The Letterville BullBoard: Old files, receipts, paper, sketches, IRS letters, invoices, useless information.

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Posted by Robert Thomas (Member # 1356) on :

Man, paperwork piles up over time. How are you at organizing all of you stuff? I've got tons of file cabinets, long term files in storage (cardboard cartons) stackable file holders (that are overflowing). I've got to get a system to get rid of the old useless stuff before I have to go rent a storage unit for this stuff.
On the other hand It's kinda neat finding 15 year old handdrawn sketches and a W-2 from 1988, I made $37,000 that year working for someone else!

Posted by Joey Madden (Member # 1192) on :

I organize my paperwork in the burn barrel!

Posted by Dan Sawatzky (Member # 88) on :

That stuff does add up. I like to keep my old drawings, but most of them are in sktechbooks and are easy to file on a shelf.

I go through the stacks of plans and stuff once in a while and throw out the garbage that adds up real fast.

And then there are the hundreds of limited edition art prints that haven't sold.... and may never.

The paperwork (book keeping stuff)....thats another matter. In Canada we have to keep it on file for at least 7 years, and anything before that we have to petition to destroy. Usually this is allowed only for a good reason. Like damaged by flood or no longer in business.

So it's all stacked away in a closet taking up space.

But there's more important stuff to worry about I suppose.

-dan

Posted by Kissymatina (Member # 2028) on :

My notes, scribbles, bus. cards of customers are in files in a drawer (or a stack on top of the drawer for stuff i haven't filed yet). I'm really bad at work orders. I don't have any. I have signed quotes in the mess but just haven't taken the time to go through all the sample work orders and create one for me.

Now for the receipts, invoices, etc. I ain't got any. Decided a while ago to go paperless. Everything gets entered into my accounting software, scanned and burned to a cd. I keep stuff in a file and deal with it when I'm bored (or at end of month so I can see where I am with my projections). The only thing I keep paper copies of (related to accounting) is my income tax returns.

Posted by ScooterX (Member # 2023) on :

all the purchase receipts (expenses) go into a standard 9x12 envelope with the starting date on it. when the envelope is full, i put the "end" date on it and start a new envelope. the filled envelopes go into a "bankers box" (cardboard box with a lid) with a starting date on it. when it fills up (so far, only one has filled, after 12 years) the end date goes on it. the paper is just stored, and i don't worry about category, vendor, job name or any of that. all the IRS needs to see is "proof" that money went out, and to whom.

then i do the same thing for income (ie, invoices marked paid). it seems to take a lot longer to fill those envelopes.

the really important stuff is the month-by-month ledgers. those i pay attention to - everything else is just paper in boxes.

all design notes go into file jackets with the customer name on it. before and after photos go here to, if any. the digital design files (the finished work) is archived onto zip disks, stored off-site. these are pretty lean - i have notes on the colors or materials used, sizes and so on. i don't keep the sketches or other ephemera. my rule of thumb is "what would i need to recreate the sign if it were destroyed in an accident and the insurance company would only pay for replacement?"
my sign software now allows me to print out a job summary page with all the info on it - the design (in color), customer info, dimensions, substrate, colors used, date, etc. i'm starting to use these one-page prints as the complete job summary, plus a couple of photos. if i needed to look up the invoice, i've got the date (so i check the envelope with that date range).

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