I'm on a mission!

Your mission, if you choose to accept it... is to organise your paperwork into some semblance of order!

I have accepted the challenge and I feel like I'm part-way through this mission. What am I doing? Simple.

I went and bought 5 plastic tubs with click on lids, 6 lever arch binders, 300 sheet protectors and filing tabs. I also bought a freestanding hanging file system which includes 5 hanging files and tabs. You don't have to do this. You can buy one folder or tub at a time and work that way through mount paperwork, or you can use folders/tubs/archive boxes/filing cabinets that you may have in your house.

I've designated my tubs '2011', '2010', '2009', '2008' & 'Up to & Including 2007'. I think that's pretty self explanatory? For those of you who are half asleep, I'll explain. As I sort through mount paperwork, I make little piles of paperwork, according to year level. I don't try to sort the paperwork into categories in those piles because they're only gonna be chucked into the relevant year tub.

Then, when I have finished sorting mount paperwork, I'll put a packet of damp absorber in the tub, maybe an incense stick for scent, chuck the lid on and label the tub with the year. Once labelled and sealed, I'll store the tubs up in the shed. Voila! Archiving!

Meanwhile, I haven't ignored those lever archer binders. They've been labelled with the following -

• Tax & Super
• Payslips
• Shea - Personal
• Master R. - Personal
• Bills - Paid
• Banking

As I find a document that is from sometime in 2012, I sort them into categories and file them in the appropriate binder in plastic sleeves. The binders themselves are stored on the top shelf of one of my bookcases so they are out of reach of little fingers but within easy reach for quick reference.

So far, I have tidied my computer desk, my kitchen table, 4 bookshelves in my other bookcase, 2 archive boxes from my room and assorted miscellaneous documents that were hiding in my favourite handbag.

'What about the freestanding file?' I hear you ask. Well, I have sat it on one end of my kitchen bench (although it may end up being moved to the sewing cabinet due to the close proximity of the kitchen sink) and have so far labelled the files with 'To Be Filed', 'Tupperware' and 'Bills - To Be Paid'. I still have 2 hanging files to use, and they will be labelled when I have a use for them.

These methods seem to be working pretty well for me so far, but as we all know, the real test is how long I stick to this particular system. I'll be sure to keep you updated with how I go! This is an indication of how much junk paperwork I have thrown out, I've already chucked 3 boxes out!

Life - and death

How many of you wonder about those annoying life insurance and funeral plan insurance adverts on tv? I get sick of being bombarded by ad's that take up my valuable viewing time, and I really wonder whether the ad's are effective or not.

How many of you have actually bought insurance from a tv advert? I know I haven't. When I have bought insurance of any kind, I thoroughly researched what I was after and then got quotes from various different companies.

I have insurance for the following things -

• contents (I rent)
• car
• cat
• dog
• life insurance (with both my Superannuation fund and with a different company)

I assume that I am like most Australian's with the insurance I have. Sometimes I do wonder whether I need more or less insurance, whether I'm getting bang for my buck, whether I could get rid of the insurance for the dog and one of the cat's. That would save a nice $60 a month or thereabouts. Then knowing my luck, the dog would get hit by a car and I'd need the insurance.

The only insurance that I'm considering at the moment is funeral insurance. I guess that being bombarded with all those funeral plan advertisements on tv are having some effect after all!

I investigated one day, and found out the following...

If I were to get insurance for a funeral plan at my current age (27) for $143.28 a year for a benefit of $8000 and I kept the insurance until I passed away in say, 30 years I would pay a total of  $4298.40 over the 30 year period.  This of course, doesn't take into account the increase in premiums as I age.

I just can't wrap my head around spending that kind of money over that time frame, when if I put that money in savings, it could a) be used for other things and b) be used for my funeral if I passed away. Of course, I might have to supplement the $143.28 to make up the $8000 I was quoted on.

Of course, having funeral cover would really help out if I passed away in the first couple of years of holding the insurance. I'm really going to have to give the whole funeral insurance thing a whole lot more thought.

Remember - I'm not giving advice relating to your circumstances, I'm simply discussing my thoughts on the funeral plan idea. Please seek advice that is appropriate for your circumstances and financial situation.

A 'sort of' beginning...

Wow - my first post in my first real blog. I say 'real' blog because I started a blog back in '09 for a Uni course, but never actually finished the course so didn't continue with the '09 blog.

This is a new start, which will be my first real adventure into the world of blogging. Come and join me for the journey, I'm sure it will be interesting to say the least.

Ok, a bit about me now. My name is Shea (as in the Irish O'Shea) and I'm turning 27 this year. I guess that means that I should be mature by now, but some days I'm not so sure I'm not a child in disguise. Speaking of children, I have one. I'm going to call him Master R. in this blog and he turns 8 this year.

For those of you who have done the math, that means I had Master R. when I was 19 for less than a month. Exciting times - sort of. I was never interested in having children, I wasn't a motherly girl, so Master R. was a bit of a suprise, but he has definitely grown on me! Couldn't imagine life without him these days.

So now you know there's Master R. and I. Nope, there isn't a man on the scene, hasn't been one for quite some time but we're not going further into that side of things, except to say that, 'hey! I'm single and while I don't love it every day, I do love it most days'.

We live on an acre block of *mostly* weeds in a rural mining town in North Queensland, Australia. We share our space with 4 roosters (I know! 4!), 7 hens, 1 border collie, 4 cats and 2 horses out in the paddocks, which are also mostly weeds.

I'm hoping to blog about our lives living in this beautiful part of the world, our adventures and mis-adventures with home renovations and decorating, and also with our kitchen experiments. Oh, I can't forget that the blog will also help me to record Master R's ups and downs, the crazy antics of our various critters and my ups and downs - of course!

At this very moment, I'm sitting here watching the news and enjoying a cold drink after installing some new flooring in Master R's bedroom. I'm a little miffed at myself, back in June I ordered a whole heap of flooring from Bunnings (enough to do Master R's room, the lounge, dining and the new kitchen area - or so we thought) and after installing what we had and realising we didn't have enough, I went back for more - only to find that Bunnings no longer stocked that particular colour.

So, since the section of unfinished floor was in the lounge area, we pulled some up from Master R's finished room and laid the lounge area. This of course left Master R's room incomplete, so I decided to buy the same brand of flooring but in a different colour. At least now he has a completed floor once again!

I'm also on a bit of a home organisation phase at the moment. I tend to let things go until the mountains of clutter and miscellaneous items start falling over, or I can't find a school note that was supposed to be handed in last Tuesday. I have decided to follow along with The Organised Housewife's 20 Day Challenge (Day 1) because Kat is so organised and has really come through for all those clutter-sick women (and men!) out there. She has cute printables and gives you a daily task list that is super simple for busy working Mums to finish.

I'm going fairly well with the challenge, I have completed the days 1-5 and have to get my butt into gear and finish today's challenge which is cleaning the bathroom... eeek! Feel free to let me know how you are going with the challenge, I'd love to hear from you!