The best way to store your paperwork at home

Managing home paperwork can be overwhelming, with bills and statements piling up faster than you can organise them. If this sounds familiar, read on. I’ve helped hundreds of clients sort out their paperwork chaos, and in this post, I’m sharing my tips on how to store important documents at home.

As a KonMari consultant, I've assisted clients in downsizing large home offices, creating household paperwork systems for busy families, and developing storage solutions to keep work-from-home spaces tidy and accessible.

In this blog:

• Declutter and set up paperwork categories

• Store paperwork based on how long you need to keep it

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• The best way to organise your paperwork at home

• How to organise paperwork without a filing cabinet

• The best ways to file your paperwork

• Memory boxes and archive paperwork

• Storing important personal documents

This guide is a review of the best ways to organise and store paperwork at home. It focuses on my favourite storage solutions that help keep your living space paper clutter-free. All the tips in this blog will ensure your paperwork is organised, making it easy to find what you need when you need it, and simple to put things away.

As the organising guru, Marie Kondo says…

“Clutter is caused by a failure to return things to where they belong. Therefore, storage should reduce the effort needed to put things away, not the effort needed to get them out.”   

This blog includes links to my paperwork storage solutions on Amazon - I receive a small commission on sales at no extra cost to you.

Start by decluttering your paperwork

Before diving into storage solutions make sure you've organised your paperwork so you're only keeping the paperwork you need. Collect all your paperwork in one place and then categorize and sort through it. This will help you confidently discard unnecessary papers.

Use the following categories to organise your paperwork. If you haven't already sorted your paperwork my quick guide to paperwork organization can help. Doing this first will simplify your paperwork storage.

File and Organise Your Paperwork by How Long You Need to Keep It

When organising your paperwork storage, consider how long you need to keep each document. Sorting your papers based on their retention period will help you create an efficient system, making finding what you need easier and reducing paper clutter.

There are 4 types of paperwork:

1. Pending Paperwork that Needs Action

   This includes paperwork that requires action or is awaiting a response, as well as current projects that you need to access frequently.

   Where to store this: Keep this somewhere easily accessible 

   When to review/empty: Aim to review this weekly, but at least once a month

   
   

2. Short Term Paperwork 

   These are documents with a limited lifespan, such as insurance policies, warranties and holiday plans.  I also include vehicle-related and employment/tax documents that are relevant.  This section would also include financial statements.

   Where to store this: Store this somewhere accessible, so you can easily file incoming papers.

   When to review/empty:  Regularly review this section as you file new documents, on a one-in, one-out basis to avoid keeping outdated paperwork.   

   
   

3. Paperwork you need to keep forever 

   This includes important papers, such as birth and marriage certificates, qualifications, ID and any contracts that need to be stored indefinitely.  

   Where to store this: Store these in a safe place away from your everyday paperwork as you don't need to access them regularly.

   When to review and empty:  It’s unlikely that you’ll need to empty this file, so focus on storing only essential documents to prevent it from becoming too full.

   
   

4. Sentimental Files

   I recommend keeping sentimental items, such as old letters, special children’s drawings, diaries, and other mementoes separate from the rest of your paperwork to prevent them from getting mixed up with other items.  

   Where to store this: Choose a safe location where you can easily find it when you fancy a trip down memory lane.  

   When to review and empty it:  You may want to review this box if your life circumstances change, especially if you don’t want others stumbling upon its contents.  

For more information about how long to keep your important paperwork check out "Do I need to keep this?"

The best way to store your paperwork at home

Store your papers upright

Storing your paperwork upright, such as in A4 folders, magazine files, or a filing cabinet, is more effective than stacking it flat in piles. This method takes up less space and makes it easier to browse through documents and find what you need quickly, without the hassle of sifting through a messy in-tray.

Vertical storage also helps maintain your filing system by placing the most recent documents at the front of each section, making it easy to remove older ones from the back and keep your paperwork up-to-date.  

Label everything!

After organising your paperwork, take the time to label your folders, files, and storage containers.  This quick task will save you time and frustration in the future, making it easy to find documents instead of searching through unmarked files. I use my Dymo label printer or stickers for labelling files.

Organising paperwork without a filing cabinet

You can keep your personal paperwork organised without a filing cabinet.  I prefer using portable storage solutions like magazine files, lever arch files and filing boxes to keep documents neatly sorted and within reach.  These options take up less space and can be placed on shelves or in your existing furniture, so you don’t need to invest in a filing cabinet 

My favourite paperwork organisation products

Magazine files

Magazine files are great for storing items that you access frequently as they make it easy to flick through the paperwork to find what you need.  They take up less space on desks than an in-tray or basket and can be stored on shelves with their backs facing out so they hide the paper – creating a calmer, tidier look.   

Great for: Daily paperwork, ongoing projects and storing documents that need checking before being filed.   

I use dividers and plastic wallets inside my magazine files to keep everyday paperwork (RSVPs, receipts, school notices) and ongoing projects (DIY, birthday lists etc) separate.  This makes it easier to flick through and pull out what I need.  

