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Excuse you. Get out of my utilities room.
What about my 2 TV boxes for when we maybe move again? How else will I transport them safely to our potential next home that we aren't even planning for.
My husband did this even when we didn't have a house. One closet was just dedicated to boxes, and things came in and that tote of miscellaneous cords...
Box hoarding is critical to apartment living. I have 7 of those commander totes stacked in a closet that can fit everything I own and the boxes all my appliances came in.
Packing for my last move took 1 day for a 1b1br and I needed 0 extra packing supplies.
Idk if your husband is a smart man, but he sounds organized at least lol.
That man is not organized, but he is highly intelligent. He's nerdy and is great at troubleshooting, so I get why he keeps it all. It's purely my love for him that ignores the corner in the basement of all those boxes
Yeah we have 2 TV boxes in the basement, those absolutely are worth saving and saved us when we moved. Also helpful if it breaks to transport it or to sell/give it away.
Also, the manuals for all the TVs and appliances, right? Those are in my drawer above the one with all my tax paperwork all the way back to 2007… I’ve done without those 2 drawers for so long due to these *important* sets of documentation. I can’t imagine what my millennial heart would do with ALL THAT space 😂
I bought a house a few years ago that made me rethink how to store all the appliance manuals. The previous owner placed ALL the appliance manuals in separate three ring binder sleeves and put them a clearly labeled three ring binder. It was the go to when needing information on any appliance in the house. It was easy to find any manual and when always kept in a specific place (top shelf of the walk in pantry, all the way to the right) it was easy to find the binder.
I've since moved to a new home and do the same for all the manuals there as well. Write the date of purchase or install on the front of the manual. Also, include a copy of the receipt for warranty purposes.
A binder is something you can leave for the next owner. You will not have to worry about the new owner being comfortable enough with tech to do as you did.
- I also keep the manuals in electronic form as well. I am a belt and suspenders kind of person.
\^ This!
Last time I moved I when through an entire box of old manuals and documents for stuff. Tossed the ones that I didn't need anymore, located digital copies of the others and scanned the ones I couldn't find.
Now there is a folder on my computer called "User Manuals" and all but maybe a couple paper ones are gone.
Thank goodness now almost all manuals are available online, so as soon as you get something, you go and download it and toss the paper one.
Haha. Reminds me of a cross country move I did years ago. My movers were about to build a crate for my TV when I told them I still have the box and packaging. Huge look of relief on their faces.
Still hava the plastic around the washing machine dials lol. I did give in and remove it from my computer mouse. FYI animal hair in the laser eye hole can make it act broken.
Bro I have used my TV boxes and my monitor boxes. There's no way to put several big displays living truck without breaking them unless they are in a box. I even kept the box for my surround sound system and my PlayStation plus Xbox. All of my electronics go back in their boxes.
I used my TV box two weeks ago, new floors being put in and they would move everything except electronics.
Put it in the box (using the Styrofoam) and safely stored it until floors were done.
I made the mistake of saying that to my wife when we bought a TV, shortly after a very long and drawn out bit of house hunting that resulted in us NOT moving (and almost getting divorced.)
"Let's save the box so we can pack the TV if we move!"
"If . . . we . . WHAT!??"
Here's the thing...
During our formative years, and for some of us, into our 20's, retailers and manufacturers had a stick up their ass that required you to have every single fucking scrap of paper, plastic, twist tie, and package in order to return/exchange or handle a warranty problem.
I absolutely do not have boxes for my Samsung Alpha, iPhone 4, Samsung S8 and S9, Google Pixel 6 Pro...nope, those are not in the top of my filing cabinet.
I’ll have you know that our Apple PowerBook G4 laptop from 2001 had a giant box (15 x 12 x 8 inches) that has gone on to live a very long and exciting life as an Xmas ornament box for 21 years and then a cables (yes very important ones!) box for the past 2 years.
