Comments on: How much paper do you keep?

By: Funny about Money

Funny about Money — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 00:19:41 +0000

@ SimplyForties: Exactly so!

When SDXB lived with me, that was one of the first things he started bellyaching about: the dunes of paper that mounded up like snowdrifts on the kitchen counter, after only a day or so. So DAMN much paper gets mailed into your house, and then if you have a job you usually end up dragging more paper home, and godhelpyou if you teach: the masses of paper are enough to throw the earth out of its orbit!

If you wanted to seriously downsize — as for example, into one of those cool little minihouses you’ve been writing about — you’d probably have to rent a storage locker to keep your flicking tax records.

By: SimplyForties

SimplyForties — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 23:58:28 +0000

Oh my goodness, I always feel like I’m drowning in paper. In spite of having divested myself of most of my possessions I still feel like I have too much. One day I was analyzing that and realized it wasn’t “stuff” it was PAPER! So many files, receipts, notes, etc., I hate it. What happened to that paperless society we were supposed to be becoming? Even if I got rid of every “thing” I owned I’d still need to have a little UHaul because of those darn files! Must have felt somewhat liberating to burn so much of yours.

By: funny

funny — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 13:45:28 +0000

Yes, it is too bad not to have been able use the paper that way. But there was just too much to shred. It would have burned out my shredder. As it was, it took a good five hours to feed all that paper into the fireplace.

By: Cat

Cat — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 09:08:26 +0000

My compost pile and I weep at the loss of all the good shreds. I take the shreds of all my docs and my daughters’ docs after tax time and feed them all to my compost, gardens and worms and let them take all our identity info with them…

By: funny

funny — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 01:09:10 +0000

@ frugal scholar: I did give her all the documentation. I also gave her (now it can be told!) the name of a barracuda who would have cheerfully cleaned ASU's clock. She never did anything about it, though. Americans are nowhere near as litigious as the mythology says. Most people will take stuff like that laying down. And those who operate large corporations and pretend-corporations like ASU know it. The IRS specifically states that you should keep tax returns three to seven years and advises that insurance companies and creditors may demand that you keep records even longer. The Motley Fool advises that you keep tax returns forever and ancillary documents a minimum of three years. As for what Ms. Bartleby could dream up...who knows? And who knows who might be her target? I was her immediate supervisor, and I'm the one who was in conflict with her. So I imagine if she could cook up some cause to lodge a formal complaint or even to sue, I'd be in the middle of it.

By: frugalscholar

frugalscholar — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:07:30 +0000

This is one of my problem areas–and the stuff’s not even organized. AS for the potential lawsuit, why not send the documentation to the person who was un-offered the job? That way, if she wants to sue, she has the material.

If Mrs. Bartleby hasn’t been roused to a lawsuit, she probably won’t be. But…wouldn’t your dean be responsible?

The IRS has copies of all your old tax returns, doesn’t it?

Good luck.