I often hear people grumble when tax season rolls around that they are overwhelmed by paper and scrambling to get all their tax documents together.
If your 2014 paper management system failed you, here are two quick strategies you can start using right now to avoid that feeling next year:
- Give yourself a home base: Don’t wait for February 2016. Create a “2015 Taxes” folder or box immediately, if you haven’t already. As soon as you bring home a receipt or other document you need for filing, stick it in the 2015 Taxes folder.
- Pick a prime location: Don’t limit yourself to your desk or home office. If you like to sort through mail in the kitchen, or pay bills from your dining room table, consider keeping your Taxes folder or box nearby. You want the folder to be so convenient that you won’t have any reason to toss a tax document into a ‘to be sorted later’ pile.
You’ll feel much better on the day next year when your accountant, your dad, or your local turbo tax commercial reminds you that it’s time to start thinking about taxes again.