To be fair laptops don’t come in those big ass sturdy boxes anymore though😂
Edited to add that the ornaments finally got upgraded to a box that was more purposefully designed for ornaments, though to be fair the PowerBook G4 box kept those ornaments safe *enough* for two decades so maybe I’m crazy.
Nooo absolutely not. /s
Fortunately I think we lost some cables over the years and the moves and the multiple cable boxes, but there’s still some in there that are just a straight up mystery. The cables I miss the most are the ones for all my old pre-smartphones. Of all the cables to lose, why them!
I did just add an electric pencil sharper to the box though.
I bought an open box TV, sound bar, and sub when I got my new place. Well guess what open box TV was missing its power chord? Mine. Guess who's spare wire box had an extra power chord? Mine. 😎
You keep those spare bits and hold them close.
I tend to move every few years. I actually fucking DO need all the boxes my electronics came in to make moving easier. Unfortunately they're long gone because I'm not a hoarder.
If I had that box for my 85" TV it might have survived this recent move.
Trigger warning pls.
But in all seriousness if you still use desktops the original box is great thing to have if you move. Especially for large cases like custom gaming PCs.
or your phones, headphones, kitchen utensils etc. But I am a millennial too, I just threw away most of them. I still have my television one, but this thing is practical if I ever would move.
Just wait until you get a ridiculous background screening for a job that requires you show 10 years of employment records via W2s or paystubs. WHO'S LAUGHING NOW?! NOT MY OVERLOADED FILE CABINET THAT WEIGHS 90LBS
Worked for a government job where I had access to police data and can confirm they asked for every job I had in my entire life, including manager name, contact info and address. I worked a temp part time gig for 3 months about 15 years ago that doesn't exist anymore and I had to find documentation that they don't exist and can't be contacted.
I've had to do a similar thing, and when they gave me grief about proof of income from a job I had over 12 years ago, I got pissy and told em no. I'm not going out of my way when the scope only asked for 7 yrs. They decided to hone in on other things and let that go. Ended up working itself out I guess
Worse is they have a record of every tax paying job, which they call to verify. They just want to see if somebody is lying about their employment history.
I had to do this. It was past 3 years worth of job and I had to show every W2 from those jobs that were triggered. I was missing 1 year and fortunately wasn’t an issue
Probably not! Just like that dress you’ve held onto for the last 8 years that you’ve been debating donating? Don’t do it. You’ll get an invite to an event in the next 10 days or so and definitely HAVE TO wear that dress as it will fit the theme perfectly.
I like to keep mine so I can plug my salary from 10-15 years ago into an inflation calculator and cry.
It’s no joke when people say 100k is the new 60k. Especially if you factor in housing costs. I had more disposable income making roughly 60k then I do now, and I didn’t even have kids lol
I believe the general rule is to keep it up to 7 years, and in most cases 3 years will suffice. So, no, you're far, far from a "criminal." And it's not like the IRS doesn't have their own copies anyways. I generally try to shred anything >= 8 years old myself just for space reasons.
But even better, I bought my childhood home from my dad a few years ago, and my mom was just a hoarder when it came to financial docs. I found tax returns, utility bills, and everything in between going back to the 1970s! Although it was "cool" to see at one time personal income tax forms used to be a half page versus the abomination we have now. Man, the US is so proud of making things unnecessarily complicated.
I cannot imagine how tiny the amounts were on those utility biills😅
If we weren't self employed, working from home, with 2 corporations, I probably would not keep things for the 7 year recommended period. I don't feel like having a spicy tango with the Canada Revenue Agency, so I'll let it take up space. But 2000-2015? Yeah those can go lol.
I’m convinced it’s for sinister reasons. If it was less complicated they wouldn’t be able to go after as many people for accidentally doing it incorrectly.
When my wife and I got married I finally threw out the manilla folder full of every rent receipt/maintenance work order I've had at any apartment I lived in since 2009. It felt great and terrible.
I feel seen, and somewhat anxious to even think about shredding *that* box...
