To shred or not to shred?

That is the question! Why do we ask?  Because it’s Money Smart Week!

The library is hosting a variety of programs, from fun to educational to inspirational.  One of the things we are most excited about is that, for the first time, this includes shred days. You can come to the library, with up to five (copy paper sized) boxes of material to shred, and we will safely dispose of it for free!

Of course, in order to do this, you have to decide what to shred. This can be tougher than you’d think—how long should tax forms be kept?  What about bank statements? Medical bills?  You might want to take a look at a few reliable sites to get concrete answers. This one is from the Washington State Attorney General’s Office, and it’s great because gives a very specific list of what to keep and what to shred. This article from Consumer Reports gives more detail about why to keep certain documents, and this piece from CBS News gets into the “Keep Forever in a Very Safe Place” list.

Depending on your personal style, you may want to do some general organizing before you get to the specifics of which documents to keep. Organizing guru Peter Walsh has written many books on this topic, and one of our favorites is Lighten up: Love What You Have, Have What You Need, Be Happier With Less

~Ann G.