Which paper bills and receipts actually need to be kept?
Most paid bills and receipts can be safely shredded if you already have digital copies or online access, though keeping a year-long backlog or specific records like medical bills offers protection against billing errors and identity mix-ups. Uncertainty about how long records must be retained leads people to either hoard years of paper clutter or worry they are throwing away important documents too soon.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Shredding paper copies immediately after confirming they are available onlineDid this help you?
- 2Scanning paper bills and saving them digitally in cloud storage or on a personal hard driveDid this help you?
- 3Keeping physical paper copies or binders organized by month and year for a set retention period before shreddingDid this help you?
- 4Saving photos of documents into a notes app on a phoneDid this help you?
- 5Taking pictures of the documents before shredding them to keep a digital backupDid this help you?
- 6Keeping only the current mortgage docs, original purchase or closing documents, and records of major improvementsDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“With everything electronic now, should I hang on to paid paper bills - medical or otherwise - or ok to shred them?”source ↗
“We’ve tried to do paperless. Some companies just don’t listen. We scan them and save them digitally.”source ↗
“I used to store everything. For CC Receipts / bills; I keep a year of backlog.”source ↗
“I may be old school but I prefer paper bills so little surcharges and rate change notices don't get overlooked.”source ↗
“We keep the medical bills for a year because 30 years ago, we got sent a bill for someone with the same name.”source ↗
“I purchased my house in 2008. I am still sitting on my P&S paperwork and all the paperwork from each time I refinanced my mortgage. Is it safe to shred and dispose of all that paperwork with the exception of my current mortgage paperwork or is it a good idea to hold on to that stuff.”source ↗
Where this came up
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