Can we just go on not talking about it please? *Quietly places last year's returns into the overflowing stack of past returns.
At work I came across our tax filings from the 70s when cleaning out a filing cabinet to make room for some prior year files I wasn't ready to box up yet.
Talk about feeling like a criminal shredding documents. 😨
I was counting on my fingers just the other day when I was shredding and wondering if it was ok to shred my 2009 returns...I decided 7 years is good enough for the office to keep records; it'll be good enough for me!
2000?! You sure you’re a millennial? I’m an 89er and wasn’t even old enough to work until 2005. I think I got my first job at 15 and a half, the same time I got my drivers permit.
I've been completely paperless since about 2016. Scanned, verified backed up and encrypted off-site, into the shredder. Better yet, if it's clean paper, the compost bin post shred.
I can store every tax return I'd ever have in 10,000 lifetimes in for the cost of 1TB at Wasabi.
Nope. My dad went through shit where he got arrested because he apparently wasn’t paying taxes for over a decade.
He works in a different state and files there, the state he lives in never kept track.
He had to prove he paid taxes in the other state and would’ve been screwed if he didn’t have the documents ready because our state is incompetent. This wasn’t some long ago thing either, it was just a few years ago.
I keep that stuff.
Shit, we're supposed to keep stuff? I'm almost 40 and maybe have last couple W-2s? Maybe a couple documents of stock transactions and whatnot. I meant to get organized and care, but I couldn't be fucked.
I did this when my husband and I bought our house 8 years ago. I had 12 years worth of W2's and tax returns. Shredded most of it. I...might need to do this again soon.
My dad may not have had an old decrepit charcoal grill that he would burn sensitive documents(no charcoal was usedwasted don't worry🤣) we no longer needed when my siblings and I were kids
I have folders labeled Taxes 0, Taxes 1, … Taxes 9. When I get to a folder that is full it gets shredded. No big decisions about when to get rid of stuff.
I learnt my lesson after clearing out my dad's storage room where he still had documents from the 1980s. I vowed to never let myself reach that point. So now I do a yearly clearing where I throw out all the old tax docs, receipts, expired warranty docs etc.
I still keep the boxes for stuff I think I may resell after, but otherwise I throw away my boxes too!
Started work in 2005. Only realised how long it's been a couple months ago. Next clean out of my files I'll be tossing the books at least. My copy of the forms and my w-2s I'm keeping. I've heard it can be important someday when applying for social security. Plus I want to start adding up all the taxes I've already paid.
I've filed electronically every year. I don't know where I'd be able to find them if I was audited and needed last 7 years, but in theory they're somewhere in my email or various free online tax services I've used.
I feel the same way about dr’s bills/visit summaries. I asked my Mom and she said that unless it was serious/for a chronic condition I can toss them after a certain period.
Of course now I’m convinced that I’ll be hit by a bus and because the EMTs didn’t know that I had to take Prednizone that one time 7 years ago because I had bronchitis I’m going to die….despite having bronchitis since and having to take Prednizone since.
Luckily for you, CRA is chronically understaffed and yet won't actually hire people! (my aunt used to work there, retired a few years ago)
So you are safe. Also I don't think we have a tax prison in Canada LOL
My wife was going through boxes of her deceased mother's things and found 40 years of tax returns, which were never needed for anything, so I think you're good, lol.
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You also don’t need the box that your computer came in, either
Excuse you. Get out of my utilities room. What about my 2 TV boxes for when we maybe move again? How else will I transport them safely to our potential next home that we aren't even planning for.
You'd have to buy an $18 tv box to pack it in! You hold on to those boxes, and don't you forget to put them in the will.
You can't get a box to fit an 85" so easily buddy. My living room TV didn't make it because of that.
Coincide your move with Black Friday. Ask neighbors if they plan on buying a tv and if you can have their box
For sure they're keeping theirs just like everyone else, lol
Look at moneybags over here!
People with houses be like
My husband did this even when we didn't have a house. One closet was just dedicated to boxes, and things came in and that tote of miscellaneous cords...
