Paper Confessions

I may have mentioned before my problem with paper items. I don't just mean mail or newspapers, because those I generally handle pretty well - it's only when we've been gone that those become a problem. My paper issues involve just about any other sort of paper that enters my house.

Specifically, where I struggle is:

• Financial paperwork. I am paranoid that I'll need something. I've progressed to the point where I have a box of items that I'm about 99% sure I can shred. But that 1% is holding me back from actually shredding the box. Examples include: closed credit cards, old insurance policies, bills that have been paid for ages etc. This is probably the smallest of my paper problems - it's limited to about half of a box.
  
  
• Cards. I *think* I've finally turned a corner on this one and am ready to pitch old cards - birthday, Christmas, anniversary, thank yous, sympathy, etc. I've put them all in a bag, just haven't gotten the bag into the trash. So far the only keepers are all the cards from my husband and one card (of any sort) from each significant person in my life. And a couple just because they either crack me up so much or there is something meaningful written in them.
  
  
• School papers. Yes, school stuff. From Elementary school through masters degree. I've managed to pitch stuff from classes I hated (speech) or don't care about (all math courses). But that still leaves a LOT of classes. Too many history classes and theology and foreign languages and literature. And my masters degree - I'm not currently using it career-wise but what if I end up wanting to get a job in the field? Would it be helpful? Probably not, it's getting so dated. But it hurts to think of tossing it. I think I've got about 4 boxes of this sort.
  
  
• Also on the school papers theme, just because it's similar in time is lots of random stuff from college - the school papers, notes from friends, and I don't even know what all. Enough to fill a banker's box & then some. College wasn't always the happiest time for me, so digging through that box doesn't really appeal. But would I someday wish that I had some mementos from those years if I just pitched the entire box? Oh, and school yearbooks too - high school and college. In so many ways I want to pitch them, but in another decade or two would I wish I had them to reminisce? Right now I can't see it - high school especially was not a real fun time, and college wasn't always much better, so reminiscing about those days doesn't seem like something I'll ever do. But I remember as a kid loving looking through my mom's old yearbooks - am I denying any possible kids the same pleasure?
  
  
• Souvenirs & memorabilia. I have a HUGE problem with this. I have ticket stubs, tourist brochures, pictures, postcards, etc., etc., etc. from a lot of trips. I have managed to scrapbook *one* trip. Will I really scrapbook the other items? I have no idea. But my memory is so shoddy that having the tangible things are often the only way I remember what I've done and seen, so throwing those things away is especially difficult. I have no idea how many boxes of this stuff I have - 5 or more, and this is the category that just keeps growing.
  

I would LOVE suggestions if anyone has any. It really is my biggest homemaking challenge I think because things just get so crazy that I can't seem to face other things.