DIY | Organizing Personal Files

I think that I might be obsessed with Pinterest.  And although most of my pins sit there unclicked, sometimes I go all out and decide to go through with the ideas I find on the site.  The lasagna recipe was one that I found using Pinterest, and I LOVE finding lesson plans on there.  I recently found some organizing inspiration that took me to The Weekend Organizer.   She has some seriously amazing information about personal files, how long to keep them, how to organize them, and what's important or not.  As a newbie to the "real world," I've never had to keep up with important documents like  a lease, contracts, warranties, insurance information, marriage certificate, birth certificates [you get the point].  I have honestly not been very good at keeping these extremely important documents organized...I'm ashamed to admit that they have been tossed in the top drawer of my filing cabinet without a real home.  The Weekend Organizer uses a great color coded filing system using special hanging files that allow you to see your file folders.  It's so much easier to just make a new file folder than a new tab on a hanging folder.  I loved that idea, but I couldn't find the special "top rail" folders in a store, so when I got home I decided to shorten my hanging folders so that I could see my file tabs.  My first step was honestly not making the folders...my first step was going through my entire filing cabinet and organizing my documents by category.  I ended up with an entire trash bag of old and outdated files for shredding.  After that, I created my folders with the tabs labels, and THEN I could start the fun part! [making the new, shorter hanging folders]

First, you need to fold the hanging file inside out, and then use the lines on bottom to help you fold it out.  I folded mine out by 2 lines on each side on the bottom.

I will look like the file on the right.  Then, tape the bottom, and insert your folders!

You're done!

[Ps...my cute file holder is from Target, about 2 years ago!]

Pps...I did a whole "apartment storage ideas" post on my other blog HERE if you want to creep my house :)]

Ppps haha...I know that some of this should be in a safe...and some of it is.  I need a bigger fire-proof safe!