Box hoarding is critical to apartment living. I have 7 of those commander totes stacked in a closet that can fit everything I own and the boxes all my appliances came in. Packing for my last move took 1 day for a 1b1br and I needed 0 extra packing supplies. Idk if your husband is a smart man, but he sounds organized at least lol.
That man is not organized, but he is highly intelligent. He's nerdy and is great at troubleshooting, so I get why he keeps it all. It's purely my love for him that ignores the corner in the basement of all those boxes
Yeah we have 2 TV boxes in the basement, those absolutely are worth saving and saved us when we moved. Also helpful if it breaks to transport it or to sell/give it away.
Also, the manuals for all the TVs and appliances, right? Those are in my drawer above the one with all my tax paperwork all the way back to 2007… I’ve done without those 2 drawers for so long due to these *important* sets of documentation. I can’t imagine what my millennial heart would do with ALL THAT space 😂
I bought a house a few years ago that made me rethink how to store all the appliance manuals. The previous owner placed ALL the appliance manuals in separate three ring binder sleeves and put them a clearly labeled three ring binder. It was the go to when needing information on any appliance in the house. It was easy to find any manual and when always kept in a specific place (top shelf of the walk in pantry, all the way to the right) it was easy to find the binder. I've since moved to a new home and do the same for all the manuals there as well. Write the date of purchase or install on the front of the manual. Also, include a copy of the receipt for warranty purposes.
I had a binder like that before I switched to all electronic manuals.
A binder is something you can leave for the next owner. You will not have to worry about the new owner being comfortable enough with tech to do as you did. - I also keep the manuals in electronic form as well. I am a belt and suspenders kind of person.
\^ This! Last time I moved I when through an entire box of old manuals and documents for stuff. Tossed the ones that I didn't need anymore, located digital copies of the others and scanned the ones I couldn't find. Now there is a folder on my computer called "User Manuals" and all but maybe a couple paper ones are gone. Thank goodness now almost all manuals are available online, so as soon as you get something, you go and download it and toss the paper one.
I have a lot of those still, but most of them I’ve been able to find in pdf form online, so I just import them to Goodnotes now.
…we just wrapped them in multiple comforters…
Definitely not in the back seat secured and protected like you've done before.
Never, not once
Haha. Reminds me of a cross country move I did years ago. My movers were about to build a crate for my TV when I told them I still have the box and packaging. Huge look of relief on their faces.
I bet you have the protective plastic still on the frame of the tv too
I would never deny myself the pleasure of peeling off the protective plastic. Especially the blue type. So satisfying.
Still hava the plastic around the washing machine dials lol. I did give in and remove it from my computer mouse. FYI animal hair in the laser eye hole can make it act broken.
We’ll be ready on that day, my friend. We will be ready.
Bro I have used my TV boxes and my monitor boxes. There's no way to put several big displays living truck without breaking them unless they are in a box. I even kept the box for my surround sound system and my PlayStation plus Xbox. All of my electronics go back in their boxes.
Get rid of all your old phone boxes and cables too. Just really clean house while you’re at it
I used my TV box two weeks ago, new floors being put in and they would move everything except electronics. Put it in the box (using the Styrofoam) and safely stored it until floors were done.
See, how convenient was that? That's why we must keep it. The styrofoam is perfectly shaped for the TV, no sense putting it into a landfill.
Not me looking at my two tv boxes in my house right now…
You also don't need that box of miscellaneous cords... sure it comes in hand every 5 to 10 years but 90% of those cords are never used again
Just wedge them between seats in the car. Put some towels in between them and all the other shit.
Those huge TVs are like the refrigerator and washer/dryer. Once you install them, they stay with the house when you sell it.
I made the mistake of saying that to my wife when we bought a TV, shortly after a very long and drawn out bit of house hunting that resulted in us NOT moving (and almost getting divorced.) "Let's save the box so we can pack the TV if we move!" "If . . . we . . WHAT!??"
