I am much more of a hoarder than people may realize but I’ve got some fierce organizational skills that help disguise this.  With the start of the new school year, there will be the traditional onslaught of paperwork to wade through. {Because I’m crazy} I typically keep all of children’s schoolwork until the end  of the year.  I got myself together this year and finally have some strategies to navigate this!

For starters, I’ve set up a system of three hanging file folders.  You can customize your own here.  This works not only for school paperwork but daily mail as well. I’ve also got individual folders for each of my boys for more important life paperwork such as allergy info, immunizations, doctors visits, etc.

Each day when my kids come home, any school paperwork that does not need to be returned heads to “the folder.” Yup, it’s a standard hanging file folder per child right next to our bills and other life projects.  When the year is over, I go through and remove 90%.  For the remaining 10% I’ve created these:

You can create your own on the design center on Avery.com 🙂 Since I’ve got 4 little ones (and heaven forbid they not match), I went ahead and created/printed 4 sets of these.  I then purchased enough hanging file folders to last the next 12+ years!

From there, I found the perfect storage system for my liking and budget.  This bad boy is only $23 at Target.  It’s simple, handy, and priced just right for me.

Everything that does not make the sentimental cut or show some sort of academic progress goes into the recycle bin.  There are some items that do not quite fit into this mold and that’s why I also have these:

When each of my kids was born, I ordered one of these for the longer lasting items: baptism candles, cards, certificates, etc.  I love the reinforced corners and also that these boxes have an archival quality made to withstand some of the effects of time.  Here’s a peak at the mish mosh you might find inside:

I hope this gives you a few ideas on paperwork organization and I’d always love to hear your ideas as well!  Feel free to share in comments 🙂