Comments on: I’m Suffering From “I-might-need-it” Informationitus

By: Dr. Julie-Ann

Dr. Julie-Ann — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 14:44:44 +0000

Doing 10-15 minutes a day to get a handle on this. My email inbox has 2800 messages in it, now. A lot of my saved email is either correspondence between a client and me OR tax-related receipts. I see now the value of setting up boxes for those things and then being able to just save them onto a disk at the end of the year to put into the hard file folder with the rest of the stuff.

By: Connie Knapp

Connie Knapp — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 12:45:01 +0000

I’d love to say that I’m not a pack rat, but I, too, have old records because I “might need them one day.” A few years ago I met a man who has – are you ready? – NO paper- he and his wife have digitized everything. I’d love to say that would solve my problems, but I bet I’m not the only one who has wondered “now what file did I stick that word doc in? And worse, what did I call it?” That made me realize the problem isn’t the media, it’s me!
Thanks for this entry-now I have a name for what’s wrong with me!
And thanks, Meggin, for pointing me to this.

By: Susan the AskFreedomFilerExpert

Susan the AskFreedomFilerExpert — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 20:53:56 +0000

I was at a NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizers) conference 5 years ago and saw the product, bought it, and it sat in the box for 6 months. But once I started using it I was hooked. I began to use it in my business, (I’m an estate organizer) advising my clients to use it, and then started teaching workshops on decluttering at the local community college. I completed my certification as a FreedomFiler consultant and am an advisor with the founder and CEO of FreedomFiler, Seth Odam. I began one year ago doing monthly virtual teleclasses focused on organizing your life to find balance, order and joy. I love sharing with people about FreedomFiler and how it can simplify your life and get rid of those piles. Although the product itself is very intuitive, easy to set up and use out of the box, I find that most people can get a lot more out of it with my teleclasses. I also post Q&A’s on my FB page, send a monthly helpful tip, and provide personal consulting. It’s a very rewarding career and I am proud to be associated with the product.

By: Dr. Julie-Ann

Dr. Julie-Ann — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:20:35 +0000

That looks VERY interesting, Susan! Thank you for sharing that resource with us. How did you find it and become an expert?

By: Susan the AskFreedomFilerExpert

Susan the AskFreedomFilerExpert — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:08:14 +0000

Dear Dr. Julie-Ann, I love your site and thanks to my good friend and mentor Meggin for posting on FB. Your “I might need it informationitus” condition is either highly contagious or it’s in our DNA because I rarely find anyone who doesn’t suffer from it. It’s so tied up with emotional stuff and indecision, people really do suffer and beat themselves up for saving and storing all this paper clutter. You are so fortunate to have had your grandfather prepare everything for you and your family before he passed. He knew exactly what was needed, no more no less. The GoodHousekeeping chart is helpful but I know of an even better tool that I have been using and sharing for over 5 years called the FreedomFiler. It is a filing “system” that has all those retention rules built into the color-coded label system. They call it a “self purging system” which really means that once you file it, you don’t have to make any more decisions because they are made for you. I would love to share more about it if you and your readers are interested, but check out the website http://www.askfreedomfilerexpert.com for more info about the product. PS: notice I use the same overwhelmed lady behind the desk image on my website.

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 18:29:56 +0000

Kathy, I do the same thing on the receipts for my husband! I tear off the survey/credit card app/coupon or whatever is on the bottom and circle the date and amount in addition to writing the budget categories. It makes it a lot easier for him.

By: Dr. Julie-Ann

Dr. Julie-Ann — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 18:04:16 +0000

Kathy, that link to the Good Housekeeping chart basically tells you what you will need. Basically, the rule of thumb (from what I’ve read and what my brother has told me) is that if you’ve put it on your tax return, you need the evidence to back up your deduction.

I get weirded out because of having home based businesses and so I start double-guessing myself–I use the Internet for both business and personal use. Do I keep the phone bill or not to prove how much the DSL is costing me each month? In truth, probably not because the deduction is based on a percentage rather than itemized…and my bank statements are available to me online anyway and that would be a sufficient record.

I really don’t know why I am weirded out. My brother is a tax accountant with a very low audit rate, so it isn’t like I’m playing fast and loose with the IRS. His website has a link to tax information: http://www.mearstax.com/index.php

This article may help, too: http://www.kiplinger.com/columns/ask/archive/2008/q0103.htm

By: Kathy Warnock

Kathy Warnock — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 17:42:40 +0000

So — we have to know the rules. What will I need if I’m audited? Seems like those rules change. We have gone “paperless” as much as possible, so a lot of the “paper trail” we used to keep is actually available online. At least, I think it is. Those are things we need to know.

And I agree about the lengthy store receipts. My husband tracks all of our expenditures, and I’ve taken to highlighting the date and amount spent because it’s actually hard to find that important info on some receipts.

By: Dr. Julie-Ann

Dr. Julie-Ann — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 17:09:27 +0000

I also don’t think people had as much paperwork to deal with 50 years ago. I look at my grocery receipt and the advertising and other information on the bottom of it is twice as long as the list of groceries I bought! This kind of “junk information” tacked on to the information I DO want/need also leads to the feelings of overload.

As I started to sort through papers yesterday, the same “what if I need it for an audit?” feeling came creeping into my thoughts.

By: Kathy Warnock

Kathy Warnock — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:18:55 +0000

My clutter relates to projects I’m pursuing, books I’m reading, etc. I’m okay as long as I can leave it on the guest bed and close the door. My husband takes care of the financial paperwork and does a good job. My frustration is with receipts that must be kept if we expect to have recourse on things we buy.

I guess we have to be systematic no matter what.