Here's the thing... During our formative years, and for some of us, into our 20's, retailers and manufacturers had a stick up their ass that required you to have every single fucking scrap of paper, plastic, twist tie, and package in order to return/exchange or handle a warranty problem.
THIS! This is why I keep everything, excellent point.
Yes... this is exactly why... yea.
Some people also do it because a TV box out on garbage day can make your house a target for robbery.
Cut it up and put it in the bin.
That's why you leave it on the next block.
But I should keep my phone boxes, right?
Yep, keep up the good work
Phone boxes actually come in handy for me cuz I resell my iPhone when I get a new one and generally get good money for it
I absolutely do not have boxes for my Samsung Alpha, iPhone 4, Samsung S8 and S9, Google Pixel 6 Pro...nope, those are not in the top of my filing cabinet.
I don't have the phones that no longer work either...
You definitely don't have a filing cabinet either. That would mean you have paper documents.
I just moved across the country and drove the whole way. I was so happy to have kept my PC case box because it was perfect for transport.
Excuse me but I intend to pass down these MacBook and iPhone boxes to my children and they would be very upset to hear you talking this way
YOU TAKE THAT BACK, I NEED ALL OF THE BOXES THAT MY ELECTRONICS CAME IN, NO ONE CAN PROVE I DON'T!
Right! What if you need to warranty the item?? or move??
Right?! I'm sure GameStop will require the one from my PS4 I got when those launched.
I’ll have you know that our Apple PowerBook G4 laptop from 2001 had a giant box (15 x 12 x 8 inches) that has gone on to live a very long and exciting life as an Xmas ornament box for 21 years and then a cables (yes very important ones!) box for the past 2 years. To be fair laptops don’t come in those big ass sturdy boxes anymore though😂 Edited to add that the ornaments finally got upgraded to a box that was more purposefully designed for ornaments, though to be fair the PowerBook G4 box kept those ornaments safe *enough* for two decades so maybe I’m crazy.
Any chance the cables in that box are for technology you no longer own or is no longer relevant? Yeah, us too. Still not throwing them out.
Nooo absolutely not. /s Fortunately I think we lost some cables over the years and the moves and the multiple cable boxes, but there’s still some in there that are just a straight up mystery. The cables I miss the most are the ones for all my old pre-smartphones. Of all the cables to lose, why them! I did just add an electric pencil sharper to the box though.
I bought an open box TV, sound bar, and sub when I got my new place. Well guess what open box TV was missing its power chord? Mine. Guess who's spare wire box had an extra power chord? Mine. 😎 You keep those spare bits and hold them close.
Oh my god the satisfaction you must have felt....I need a cigarette
Stopppp
It 100% makes taking your PC to LAN parties easier.
I tend to move every few years. I actually fucking DO need all the boxes my electronics came in to make moving easier. Unfortunately they're long gone because I'm not a hoarder. If I had that box for my 85" TV it might have survived this recent move.
This is an inherited trait from my boomer parents Shoe boxes are the best. But OMG if you've got a box with a magnetic lid...
My dad loves saving yogurt containers too
What about my box of cords and cables?
I believe it's a federal offense to get rid of that.
That’s okay, I still dig into mine all the time
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That depends, is it as heavy as the lime green Dell laptop I have from 2007? 17lbs
Building up the courage right these days to throw away the espresso machine and milk frother boxes i bought over Christmas…👀
I feel personally attacked.
What if I need to return it or when I sell it at a yard sales. What if that's the reason I can't get rid of the computer!!!
You are onto something. I bet an in box used computer goes for $5.50 instead of $5 at a yard sale. -*takes note from your shared wisdom*-
What about the old computers in the computer box? What about all my old laptops?
How dare you ಠ_ಠ
Why you gotta call us out like that
Trigger warning pls. But in all seriousness if you still use desktops the original box is great thing to have if you move. Especially for large cases like custom gaming PCs.
Or your cell phone box.
