saving important documents

[Gerianne]

do you save your monthly phone bill records for 2 or 3 or 5 years?

[braggin]

I save all bills, records and receipts for about 5 years. Sometimes they come in handy, especially when you want to return something to a store or check whether you have already paid a bill or not. 

[msmoneybags48]

I save documents because they become necessary in case you need to check something.  I am not down with throwing away important documents because something can always happen to slap you in the face and, as long as you have your records handy, it brings you peace of mind.

[gaylasue]

I have boxes of paid paper bills that I have been saving for years.  I save most receipts of on-line payments on my computer.

[jkhanson]

I have saved receipts for almost everything we buy or bills that we pay for years.  They are in file boxes by the year.

After about 10 years of file boxes, my husband purged them.  I  don't know which papers he actually kept.

I do know we don't have shelves full of file boxes anymore.

[tashamjoy]

I save all important documents bills, medical records, car mechanic info, etc problem is I keep things all over the place not much organization at all and can never find what I need.

[jkhanson]

do you save your monthly phone bill records for 2 or 3 or 5 years?

After your question, Gerianne, I did a FusionCash Tool bar Google Search on this topic.

Here is what I found:
   

How to Know What Paperwork to Keep
By Dannah Swift, eHow Contributor

   
If you don't know which paperwork you should be keeping, chances are you're keeping far too much. Knowing which paperwork to keep and for how long will help you get your paperwork organized in such a way that the most important documents are safely stored and easily accessible. One or two file cabinets, a fireproof safe and a paper shredder will come in handy.

Things You'll Need

    Fireproof safe
    Shredder
    File cabinet

Instructions

        1          Keep supporting documentation for tax returns for seven years, but keep the returns themselves indefinitely, as Liz Pulliam Weston of MSN Money recommends. Supporting documentation would include receipts and statements for anything you claimed as a deduction on your return for that year.
        2         Keep bank statements and credit card bills only as long as you need them. Credit card statements serve no purpose once the bill is paid, so shred it and recycle it. Unless you're involved in a legal battle where they may be necessary, your bank statements can be thrown out as soon as the new statement arrives.
       
        3          Shred insurance policies as soon as the new ones arrive. If you have old policies lying around, those too can be shredded. Contact your insurance provider to find out the period of limitations for filing a claim and keep supporting documentation relating to a claim for that amount of time.
        4          Keep the annual reports from investment companies and brokerages, but shred the quarterly reports.
        5          File your pay stubs only for the year for which you need to pay taxes, but then get rid of them.
        6          Keep receipts that serve as supporting documentation for a tax return and receipts for major home appliance and furniture purchases, along with the manuals. The receipts for appliances are especially important if you'll need them in order to use the warranty.
        7          File the following types of documents in a fireproof safe: the deed to your house, marriage license, divorce decree, pension plan documents, estate-planning documents--such as your will or trust documents--and the inventory of any safe-deposit boxes. But, as Weston reminds us, all these documents, even the most important--can be reproduced, so don't panic if you accidentally shred one very important one.

[jford87]

I am actually trying to cut back on how many documents I save. I don't think phone bills need to be kept longer than a year at most.

[dreamyxo]

My bills are online so I really don't get paper bills.  When I did no I didn't save them. 

[plennis]

I save everything for one year, then I asked my tax accountant what I need to keep, the rest if shred and get rid of.    All of our birth certificates, Indian registration papers and a list of all bank accounts and insurance forms I keep in a fire resistance box, everyone in the family knows where it is.  Grab it in a disaster as you go!                                   

[vickysue]

I save all important bills. Purge the phone, utilites, and those that are not really important after a year. Just shredd and put on the compost pile. There are a few papers we must save for all our lives. Also purge income tax after 7 years. 

[ljrjess69]

no I only save my tax records,,,or relly important stuff!!!!!!!

[patycake56]

oh no maybe for a couple of months

[queenofnines]

Don't get those when you pre-pay $100 for the entire year.

[sherryinutah]

No, I do a lot on my computer including using a free web site called checkbook.com where I can see the exact date when I paid a bill or whatever.  I file the current phone bill and at the same time I toss the phone bill for the previous month in the trash can.  I'm a minimalist--which is probably the opposite of being a hoarder.