband is not too computer savvy and is afraid that if something were to happen to me, (we are seniors), he would not even know the passwords to get the bills online, or what they are. He insists on the hard copy. Oh well. lol
Excellent and very helpful advise, thank you.
The car title should be in the important papers file. Also, keep all of important docs in a fireproof envelope.
The issue is my education is continuous and my classes last not one semester but 2 to 4 semesters (1-2 years). And I do find myself going back looking at notes and it actually is necessary b'c not a lot of professors/supervisors are willing to teach you something more than once and that information is usually not something I can find elsewhere.
Honestly it's a little disheartening to keep notebooks etc. that I know I will only look at once or maximum twice a month. However I also can't look into the future and know which topics/issues will come up again or which decision about my thesis I'll need to date back etc.
And I have yet to find a solution to this so they currently sit there in a shelf making a small clutter but a clutter nonetheless.
I mentioned this to someone else, but decluttering in the middle of an ongoing course might not be the best time. If you're concerned with needing a source for future thesis work, you could always keep a list of sources you appreciate in a word document and possibly get a jump start on your thesis citations. I'm sure getting rid of those materials will feel great once the course is finished!
I am from the older generation, and even tho I am experimenting with scanning, and getting rid of things, there is still the matter of all the new photos coming in, my kids photos growing up, and things like insurance papers. Some papers you just HAVE to keep or scan. Hospitals and insurance companies often over bill. My husband will NOT go paperless with bills; he wants to see the hard copy. Also, I was wondering about your file on the bookshelf. It may be hidden from burglars, but what about a fire? Wouldn't it be good to have a very small fire-proof safe? That is what I have, but I am also aware that a burglar could come in and just pick up the entire safe and walk out. My son's neighbor had a huge fire and lost everything. She had to remember virtually everything in her home, go out and buy it again, and then get the insurance co. to reimburse her. She said they did, but it was a huge hassle. Maybe you could do a video on how to do a home inventory in case of a fire. Maybe I worry too much about that, but when you see it happen, it makes you think. Also, my daughter's in-laws both got ill. They had years and years of paper, all filed. They did not know, due to confusion from a stroke, and alzheimer's, where their bills were or what their passwords were. My daughter had to go thru boxes upon boxes to figure everything out. It was a nightmare. I am determined not to do this to my children. I am going to have everything spelled out for them. Your video is great and has really made me think about getting rid of more and more stuff!! Keep 'em coming and I will keep watching. I like your simple, clean, sensible approach.
Thank you! I'm glad you like the videos. Re: medical and insurance paperwork: I haven't had many non-routine medical expenses, but I can definitely imagine that if you have chronic or serious health concerns, those would be a more important thing to keep record of. I've been over-billed twice that I can remember: a bill came in, I knew that I had already paid the bill because I deal with paperwork as soon as it arrives, I called the office, and the staff apologized immediately and fixed the problem. All that said, the medical industry is such a disaster that you should keep whatever gives you peace. --- Re: keeping papers safe: I've never had a problem with my previous paper storage system, HOWEVER, my husband and I recently paid off our cars, so we received the physical titles to said cars. I think it's 100% ridiculous that you don't have to have car titled notarized or anything to transfer ownership; someone just needs to find your title and take your car. (I'm pretty sure it would be easy enough to fight that in court, but it's still a situation I would like to avoid.) So, with the introduction of that piece of paper, we (really my husband) decided to get a safety deposit box. We're charged once a year, the papers are safe, and I never have to think about it. --- Finally, I think it's great that you're decluttering and organizing your paperwork for your family. I know some people who have survived family members in the last few years, and, even though they didn't have to deal with a paperwork maze, going through an entire lifetime of possessions was incredibly taxing. Plus, when your house is in order, it makes it easier for YOU to enjoy your life!
@@VestedInterests Thank you, and you are so correct. I go thru my house at least once a year and I am always amazed how much I get rid of, digging deeper each time. It does make life easier. I think older folks, like me, who are not as accustomed to so much being digital, find it harder to let go of the hard copy of things. I am considering a safe deposit box; that is a good idea and no worries of a fire. When my daughter had that problem with her in-laws, they could not get into their safe deposit box, even tho they had "power of attorney." So that made things hard, too. I have one file cabinet holding up one end of my desk, and I use one drawer for the household. That is finite and keeps me in line. I have subscribed and I like your videos. All helpful info and right to the point. They make me really think about what I am keeping, and whether it is necessary. I had a big file of ghost stories I collected over the years. (I am a HUGE paranormal buff and used to be a paranormal investigator, which my grandkids find amusing.) I reread it and threw it all away. After all, there is tons of scary stuff online to enjoy!! lol Best wishes to you and I like your kitty!!
That's awesome--what an unusual and interesting career! I watched so much X-files and Twilight Zone as a kid that I refused to sleep alone for a little while, which probably wasn't the best idea, but I loved it anyway!
What do you have a degree in? You mentioned master’s in this video. My husband had a PhD in Nuclear Chemistry and we kept his doctoral thesis ... it’s HUGE and unless you were schooled in Nuclear Chemistry or Nuclear Physics, I doubt anyone could understand a word of it. He was killed in 9/11 so almost everything of his has gained great significance since his passing nearly 17 years ago. My daughter (now 29 & married) has done a better job of letting go of his things than I have.
I'm so sorry for your loss. I understand somewhat how things left behind by those who have passed can take on greater significance, but I've been fortunate so far to not lose anyone very close to me. I only have a bachelor's and master's, but if I had or ever decide to go back for my PhD, I will require that my dissertation be encapsulated in glass, placed on a pedestal, and surrounded by it's own velvet ropes!
Vested Interests ABSOLUTELY!!!
I’m going to do. Get rid of everything else but official docs
Great video. Thanks for sharing.
This is my next goal. I hate papers. I would love to burn them in a fireplace 😂 Thanks for your tips.
Good luck!
Great video I needed some assistance in this area. New subbie tfs
I love you! You are so real ... ty
Thanks for the info
You're welcome! I hope it helps!
🖐🏼🤗💕 Thank you! ✌🏼🙃
Of course! Hope it helps!
Vested Interests Yes, it does help. ✌🙃
And sometimes doctor’s offices will charge $25+ to send copies of records.
Im currently in the middle of my psychology bachelor and i was wondering about keeping or discarding old courses material
One caveat perhaps if you're currently working on a degree: if you think it will be useful for your thesis/dissertation, you could keep a list of potentially useful sources so you can revisit them later if you decide to reference a particular work. Essentially you'd be getting a jump start on your citations.
Vested Interests omg. This is a really good idea
Mochi Sunshine I've got my undergraduate and masters, and currently doing a PhD in psych. Download a programme called Mendeley to save all your references/articles/book chapters/super important notes, only keep your notes while you're on a specific course. But after the assessment I'd say get rid, personally I've never looked back at any paper notes I've ever made after the hand in. When you want info about something you've done previously, you can find plenty of journal articles and book chapters to jog your memory
This agenda of paperless-one click and you entire existence could be deleted as if you never existed
@1:10
i hate paperwork...excelente tips, thank you