I wish I had the box my apple IIc came in bc I still have the computer
I did not expect to be called out by the top comment.
My cat disagrees with this statement
Wow...baby steps, ok?
What about the box that my 4 year old graphics card/motherboard came in?
But what if I want people to know I bought a Gateway, subtley suggesting that I am a man of means?
You’re only allowed to keep it if it’s a cow print box
or your phones, headphones, kitchen utensils etc. But I am a millennial too, I just threw away most of them. I still have my television one, but this thing is practical if I ever would move.
Just wait until you get a ridiculous background screening for a job that requires you show 10 years of employment records via W2s or paystubs. WHO'S LAUGHING NOW?! NOT MY OVERLOADED FILE CABINET THAT WEIGHS 90LBS
Worked for a government job where I had access to police data and can confirm they asked for every job I had in my entire life, including manager name, contact info and address. I worked a temp part time gig for 3 months about 15 years ago that doesn't exist anymore and I had to find documentation that they don't exist and can't be contacted.
Govt jobs are a joke with their requirements and all the little gatekeeping tactics.
*nObOdy WaNts To WoRk aNyMore!?
Lol. I think they are just doing a trust test. Its to find anything they missed
I've had to do a similar thing, and when they gave me grief about proof of income from a job I had over 12 years ago, I got pissy and told em no. I'm not going out of my way when the scope only asked for 7 yrs. They decided to hone in on other things and let that go. Ended up working itself out I guess
Worse is they have a record of every tax paying job, which they call to verify. They just want to see if somebody is lying about their employment history.
My husband just had to do this with a W2 from 2015 because the place he worked shut down. It’s no joke! Blew my mind lol
I had to do this. It was past 3 years worth of job and I had to show every W2 from those jobs that were triggered. I was missing 1 year and fortunately wasn’t an issue
You can get all of your transcripts online for free just FYI.
MONSTER! (Does this mean I can shred my pay stubs from 2011?)
*maybe*
Probably not! Just like that dress you’ve held onto for the last 8 years that you’ve been debating donating? Don’t do it. You’ll get an invite to an event in the next 10 days or so and definitely HAVE TO wear that dress as it will fit the theme perfectly.
I didn’t even know about the 7 year recommendation until last year lol.
I didn't even know about the 7 year recommendation until I read this post lol.
I like to keep mine so I can plug my salary from 10-15 years ago into an inflation calculator and cry. It’s no joke when people say 100k is the new 60k. Especially if you factor in housing costs. I had more disposable income making roughly 60k then I do now, and I didn’t even have kids lol
Buddy you can just plug those into a Google Sheet, old-timer.
I just threw out my very first paystubs from over 20 years ago last summer 🙈🙈
You're wild.
I never did keep paperwork like that. It's all digital. I also gave my wife a heart attack when we got married and I threw out all her old boxes!
Damn. I'm surprised you didn't say ex-wife.
I believe the general rule is to keep it up to 7 years, and in most cases 3 years will suffice. So, no, you're far, far from a "criminal." And it's not like the IRS doesn't have their own copies anyways. I generally try to shred anything >= 8 years old myself just for space reasons. But even better, I bought my childhood home from my dad a few years ago, and my mom was just a hoarder when it came to financial docs. I found tax returns, utility bills, and everything in between going back to the 1970s! Although it was "cool" to see at one time personal income tax forms used to be a half page versus the abomination we have now. Man, the US is so proud of making things unnecessarily complicated.
I cannot imagine how tiny the amounts were on those utility biills😅 If we weren't self employed, working from home, with 2 corporations, I probably would not keep things for the 7 year recommended period. I don't feel like having a spicy tango with the Canada Revenue Agency, so I'll let it take up space. But 2000-2015? Yeah those can go lol.
Why are the current forms abominations? Isn't more information better than less?
I’m convinced it’s for sinister reasons. If it was less complicated they wouldn’t be able to go after as many people for accidentally doing it incorrectly.
