Interesting thoughts -- we could all improve on paperwork storage in our homes. Two things I think I'm doing well that differ from the above mentioned Script, and someone else might find some ideas in my methods: Taxes. Yes, like Script, I am scrupulous about maintaining records for my taxes. About a dozen years ago I went to the office supply and bought two big boxes of BRIGHT GREEN folders (green like money). I labeled them Taxes 2000 ... Taxes 2001 ... Taxes 2002 ... Taxes 2003 ... and so on. Given my family's typical lifespan, I made enough green folders to take me to age 110 -- probably more than I'll need, but I'm ready! They're all stored in my file cabinet, taking up very little space. Now when I receive anything tax-related -- a charitable receipt, an end-of-the-year bank statement, whatever -- I have a place to file it. In April, I have a place to file a copy of my taxes, and I can go back and see previous tax years. For the rest of my life, this system is in place. Death folder. Ours is a notebook. Two identical notebooks, actually, since we have two children. Our girls are young adults now, but they've never dealt with an estate -- even if they don't open it 'til they're old, it'll be useful to them. It contains a lot of stuff: - A personal letter to the two of them - A list of our wishes about funeral and items we'd like donated to various family members or charities - A list of things they must do immediately; it starts with going to our house and taking possession of the dog, but it also includes small details like canceling our voting registration and destroying any medicines in the house. At every turn this list includes addresses and phone numbers, including the lawyer we suggest for probate, the funeral home our family's always used, and family members who should be contacted. - A copy our will; they know what's in it -- everything split between the two of them - A list of our financial assets -- bank accounts, investments, insurance, deeds/maps of real estate ... when our youngest became a legal adult, we made the two girls co-beneficiaries of every account; note that this was done before either was married, so our two kids -- not future son-in-laws -- will own these items. - A list of the bills we pay each month -- electricity, phone, even the guy who cuts our grass. - Official copies of our birth certificates, our marriage certificates, and the girls' birth certificates -- they might not be needed, but the girls won't have to scramble to find them - A flashdrive with all of the above in digital format plus photographs that might be useful in putting together the funeral Our rule: We keep two years of tax returns in the notebooks ... the reason being that someday an accountant will file our final estate tax return, and he or she will want our last two years of returns -- so every April we pull out the notebook, discard one old return and insert the newest ... so our rule is that every April we look over the notebook and update anything that's changed. For example, last year we changed bank accounts, and someday we hope to add items concerning grandchildren to the book. Our girls know that the notebooks are stored in the safe, and they know where the key to the safe is hidden, and they know it's labeled with a misleading name so that a thief wouldn't look at it twice. Last thought on this notebook: Though this project took us the better part of a year --- we kept remembering one more thing, one more thing that really should be included -- we didn't find it difficult emotionally. I suspect that if we were older and/or one of us were in poor health, it might've been different.

This topic really hits home for me. I am or will be dealing with it on both sides of my family. To start with the inlaws...my MIL is a keeper and an archiver of an incredible amount of stuff. A depression baby, MIL is one of those "oh this is much too good to throw away" souls, regardless of whether the item will ever be used by her. Add to this she considers anything touched by a relative to be sacred. Even if they don't want it, she's gotta rescue it. She's an expert stacker 'n packer so her house doesn't LOOK cluttered or pack-ratty, but she holds on to things that eventually are going to be a major PITA for me to deal with. And I'll be the one dealing with it for sure. Example-she has a box of memorabilia that belonged to *her* aunt's husband. Stuff like his college fraternity pin, diplomas and credentials as a dentist, college ring etc. However, the fellow has been dead for ~40 years. He and auntie (who died a decade ago) never had children. MIL has already tried to pass his stuff on to his relatives who said no thanks. So someday I'm going to have this box of items to dispose of. Not to mention the aunt's possessions- another long dead relative with not a single direct descendant-as well. And so on and so on. And that isn't the worst of it. She has a house full of furniture including things made by her late husband, my FIL. It isn't heirloom quality furniture, it is pretty much as far from my taste as you can possibly get...and I cannot imagine what is going to happen when she is gone and the furniture has to be disposed of. Sigh. She of course has kept huge amounts of memorabilia from her sons. School papers, toys, games etc etc. Her sons (my husband and his brother) don't want it. However I know my husband and he is going to insist that we can't get rid of anything that is in that house. I of course have my OWN house full of way too much stuff as it is, so there is no way I'm going to be able to possibly keep all of MIL's accumulation or even a small portion of it. Lord, give me strength. Then there is my own side of the family. That hits the theme of the parent remarrying. My dad remarried after my mother died. That wife was pretty brutal; out of insecurity I suppose she just didn't want much of anything of my mother left around. So a lot of what might have been available is gone. And, at the time I was younger and didn't have the wherewithal to even think of rescuing items, except for a precious few. Example-after that wife dumped my father(!) I found my mother's cedar chest left outside to rot. Inside were all my mother's letters written to us kids from the hospital when she was first diagnosed with the cancer that later killed her. We have very little left of my mother's things to hold on to. I rescued her wedding dress, her set of silverplate flatware, and a few other things but most of it is long gone. Fast forward. My dad remarried again, to a woman who at least appreciates decent quality items. However, by this time my grandmother had lived and died with them and my stepmother then snatched up and kept every single piece of my grandmother's furniture, silverware, and china that was actually worth anything or in decent shape. Stuff that my grandmother had been very clear about passing on to her granddaughters. Nothing has been given to any of the 7 grandchildren (my siblings, my cousin and me). Supposedly it is because 'your father really appreciates having it' but this a guy who when referring to antiques once told me he doesn't even like "old battered furniture". And to top it off, she moved in with a houseful of her own furniture so their home looks like Ye Olde Mixed Up Antiques and Junque Shoppe :). Filled to bursting with his pieces, her pieces and now my grandmother's pieces. Supposedly it will all be 'passed along to you girls' someday but who knows if that will ever come? Gosh, this turned into a long ramble. Cathartic though! Ann

The best part of 2016 is my father's and stepbrother's continued cancer-free status. For both of them, it really is miraculous, and I have to think about them often when I start getting down about other aspects of life. I also just recently learned I was selected for a promotion at work that will mean a lot more responsibility. As soon as the paperwork comes through (state agency during the holidays, so . . .) I'll get started with what will be something of an excavation process and the re-righting of a ship. Knowing this new position was about to kick off, I decided to skip the two-week trip back east with DH for the holidays. Planning to skip the trip was prescient on my part, because I just uncovered some infidelity and other shenanigans on my DH's behalf, and I'm also using these weeks to focus on how this changes what I thought my life looked like, and what I want my life to look like in the future. My mom remains a challenge, with mental and emotional issues that lead more and more to her striking out at me. This isn't going to get better before it gets worse, so I'm factoring this in to the whole "what do I want my life to look like" analysis. But I live in a beautiful city in a beautiful state where I have plenty to distract me from the day-to-day. My adorable dogs are healthy and love me unconditionally. I'm financially in good shape and can weather the storm. 2016 I suppose had a theme of "change", for better or for worse. I'm looking to 2017 to offer some sort of resolution.

I'm sort of a pack rat. I hate to throw something out that I make use of later - yeah, like when? I have many of my college text books. I kept anything that I might need to refer to and I hated to throw out class projects that I put so much effort into, especially;y the ones that were good. I place value on old stuff that connects me to my past (genealogy). I have a few of my Dad's and Father-in-law's school books. Among these are a math and American History book, Aseops Fables, and a Government publication called "Letters to the President". This book is a collection of one year's miscellaneous missives sent to the Office of the President. Many are simple reports of dispute settlements on the frontier to a heartfelt thanks from the Russian Ambassador to the US people for sending a ship-load of wheat to Russia during a famine. I also have promissory notes written by my 3rd Grandfather beginning in 1822 in TN. One is written to a fellow by the name of Boon. I do not have a lot of extra clothing. I wear what I got until its worn and then it gets used for cleaning and wiping rags or tossed out. Come to think of it, I need to clean out the garage. It is loaded with junk.