Plastic Popper wallets 

If you tend to hold onto receipts and small bits of paper, plastic popper wallets are a great way to ensure you don't lose them. I review the contents monthly to check against statements, confirm that posted parcels have arrived, and then discard unnecessary items.

Great for: Shopping receipts storage, postage receipts, and work expenses.

Plastic punched pockets 

I use these in all my paperwork organising projects to separate different types of documents. They're perfect for keeping various projects and actionable paperwork organised in magazine files. They also work well for grouping different insurance policies or holiday plans in drop-down files or A4 folders. 

A couple of added bonuses are that you can see the documents inside and won't need to search for a hole punch when filing paperwork.

Great for: all paperwork organisation

A4 Document Dividers

I use document dividers to separate different categories of paperwork within my storage systems

Great for: A4, Lever Arch and Magazine files

Paperwork storage solutions are available from my Amazon store.

I receive a small commission from sales at no extra cost to you.

A4 lever arch file folders

A4 lever arch files are a great storage solution for paperwork that needs to be filed, such as insurance policies, car documents, financial and medical records.  I use separate files or document dividers to categorise different types of paperwork. I always follow a one in, one out rule for insurance and financial documents to prevent a build-up of outdated paperwork.

Great for: Short and long term paperwork that you need to file away but keep easily accessible.

My favourite paperwork filing products

If you'd like to use drop-down suspension files but lack the space for a traditional filing cabinet then take a look at these creative file storage ideas. 

Really Useful File Box  

I love using Really Useful Boxes as sturdy storage solutions when helping clients organise their homes. However, many people aren't aware these boxes can accommodate drop-down or suspension files, making them ideal for storing home paperwork. This is my go-to option for clients who need to keep paperwork organised but prefer not to have it out in the open. The boxes can easily be stored in small spaces like cupboards or wardrobes.

Important info: The main consideration with the Really Useful Boxes is what size suspension files to order. 

• The 19 and 35L boxes take A4 files

• The 24, 35 and 42L boxes use foolscap files

Great for: Short and long-term paperwork that you need to file and paperwork you need to keep forever.

Suspension filing using an IKEA Kallax unit

If you have an Ikea KALLAX unit at home with a spare DRONA storage cube, you can create your own filing system with this clever metal mesh filing frame from Amazon. It fits neatly in the cube and uses A4 suspension files for paperwork storage.

Kallax units are excellent for paperwork storage as they easily accommodate magazine files and A4 lever arch files. 

Great for: Short and long term paperwork that you need to file and your important keep forever documents.  

Expanding Filing Box

Just a quick word on expanding filing boxes: I'm not a big fan of them because they are easily overfilled, leading to splitting or becoming difficult to keep upright.

Great for: They're not!

I prefer to use solid filing boxes like the Really Useful example above or the Bigso paperwork storage range as they help you keep on top of the amount of paperwork that you store.

Archive paperwork files and memory boxes  

The one exception to my rule of storing paperwork vertically is for archived documents and memory boxes. These often lend themselves to being stored flat in boxes, away from your everyday papers.

Box files 

Box files are great for storing archive paperwork by project or tax year and easily accommodate different sizes of paperwork if you have kept press clippings or receipts.  Remember that archive documents don’t always need to be kept forever – box files for older tax paperwork can be treated similarly to statements, with the oldest one being removed when the new one is archived.  Always check tax guidelines in your country to determine how long you need to retain paperwork. 

Great for: archived paperwork (but check you really need to keep it!)

Memory boxes

I keep a memory box for each family member and special events like our wedding. These boxes are perfect for storing mementoes, photos, School memories and other cherished items in one place.

Having just one box per person helps us stay mindful about what we keep, ensuring that anything placed in the box is truly special. As I like to remind my clients,“If everything is special, then nothing is really special”

Good for:  keeping your really important memories safe

Important documents storage ideas

Fireproof boxes and Safes

To keep important documents (birth and marriage certificates, qualifications, and passports) safe, consider investing in a fireproof and waterproof document box.  Note that these boxes are portable, so they don't protect against theft, but they offer peace of mind by ensuring that your documents can be recovered if the worst happens at home.

Home Safe

The ultimate protection for important paperwork would be investing in a home safe. I recommend talking to a professional to ensure you invest in one that fits your needs rather than buying one online.

If you liked this blog please let me know in the comments below & share it with someone who'll find it useful!

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Hi! I’m Sue, a professional home organiser and KonMari Consultant based in Hampshire, UK. I had the privilege of training with Marie Kondo and by using her methods, I help growing families and empty nesters Rightsize their Homes.

We declutter and organise to clear space and time so they can get on with the important job of enjoying life.

Are you ready to start living A Life More Organised?

For a no-obligation chat about how I can help, please get in touch

sue@alifemoreorganised.co.uk

m: 07740 782575 www.alifemoreorganised.co.uk

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Rightsize your home - helping families declutter, organise or downsize