A way to organize all the items as well as keeping them safe is to purchase a fireproof safe.  Fireproof safes come in a variety of sizes and price ranges so you do not feel like you have to break the bank to store and protect your documents. Here are a few different types of fire proof safes that you can use in your home or office.

Fireproof Wall Safe – This type is often a small fireproof safe that you can hide a lot easier than a standard safe because you can hide them behind pictures, doors or even at the back of closets. You not only want to install fireproof home safes just because they will protect your important documents in a fire, from dust or water or a disaster, but they are less likely to be tampered with in a break-in because the thief must first locate the safe before he can even try and break the lock.

Fire Safe File Cabinets – If you have a lot of important documents in your office or at home, then investing in a fire safe file cabinet is a good investment.  These also come in a variety of sizes and are essential if you need to file a large amount of critical documents.

Fire Safe Security Chest – This is the type I currently have, but I am considering upgrading to a fireproof document safe now that I am working from home and have a lot more items than just personal documents to store.  I did find this fire proof safe to be absolutely perfect for my situation.  It was the perfect size for me to store my passports, social security cards, a few important backup CD’s as well as two years worth of tax returns.  If you are looking at fireproof home safes and do not want to spend a lot of money and only need to store a small amount of valuables and documents this is the best option.  You get security without spending a lot.

Being prepared is essential to having a stress free life.  I’m not saying that you have to prepare for every moment or every thing, but when it comes to important things it will save you in the long run.  Should a disaster strike such as a fire, flood or theft, having a fireproof safe to store your documents and valuables in will give you some peace of mind.  Take a look online at the various types of safes that are available.  Figure out what it is you want to store to get and idea of the size of the safe that you need.  Then shop around to find the best price to fit your budget.

Organizing Recipes On Your Computer – Create a folder called recipes.  Within that folder create sub-folders that you label by category. I find it’s easier to label them with simple words like meats, vegetarian, appetizers, pastas, breakfast, low cholesterol, low sodium, deserts, gluten free recipes etc.  It all depends on what foods you typically eat and what your preferences are.  Then, save the document in its designated folder and label it something that you can clearly find and identify for example: Moms Toad In The Hole.

Organizing Recipes Online – I have two ways that I organize my recipes online.  The first one is using bookmarks on my web browser. I set this up no different than how I set up a folder on my computer.  I create my recipe folder in my bookmarks and all the sub-folder with the various categories and when I stumble across a recipe online I save it to the appropriate folder. I make sure to label it in a way that is easy to identify.

The second way I store my recipes online is a website and iphone application called Big Oven. With big oven you can store your favorite recipes as well as browse new ones.  They have great features like try soon as well as a leftover wizard that will tell you what you can make out of your leftovers.

Organizing Recipes Hard Copy – The best way that I have found to keep all my recipes in one location is using a 3 ring binder.  That way you can add to and remove at your convenience.  If you write your recipe in a notebook its permanently there and if you run out of room you have to start another book. Here is how I set mine up

• Organize all your recipes into categories, just like you would if you were doing this on a computer

• Get a new 3 ring binder and some tab dividers that you can label yourself.  Write each of the sections that you have onto a new tab divider

• Buy some clear sleeve inserts for the 3 ring binder. This will help keep the recipe in good condition and should you need to take it out of the binder it adds a layer of protection

• Insert your recipes into the clear sleeves and file them in the correct category they belong in

If you want to find your recipes at a glance you can always create an index.  You can put an 8×11 piece of paper at the front of the binder and write the name of each recipe that is in each section or you can create the list on your computer and as you add some new recipes, update your sheet and print it out.  This way you don’t have to continually skim through the entire section to find what you’re looking for.  This is also great if you have no idea what you want for dinner and need to see a big list for ideas.

