just doing a spring clean of my room, think theres enough decent stuff to get a few bob doing a car boot soon!!

but just wondering do u guys keep all your bills, bank statements and credit card statements? just wondering whether to chuck them or not. and add to that pay slips.

Im a bit of a hoarder with regards to bills, statements and payslips - but I guess that is down to what I do for a job.......Im a Financial Controller, so most companies have to keep 7 years of accounts/records for Inland Revenue and VAT purposes, so I tend to do the same at home, I just "archive" it all and have a box that I keep it all in......

Like Queenie I used to "archive" it all - but recently I just threw them all out cos I didn't really need them.
While on the subject, my bank card was swallowed by a cash machine last night. Not happy :ranting:

I tend to keep pay slips for the taxable year and bank statements for the last 12 months. P60s I keep forever - dunno why

Bills I tend to keep for ages and ages and then suddenly I'll chuck them all out and find I need them!

As for receipts I've got hundreds of them, some of them for stuff I haven't even got anymore!

Kooks in my more organised days, I bought myself a small, portable filing cabinet, sort of like a large vanity case, but made of metal, with a handle and files inside - which were easily accessible. Oh and it locked - so I could keep stuff private - when I shared houses with others.

This worked fine when I was a lot younger and didn't have much to file, it would fit nicely into the bottom of a wardrobe, or under a table.

Nowadays we have a huge full sized four drawer jobby, in the garage, stuffed to overflowing with stuff!!

I've just bought a three drawer, plastic thingymujiggy to sort out all my paperwork, cause it was all just stuffed in the dresser drawer.

So I have sorted out all the different things and they are now in neat plastic envelopes. I wonder how long it will stay neat though.

As for keeping stuff, wage slips I've chucked all but the previous years out, cause the P60's cover the other years.
Bank statements I've just kept a years worth. I remember when I came back from America and tried to open a bank account and they wanted 6 months statements from my American bank. So I tend to take that as a guideline.

Basically I think if you just keep things for a year you'll be fine, but your P60 forms show all the tax for other years so always keep them.

Having been in accountancy for the best part of my life, I keep 7 years of everything - in fact 8 just to be sure. I know just how sticky the tax folks can get, and it costs nothing to keep them!

Up until recently I had hoard everything from the year dot, but I recently had a clear out and binned most of it. I now have only have about a years worth! Do you think I am asking for trouble Queeenie & Eternity?

Yep, I have a lever arch file and have sections for gas, leccy, phone, also a separate folder for bank statements. If you keep stuff for long enough it comes in useful.

Maybe not ILS, but I have worked self employed a lot in my life, and I know I have to keep full records of everything. If you just do a PAYE type job without anything else you should be OK. However, I would not risk it no matter what I did. I still have all the accounts from a business I ran 20 years ago....just in case! I have several boxes of stuff in the attic that I dare not let go.

Thanks Eternity!

I do have a paye job and always have done, so hopefully I will be ok. The reason I binned it all was that I have never had any reason to refer to anything..... fingers crossed, I won't need to in the future!

You know, my Dad found an old chest in Mums room when she died recently. In that box were receipts from the war, and it was just astounding to look through them all. Right down to a grocery shopping list with the prices written on.


Sometimes it's worth hanging onto those old bits of paper!

dear lord im gonna need a barn in the future for all my stuff!

Nowadays we have a huge full sized four drawer jobby, !!

oh dear must be very big and smelly!!!



p.s jobby is a slang word in my book as a poop!! in case u didnt know

Im a bit of a hoarder with regards to bills, statements and payslips - but I guess that is down to what I do for a job.......Im a Financial Controller, so most companies have to keep 7 years of accounts/records for Inland Revenue and VAT purposes, so I tend to do the same at home, I just "archive" it all and have a box that I keep it all in......


Oh Queenee help me with my tax return pleeeeeease!!!! :bye:

I don't even open the buggers, let alone file them :cool2:

Yes Kooks it stinks - that is why I never go near it!!

Take a leaf out of Eternity and Queeeeeeeenies books and then dont' take Floops advice dont open it!!! [btw - I have followed Floops advice for years now}!! And 'Stanley see the mess you got me into'!!!:wink2: