Our lives are busy enough, who wants more administrivia? Keeping track of bills and money can be kept to a minimum with a few simple strategies. The next few posts will include suggestions and tips to manage bills, banking, investments and debts.

A good place to start is by organizing your financial papers and files. Gathering your paperwork will take less time than you think and once you have the right system, tools and equipment it will be a breeze to maintain.

1. Gather and sort your papers by type and by date (bills, account statements, pay stubs, tax information, savings statements) and put them in labeled file folders.
2. Organize a location to hold your files (Banker’s Box, tote or file drawer).
3. File alphabetically or by how often you file them.