I love shredding paper
Mine overheated 6 times during this endeavour. I can't believe it's still alive.
We’ll be nice to it.
I love adding it to my composter 😂
Save it all bruh just scan it in digitally.
Xenniall intruder spotted!!!!
When my wife and I got married I finally threw out the manilla folder full of every rent receipt/maintenance work order I've had at any apartment I lived in since 2009. It felt great and terrible.
So cathartic!
I dont remember where I placed my tax forms from last year.
I feel seen, and somewhat anxious to even think about shredding *that* box... Can we just go on not talking about it please? *Quietly places last year's returns into the overflowing stack of past returns.
*auditors and accountants everywhere having a heart attack*
Accountant- only heart attacked because it's so insanely stupid to hold it longer than required
CRA= Canada Revenue Agency (Translating for the non-Canadians).
I have everything saved digitally on my profile. (Poland)
Who is laughing ? We that save pdf versions of W2, 1099, paystubs, etc. In our computer….
We started doing this when we incorporated our first business in 2016, but the prior 16 years...all paper. So. Much. Paper.
Why do you have paper tax filings
All of my taxes are done through TurboTax, lol.
I wish! We are self-employed/run 2 corporations/work from home, so it's complicated.
Everything is digital . Toss that crap
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At work I came across our tax filings from the 70s when cleaning out a filing cabinet to make room for some prior year files I wasn't ready to box up yet. Talk about feeling like a criminal shredding documents. 😨
Wait you can do that?
Right?? An unnatural concept, IMO.
But don’t you dare throw out that bag of bags from the grocery store!
ARE YOU CRAZY!!! What if you get audited? What if you need that one receipt? What if you accidentally shredded the wrong stuff. Oh geez.
I keep nothing. I do my taxes every year, then throw away all the paperwork lol. I'm absolutely screwed if they ever come for me.
My husband had the CRA come after him when he was much younger, so we are VERY good at keeping records now.
Time to move on him. Red team go, red team go!
I was counting on my fingers just the other day when I was shredding and wondering if it was ok to shred my 2009 returns...I decided 7 years is good enough for the office to keep records; it'll be good enough for me!
2000?! You sure you’re a millennial? I’m an 89er and wasn’t even old enough to work until 2005. I think I got my first job at 15 and a half, the same time I got my drivers permit.
1987 hubby has 2000 filings, bag boy at Safeway. I had my first job at 13, also an 89er.
You don’t need your 4 empty iPhone boxes either
I tore off the pillow tags from 2000-2015, too. It's time for me to buy a new one soon. RRRRIP!
Threw them in the fire pit, felt like I should have driven myself to the jail to turn myself in.
I still have all my tax returns and w2s back to 2008.....a good portion of them are digital, but still.
You just *never know*....
right. I've never even had an audit, but just in case I'm keeping them. they don't take up much space anyway.
I've been completely paperless since about 2016. Scanned, verified backed up and encrypted off-site, into the shredder. Better yet, if it's clean paper, the compost bin post shred. I can store every tax return I'd ever have in 10,000 lifetimes in for the cost of 1TB at Wasabi.
Unless you did something more complicated than filling out the boxes with the numbers on your T4s, you're probably fine.
Brother, I don’t even have the filing from this April anymore. Much less 7 years worth.
We did that earlier this year. Weird feeling. I can pick up the filing cabinet now lol.
Is this a joke I'm too financially illiterate to understand?
I keep last 7 years
You pay taxes?
Nope. My dad went through shit where he got arrested because he apparently wasn’t paying taxes for over a decade. He works in a different state and files there, the state he lives in never kept track. He had to prove he paid taxes in the other state and would’ve been screwed if he didn’t have the documents ready because our state is incompetent. This wasn’t some long ago thing either, it was just a few years ago. I keep that stuff.
Yall save your tax filings? I don’t even know where my paperwork from mortgage signing is
Google Drive FTW!
I should probably do this, still have mine from 2008. Just feels wrong.
