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Having one hell if a sort out after having amassed 44 years worth of bank statements, pay slips, credit card bills etc etc...
How far back in time can I safely chuck stuff out?
IIRC you need 7 years back for the taxman if he's likely to be interested in your affairs.
Good god. In 44 years, how often have you ever been asked for any of it?
It's six or seven years you're "supposed" to keep it but, really, bits of paper are an anachronism these days. With the possible exceptions of the NHS and the DVLA both of whom keep their records on stone tablets as far as I can tell, in the unlikely event of someone needing my bank statements from 2008 they can bloody well talk to the bank about it.
The sooner we get away from this paper-obsessed society the better. Apple have really nailed this. You buy something and they say "would you like us to email your receipt?" God yes. You buy a Mars Bar from a shop and three bits of paper get printed. WTF do I want a Mars Bar receipt for? Is it likely to be faulty?
44 years? Time for a good old bonfire I'd say!
I'm trying to slowly convert to doing everything electronically, to the point of scanning any important paperwork and storing it on my computer. We are moving house next month and one of my jobs is to get all paperwork under control and organised by the time we move.