Misplaced Tax Bill

debodun

debodun

SF VIP
Location
way upstate in New York, USA
I am getting more confused by the day, even for a person on the young side of being a senior. I woke up around midnight thinking I had not seen the county tax bill I had received last week. I remember opening it and the first digit of the tax amount.

I usually open my mail at my desk. I got up and tore the desk apart looking for it - removing items on the surface an opening the drawers. I even looked through grocery bags and in the kitchen. I went back to bed and couldn't sleep thinking about it.

After a while I remembered that I had all last years receipts out on the desk looking through them around that time. I thought that maybe I had scooped up the bill along with the receipts when I put them away. I got the receipt bundle out. It took 3 passes through them but there was the tax bill between two Medicare statement envelopes. I'd better pay the bill before I lose it again. Good thing I even thought of it.

Sheeesh.....
 

On the plus side, Deb, at least you did remember that the bill was missing or not fully resolved.

And, later, you also remembered another place to look for it.
So those are both, good signs that, while we do get mixed up, (more often, perhaps)
but if we remember clues, then we do have plenty of our abilities still left!

Developing a system, for everything, seems like good advice,
IF that is what was meant by that post.
Though I do find it more difficult to set up systems for things, than I used to, and sticking with them, is also not as easy as it once was, however it is still worth continuing to try to do, as much as possible.

Though I too, would be interested in more specifics about what systems, people use to keep things orderly,
and in what was meant by that post.
 
RadishRose said:
I don't keep anything a year old.
Click to expand...
Radish, I think I need you to come out here and help me with all my paperwork. If you want to hitch hike I'll send you the $ for a hamburger every so often. I have paperwork from several years ago. Mostly medical stuff. Not sure why, but I'm afraid to throw it away. You toss what should be tossed while I mix us up a pitcher of Margaritas. OKAY? It sounds like a good idea to me.
 
Kaila said:
Though I too, would be interested in more specifics about what systems, people use to keep things orderly
Click to expand...
I have a roll top desk.
Everything pending is pigeon holed
Everything resolved is filed...for a year
I keep mid to major item receipts stapled to the manuals in a file for manuals

If the pending stuff is involved (like buying a house), I have it in a folder on the desk top

Really important stuff (wills, etc) is in a fire proof box...time not a factor
 
It doesn't matter what system, as long as you USE it. That way habit takes over when memory gets a bit faulty.

I know a couple who open all their mail as soon as they get inside, over the recycle bin, and everything that doesn't get kept immediately goes into the shredder or recycler while the other stuff gets tossed into a bin to get dealt with as needed.

Another of my friends doesn't even LOOK at her mail when she brings it in. It just all goes into a tray on her desk, and then once a week she sits down for an afternoon and goes through everything, shredding, filing, writing checks, answering letters (she still gets a few of those) and trying to get everything done at a sitting. Those things that require more time go into her pending basket.

My own system is somewhat different and is in transition because I keep having to move things as we renovate the house, so I've made it as portable as possible for that reason. Once we actually create a permanent office I'll be able to set things up exactly the way I want them.
 
RadishRose said:
I don't keep anything a year old.
Click to expand...
Over here if you are self employed we need to keep all
accounting documents for at least 6 years in case there
is a query, or at least that is how it was when I was working,
but it could be different now of course.

Mike.
 
I pay the few bills that still come in the mail as soon as they arrive and file the notice in a small stack of envelopes for the year. At the end of the year, I go through them toss most and file a few with my long term files.

This time of year as the items relating to my income tax return trickle in I put them on the seat of an old captain's chair in the corner of my room. After they all arrive I scan them and ship them to the accountant. Later I file them with a copy of the tax return and the accountant's paid bill.

My day to day bills are paid automatically, I keep a folder of the email notifications until I review the online statement to verify that the payment was credited to my account.

I keep a rolling seven to ten years hardcopy of tax returns and bank/brokerage statements on file because that's about what the file box will hold.

I agree with Ronni it doesn't matter what system you use as long as you use the system you have put in place.
 
I get all of my bank, and tax related statements in January. Each year I promise to do my taxes before the month ends. Well, things happen. So April 14th comes around and I have to do my taxes. I can't find my bank statement. It was right there, sitting on my deck for months. Now , it's gone, and I haven't done my taxes. I tear the house apart and look through my trash, and for some unknown reason, in April, I have a lot of disgusting trash. When there's just enough time to sent it in, I find the damn thing. This has been going on for at least 50 years.
 
Linda said:
Radish, I think I need you to come out here and help me with all my paperwork. If you want to hitch hike I'll send you the $ for a hamburger every so often. I have paperwork from several years ago. Mostly medical stuff. Not sure why, but I'm afraid to throw it away. You toss what should be tossed while I mix us up a pitcher of Margaritas. OKAY? It sounds like a good idea to me.
Click to expand...
I'm on my way @Linda!

🤗
 
RadishRose said:
I don't keep anything a year old.
Click to expand...

I don't keep most stuff that long unless it's tax related. With the recent changes in what's deductible and what's not most of the stuff we used to need to keep we don't need anymore. And a lot of stuff can be accessed elsewhere -- for instance, since my county assessor's office went online, I don't keep any of that property tax stuff either, after I pay the bill. If I did need it I can get it online. I just hate paper. It just accumulates until you're covered up by it.
 
debodun said:
I am getting more confused by the day, even for a person on the young side of being a senior. I woke up around midnight thinking I had not seen the county tax bill I had received last week. I remember opening it and the first digit of the tax amount.

I usually open my mail at my desk. I got up and tore the desk apart looking for it - removing items on the surface an opening the drawers. I even looked through grocery bags and in the kitchen. I went back to bed and couldn't sleep thinking about it.

After a while I remembered that I had all last years receipts out on the desk looking through them around that time. I thought that maybe I had scooped up the bill along with the receipts when I put them away. I got the receipt bundle out. It took 3 passes through them but there was the tax bill between two Medicare statement envelopes. I'd better pay the bill before I lose it again. Good thing I even thought of it.

Sheeesh.....
Click to expand...
you could always tell them the check is in the mail.
 
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