how long do you keep your receipts/bills/etc for ?

[rh71]

Like any responsible adult, I have a file cabinet full of bills, receipts, bank statements, etc.

The cabinet is getting pretty packed and it's only 1, not stacked drawers or anything. How long do you keep receipts, bank statements, bills, etc. for ? Is 1 year good enough ?

 

[five40]

I shredded 3 years worth of crap about 9 months ago. That felt so good.

 

[minendo]

Right now I have four years worth of stuff filed away.

 

[shiner]

3 years.....for tax purposes.

 

[Descartes]

I only keep the receipts needed for business, but I keep all my bank statements, bills, etc. until the end of the tax year. I shred them after that.

Why keep your receipts, etc. for that long? I keep them for purchases I've made, but most of my receipts have no tax relevance, and don't require me to keep them.

 

[Gibson486]

me - irresposible.....

i only keep anything i write a money order or check too....

 

[rh71]

what kind of receipts do you keep or throw away ? Like Home Depot stuff... gas fill-ups... in a nutshell, what's necessary and what's not ?

 

[WannaFly]

i have for the past 7 years: any bill that i've paid, receipt for any large purchase, letter from any company stating i owe money, etc.

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: rh71
what kind of receipts do you keep or throw away ? Like Home Depot stuff... gas fill-ups... in a nutshell, what's necessary and what's not ?

I keep receipts most non-consumables, and anything that's possible to return. I generally make sure whatever I purchase is working properly, store the receipt, and then clean it out at some point later. I toss everything else that isn't tax deductible.

 

[puffff]

receipts i generally throw out after a couple weeks, after i've decided i'm not going to return the product. i dont keep bills around long either, i can look at my credit card statements online whenever i want. the only thing i really keep track of are my pay stubs.

 

[funboy6942]

Originally posted by: shinerburke
3 years.....for tax purposes.

 

[jadinolf]

Most bills- just one month.
Receipts- depends if there is a warranty. Normally I toss them immediately.
I have no deductions on income tax so not much sense to hang on to records.

 

[Kelemvor]

We keep them for a couple years. Every time we get a credit card bill, my wife gets all the receipts that go with that bill and staples it all together and makes sure everything is right. Then we stick it in a file cabinet for the current year and put it in a big rubbermaid tub in the basement for older stuff.

 

[kyparrish]

Originally posted by: FrankyJunior
We keep them for a couple years. Every time we get a credit card bill, my wife gets all the receipts that go with that bill and staples it all together and makes sure everything is right. Then we stick it in a file cabinet for the current year and put it in a big rubbermaid tub in the basement for older stuff.

nice system

 

[dullard]

For the most part, you don't have to keep them. But if you have specific tax deductions or think you might want to attempt a warranty repair, then keep them for up to 3 years.

That said, I keep everything. I'm a data junkie. I love to go through old bills and see how much electricity I used 5 years ago or how my internet use has changed over the years, etc. So I could never part with them - what else would I do on those days that I'm completely bored?

 

[rh71]

Originally posted by: dullard
For the most part, you don't have to keep them. But if you have specific tax deductions or think you might want to attempt a warranty repair, then keep them for up to 3 years.

That said, I keep everything. I'm a data junkie. I love to go through old bills and see how much electricity I used 5 years ago or how my internet use has changed over the years, etc. So I could never part with them - what else would I do on those days that I'm completely bored?

Business idea!

 

[Koing]

I keep my receipts on everything I buy (not much at the end of the day) in a folder. I have a plastic folder in that and that has all of my receipts.

I keep it just in case I need them for any reason.

Koing

 

[Electric Amish]

I don't keep any receipts.

Any I do keep I just throw away when they clear the bank.

 

[NateD]

Middle-Aged Man: Maybe. But I know where all my appliance warranties are.

 

[dquan97]

I don't keep any receipts, unless there's a warranty on it. I keep everything in a filing cabinet, with plans to keep electronic copies and shred the originals