Have you ever accidentally thrown something away to later find out that it was actually pretty important...? I can't imagine how many times I've thrown bills away or actual credit cards thinking they were junk mail!
We talked about different types of mail you can throw away SAFELY and a few other types of mail that you should probably hold onto (according Reader's Digest).
Things you CAN throw away
- Bank statements (or just opt out to have them sent to you)
- Monthly bills (once their paid, there's no need to keep them. ESPECIALLY since we live in a digital age where you can track your payments)
- Credit card offers (this is just clogging up your mailbox)
- Coupons...unless you use them and don't use any digital ones
- Invitations / Thank you cards (after the event is done, of course. No need to scrapbook these!)
Things you should KEEP
- W-2s and 1099s (for up to 7 years)
- Pay stubs (unless you get everything digitally...save them for about a month or two)
- Insurance policies (obviously, you need to reference this stuff)
- Medical Bills (you should save these for around a year! That way, you know what you've paid)