You can also create an index for recipes that you like in your cookbooks or ones that are stored on your computer.  Quickly right down the recipe you enjoy, write the name of the cook book it is in as well as the page and now you can quickly pull that book and get to cooking. Same thing with your recipes on your computer. Write down the name of the recipe and the folder it is stored in.

If you come across a lot of recipes that you would like to try soon, create a try soon section within your computer folders or recipe binder. If you get a lot of recommended recipes from friends create a section labeled recommended.  So now, as you come across recipes in a magazine you can rip them out of the magazine and insert them into your binder.  If you come across a recipe online, you can either print a hard copy for your binder or save it on your computer.

Once you have set up your recipe organization it will be so much easier going forward to find all the recipes you enjoy.   Then you can start to brag to all of your friends telling them “this is how I organize my recipes” and you will sound like an organizing guru.

I find that most people don’t file for these two reasons:

• It seems tedious.  Well, you know what…if you let it pile up for months it will be tedious. If you keep up on your filing system and file every day or even once a week it will be easy to maintain.
• Don’t know where to file things.  Most things that you need to keep have a place. If you truly can’t figure out where a piece of paper needs to be filed, keep a miscellaneous section in your filing system. This really isn’t something that will happen that often anyway.

The first step is to determine the method for your filing systems. Will it be numerical or by categories.  I personally think categories are the easiest way to go for a home filing system. If it’s an office filing system them you will have to put a little more thought into it as each business is different and has different filing needs.

Next is to set up your filing system by separating current files from historic files.  Current files are papers that you access on a regular basis or are from the current year.  Historic files are papers that you will unlikely have to access however you must keep them for retention purposes like tax or loan documents.  If possible try and separate the two filing systems.  You can do this with a lateral file cabinet, but if this is for a home filing system and you do not have a lot of room, keep your historic files in a box or easily identify them in your filing cabinet as historic.

The next step is to determine what papers you REALLY need and what papers can be shredded or recycled. If you have an electronic copy more often than not you do not need a physical copy as well.  You really need to look at each piece of paper and say is this something I really need to keep or can I part with it.  When you choose to keep a piece of paper, sort the paper into different piles/categories and use a post-it note to label each pile until a permanent category name has been chosen.

There are all sorts of reasons to file things, for example if you have hobbies that you research a lot or you keep letters from friends or family and various other miscellaneous items.  Those items only you can decide if they are really necessary to keep.  However, to help you with the basics of what should be kept for either a short period of time or forever I have compiled a list.  These are just the basics for a home filing system, not a business and will vary by person.

Items you need to keep forever:

• Social Security Card
• Alien Cards & Passports (usually you can toss these once/if you have renewed them however I like to keep them forever because you just never know)
• Vaccination Records
• Certificates – Birth, Marriage, Divorce and Death
• Important Military Documents

Items you need to keep for at least 7 years:

• Canceled Checks, Bank Statements & Credit Card Statements– A lot of banks are going paperless so you should look into keeping these electronically. It will help reduce the amount of paper you have in your filing system.
• Retirement Contributions
• Tax returns and all supporting documentation for tax returns
  • Once you get your W2’s at the end of each year and all looks well you can toss your paycheck stubs

Items you need to keep while you own them:

• Car – Titles, Loan documents, Repair records, Warranties
• Appliances and big purchases – Manuals, Receipts, Warranties
• Stocks, Bonds, Investments, Savings Certificates, Real Estate Records, Home Improvements – these should be kept from ownership plus 7 years

Items you need to keep until a specified date:

• Wills – Keep until it has been replaced by a new version
• Insurance Policies – Keep until you sell the property, the policy expires and claims, if any, have been settled
• Yearly retirement statements – Keep until funds have been exhausted

Hopefully this information will give you an idea of how to set up your filing system. Like I said, if you keep up on it it’s really not as boring as it sounds.  It’s very important to have filing systems that are easy to get to because you never know when you will need to find something quickly. Plus, when everything is neatly put away and you can start to see your desk again you will smile, I promise!!