Jack of Many Trades

Does It Count As Decluttering If I Scan Everything?

Originally posted: 2011-08-21

I dropped my 2004 and 2005 tax returns in the shredder yesterday, and I didn't scan them in ahead of time.

I don't need to, I know that. I used to do taxes seasonally, I know perfectly well the IRS only requires you to keep them for three years. I held onto them anyway. You know good ol' Justin Case, don't you?

There's plenty of things that I did scan before I tossed, just because it was easier than trying to figure out if I really needed them: receipts for technology I still have, even if I'm unsure how long the warranty lasts, records of paid-off bills, and so on.

I scanned some of the "comics" I made in middle school, on the grounds that the paper is stained and the pencil drawings have gotten blurred from rubbing against each other. I'll miss having the originals, but they're a mess and I don't pull them out often, so it's for the best.

The apartment is emptying out, though it's hard to tell. I think we're at the point where we need to give up and cart most of the remainder off to a donation center. We have a couple things that are still on Craigslist, and a couple more that have been provisionally sold to friends but they haven't picked them up yet. It's time to move on to the next level of packing.

Level up!