We are crazy about paper around here at Space for Living! We are creating a place for every piece of paper in your home in the current series Organizing Your Paper Party! 
So far we have covered conquered!
- Week 1 Taxes
- Week 2 Important docs
- Week 3 Medical Paperwork
- Week 4 Archival- Focusing on Children’s Schoolwork
We’re following along with the chapters in the ebook 10 Steps to Organized Paper by Lisa Woodruff. I am giving away 2 copies of the ebook! So be sure to enter the giveaway. 
As we launch into week 5 of our 10 week journey, I am amazed of how much paper I have trashed/recycled! I’m doing a little jig that we are at the halfway mark! Yippee!
Today we are focusing on all the manuals and warranty information we have floating around. The big questions are, Do you really need to keep them? Will you ever refer to them? Have you ever referred to any of them?
I honestly don’t think there is a right or wrong answer here. You can probably find what you need online or even watch a YouTube video demonstrating a solution to whatever problem you may have. But why not keep them around if you prefer having the hard copies, and especially if you need them for the warranty information. That said, let’s get them organized so you can actually find them when you need them! Here’s a few simple steps for us to follow.
Collect
Set the timer for 5 minutes. Run around the house trying to find as many manuals as you can! You don’t have to get them all. Just get as many as you can find to get started creating a system. Stay focused.
Purge as you Sort
As you sort, decide what manuals you really need. A manual for earphones? Yes, I had one. I have no idea why I thought I might need it one day. Keep your eye out for any expired warranties. My curling iron had a 1 year warranty, but now that it is out of date, I surely don’t need the manual for a curling iron. I did hang on to this little beauty. A lifetime warranty on an umbrella? Score!
Be sure you toss/recycle all the manuals that correspond to items you don’t have anymore! I still had our old TV manual. At the end of my sort, look at the pile I had made, all to toss!
Quick Tip: As I sorted, I came upon warranties that were a mystery to me. It took me a minute to remember what in the heck it was for (can I say heck on my blog?). To save myself from future unnecessary mental effort, I made a quick note on the cover of the warranties.
Of course I spared myself the trouble of writing anything that had a giant picture of the product on the cover. How thoughtful of those manual designers! I sorted by:
- Computer (including software discs)
- Electronics
- Household appliances
- Kitchen appliance
- Kids
- House Manuals*
*House Manuals are manuals that will stay with the home when we move. When you’re prepping for a move, you have more important things to do than hunt down manuals; easier to gather them all together now. Manuals for the oven, fridge, garage opener, and AC will all be handed over to the new owners in a plastic pocket. Since most manuals are for those large kitchen appliances, I store them all in a hardly used cabinet in the kitchen.
Containerize and Label
This is the fun part! Don’t get too hung up on what you store them in. It could be with the rest of your files or if you don’t keep many, all in a box, unsorted. 
source (left to right): The Container Store | Amazon | Amazon
I hardly ever access my manuals, so I keep them in a simple portable file box, like the one above. They are hidden away in the top of the closet, tucked away with past taxes that take up most of the box.
Extra Credit Step
If you’re feeling particularly orderly today, you can staple saved product receipts to their manuals. I have only recently starting doing this once I found how often I need the original receipt to see if a warranty is still valid. 
Instead of hunting down all my past big purchase receipts (way too time consuming when I may or may not even need them), I just instituted this for all new purchase here on out. Whew, there it is. All manuals sorted and organized. Did this convince you to toss them all and just search online when you need product info? Share your own system in the comments below. Or if you have a blog, link up your own paper organizing process! LINK UP RULES:
- Follow Thrifty Military Mommy or Space For Living via facebook, twitter, pinterest, or G+
- Add your paper post link to the link below.
- Check out how everyone else has done.
Grab a button to show off all your hard work too! 
I know I’m a little late to the “party”, but just wanted to post a comment about attaching receipts to manuals. Most receipts are printed with thermal ink and these tend to fade over time. Making a copy of the “new” receipt and keeping them both with the manual would be a good idea!
Your tips are awesome, by the way! Thanks!!
That is a great tip. Thank you so much for sharing. And you are never too late!