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heartbroken_kk (original poster member #22722) posted at 10:55 PM on Wednesday, May 7th, 2014
I am currently living in an RV. I call it "The Cabinette". Its basically a tiny house. I cannot keep paper any more. Ive got a storage locker with boxes of files from days gone by but I need to stop saving paper I may never look at again.
Who has done this? I have a scanner/printer all in one and I've started scanning stuff. What are the tricks to getting a virtual filing system going? Have you been able to use scanned receipts for returns or warranty?
Looking for advice and wisdom on this and any technical tools etc. Thanks!
FBW then 46, XWHNPDPAFTG the destroyer of my entire life. D-Day 1 '99, D-Day 2,3,4,5,6... '09-'11, D '15. I fell apart. I put myself back together. Forgiveness isn't required. I'm happy and healthy now, and MY new life is good.
sisoon ( Moderator #31240) posted at 11:26 PM on Wednesday, May 7th, 2014
Whatever you do, keep your backups current and keep backed up copies in multiple locations.
Don't rely on 'Cloud' synchronization like Dropbox or iCloud, because if you step on a doc in one place, it'll pretty quickly get reflected in all copies.
I've never had a problem with a scanned receipt, but I think I've been lucky - the receipts I've used generally came via email anyway.
Backup, backup, backup. Offsite, offsite, offsite.
fBH (me) - on d-day: 66, Married 43, together 45, same sex apDDay - 12/22/2010Recover'd and R'edYou don't have to like your boundaries. You just have to set and enforce them.
TrustedHer ( member #23328) posted at 2:05 AM on Thursday, May 8th, 2014
I'm still on the beginning side of this, but after a lot of shopping, I bought PaperPort. It's software to run the scanner and file the documents and make them searchable.
I also have a scanner with a document feeder that scans both front and back.
Yes, backups.
Take care of yourself. There's a great future out there. It won't come to you; you have to go to it.
Rainbows ( member #39362) posted at 10:10 AM on Thursday, May 8th, 2014
I've been mostly paperless for a couple of years and love it. I get overwhelmed by paper and it's easier to search in the computer.
I started with a portable hard drive and scanner. I created folders for each year and sub folders in those years. I put documents in the right folder as I scan them.
For example:
2013
----> Retail Receipts -----> Nordstrom
----> Work -----> Pay Stubs
----> Travel -----> Location -----> Photos
I decided to use a portable drive specifically as my "filing cabinet" in case my laptop ever crashed. Plus they have a lot of room and I can just plug it in wherever I need it (like when I get my taxes done).
The key is deciding on the structure then properly naming and filing all of your scanned documents as you go. It can get really overwhelming if you don't have a system.
I keep the current year on my Dropbox (with a copy on the hard drive) and also back everything up to the time capsule.
It's becoming really easy to return things to retailers if you pay with a debit card. They can generally pull up your shopping history just by swiping your card or using your phone number.
If not, I've printed scanned copies of receipts a couple of times and haven't had a problem.
There is always a rainbow after every storm.
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