Finding what you need – when you need it
July 7, 2008 by Becky Scott
(www.myorganizedbiz.com) – I got a notice over the weekend of an unpaid bill. Now that’s not like me at all, so I wasn’t sure what had happened. It was a medical bill, which I hate dealing with. I could have sworn I’d already paid it, but I just had to find the evidence.
Easy, right? It should be if you have your paperwork organized.
It just so happens that the bill was in my “to be filed” pile and I was easily able to put my hands on it. And right on the bill was the notation of when and how I’d paid it. I also found the credit card bill that showed the charge.
With a short phone call, things should be resolved. I’ll check back in a week to make sure that their records have been corrected.
If I didn’t have a designated place for holding files until I can file them, I would have been searching for a long time to find what I needed. And fortunately, I remembered that particular transaction, which made it easier for me to put my hands on the papers.
The question is, do you have a spot for papers before you file them? Do you have a filing system that makes it easy for you to find what you need when the occasion arises?
Image: miguelb on Flickr (creative commons license)
I have a basket that I keep my bills to be paid – this basket also has stamps, tape, envelopes, my check book, labels and a letter opener. After a bill is paid, I put it in a folder “TO FILE”. I try to keep on top of the filing, but life gets in the way sometimes. Having the “TO FILE” folder at least keeps things together and neat before you get to it.
Cara, that sounds like a great bill-payment center. Everything at hand so you don’t have to search for the supplies you need.