Functional Filing System #2

Bring to Order

Filing Systems don’t only apply to the filing cabinet.

From the time the papers (from the mail, and kids homework) come into your home you’ll need proper locations set up for these items. I had systems set up for all the paper issues, but I 

admitted to myself that these  systems didn’t work for me.  The improper system gave me 

my results = paper disaster’s.  I knew I was failing. I don’t like to fail. So I had to find an easier 

filing system.

 If you haven’t read Step 1 & 2a you can find them (here).

Step 2b

My mail; I get the mail, I sort the mail, I write out the bills, & I file away the bill stubs. We pay 

a few of our bills on-line, but not all. Even if I did pay all on-line I’d personally need this financial binder to tell me what to pay this week.

As mentioned before my mail would either get filed away under the designated topic in the 

file box.

 Sometimes the mail would end up in a pile on my desk. 

Sometimes the  mail would get pinned up on our cork board. 

And most of the time it would lay on the dining room table, sometimes opened, sometimes not.  

Yes! We ate dinner around it. Bad huh?

Other organizing blogger ladies suggest to make a financial binder. That way as the bills come 

in they will be put inside the binder, and be found when it’s time to pay.

It's an old binder that one of my children has refused to use anymore. So it's my temporary 

financial binder until I can get a pretty one.

Ok! well, I tried this for a while, I loved the idea. Maybe it wasn’t working for me because I didn't compartmentalize the bills according to when they were due. Again my results=disastrous. I'm 

not saying the suggestions about making the binder were bad, but just how I had it set up. 

I needed to rethink my set up system.

Then I had an idea. I should make 4 sections (why 4) you ask? 

For two reasons:

 #1 Because we are paid weekly, and there are 4 weeks in most months. For those who are not 

paid weekly, you may still have bills due on those non-paycheck weeks.  Since we do I've made 

four dividers. Actually I made 5 sections for those months that we call bonus months because 

of the extra paycheck. My tabs are numbered according to the weeks. 

 #2 Now I have the total weeks bills written on my print-out by the week due. Above photo 

shows a regular lined piece of paper for this step but I did make a pretty useful print-out 

sheet for my weekly and monthly listed items.

Also made a Monthly Finances form for myself. Sometimes I have more going on in one 

month like in June--birthday's or December--Christmas. I think this will help me if I have 

them listed.

This has helped tremendously & made things so simple. I don’t have to think too hard 

about where it goes now. 

Each weeks section contains it's own compartment to hold the bill with the bills return envelope. Again what relief. The suggestion to make a binder were perfect, but not until 

I found the way it would work for me. 

If you are not having success, then consider what to tweak for your own way of filing. 

What works for you? I’d love to hear any suggestions as I’m open to any improvements 

I can make.

Connie