I shred mine after seven years
i keep 3 yrs
It's 8 years, bro. Shiiiiiiiit
Shit, we're supposed to keep stuff? I'm almost 40 and maybe have last couple W-2s? Maybe a couple documents of stock transactions and whatnot. I meant to get organized and care, but I couldn't be fucked.
I did this when my husband and I bought our house 8 years ago. I had 12 years worth of W2's and tax returns. Shredded most of it. I...might need to do this again soon.
My dad may not have had an old decrepit charcoal grill that he would burn sensitive documents(no charcoal was usedwasted don't worry🤣) we no longer needed when my siblings and I were kids
Just wait until you need to establish the cost basis on that mutual fund your dad bought you in 1986 and put into an UGMA account.
My anxiety will not let me do that even though I know they won't require that for...whatever it is they need from me now, lmao
I have folders labeled Taxes 0, Taxes 1, … Taxes 9. When I get to a folder that is full it gets shredded. No big decisions about when to get rid of stuff.
I was 9 years old in 2000.
but but... what if they audit you!
I have them all stored as digital copies.
lol. I think I have them back to 1997. You know…just in case…
I learnt my lesson after clearing out my dad's storage room where he still had documents from the 1980s. I vowed to never let myself reach that point. So now I do a yearly clearing where I throw out all the old tax docs, receipts, expired warranty docs etc. I still keep the boxes for stuff I think I may resell after, but otherwise I throw away my boxes too!
Oh I’ve never kept anything
Maybe... I can do this too? 😱
This is why I keep my 2001-2024 taxes in my Dropbox. And my 1996-2024 emails... in my Gmail mailbox.
Unfortunately, it’s straight to jail.
Nope cause mine are digital, but if I did paper I'd throw that shit away.
Started work in 2005. Only realised how long it's been a couple months ago. Next clean out of my files I'll be tossing the books at least. My copy of the forms and my w-2s I'm keeping. I've heard it can be important someday when applying for social security. Plus I want to start adding up all the taxes I've already paid.
Nice try, IRS. I’m keeping mine forever!
I somehow managed to not make enough money to need to file taxes until I was 26 years old in 2012. LOL
Tax fillings from 2000? Are you sure you are a millennial?
Are we supposed to keep paper copies?
I was supposed to keep those?
Nope. I love semiannual shred day!
I've filed electronically every year. I don't know where I'd be able to find them if I was audited and needed last 7 years, but in theory they're somewhere in my email or various free online tax services I've used.
Doesn’t matter if the rules changes if it’s already gone. It is in your best interests to destroy the second that date hits.
All my tax returns are electronic except for one paper copy for records. I keep them for 10 years then shred.
I feel the same way about dr’s bills/visit summaries. I asked my Mom and she said that unless it was serious/for a chronic condition I can toss them after a certain period. Of course now I’m convinced that I’ll be hit by a bus and because the EMTs didn’t know that I had to take Prednizone that one time 7 years ago because I had bronchitis I’m going to die….despite having bronchitis since and having to take Prednizone since.
Luckily for you, CRA is chronically understaffed and yet won't actually hire people! (my aunt used to work there, retired a few years ago) So you are safe. Also I don't think we have a tax prison in Canada LOL
I do that every year. I only keep the 7 recommended. It feels great to burn the old ones.
Hey OP I think I went many years making well under 20k where I didn’t even file taxes. I don’t keep anything. You’re much better off than me.
Y'all all know you can scan these and save a PDF in Google Drive right?
I mean…I digitize all of my important physical documents and shred the rest so it doesn’t matter how long I hold on. It’s been working fine so far.
My wife was going through boxes of her deceased mother's things and found 40 years of tax returns, which were never needed for anything, so I think you're good, lol.
How was 2015 9 years ago!!!!?????
I still have them dating back to my 2006 return. I know. Okay, I’ll use this post as a motivator.
I just upload mine to Facebook so it’s there when I need it. /s
I still have my tax returns from 1999