Accumulating mementos in parenting is not hard. Keeping them saved and organized is! My easy memory-keeping solution will help keep your child’s special paper items saved and organized from birth-12th grade without requiring much space or breaking the bank.
If you’re like me, you find yourself saving evidence of your kids’ “firsts.” First plane ticket. First theme park ticket. First sports event ticket. The list goes on… from firsts to beyond, paper clutter and other keepsakes can get out of hand. Quickly.
I implemented an easy filing system that has helped me manage and even stay ahead of the steady supply of “stuff worth saving.” Each of my kids’ memory bins contains one folder per calendar year and a separate one for each school year. The “school year” folder speaks for itself, but a few things the calendar year folder contains each year are: special birthday or other greeting cards, our Christmas card and letter, any paper worth saving from extracurricular activities, etc.
To implement this simple solution, you only need two different items – a 32 QT. storage bin (mine is air and moisture resistant) and hanging files (I used letter, but my Sterilite “gasket box” can also accommodate legal). It’s nothing fancy, but it does the job!
I could geek out on organization all day long. Telling me what you save and how you organize your kids’ special papers would be such a treat!
Thanks so much for this easy recommendation! My son’s only 18-months, but I find myself already with a bunch of papers and “art projects” from daycare that I might want to keep. This is so cheap and easy, and limiting to 1 folder per year keeps it managable.
Hi Karen, I’m so glad you found this post helpful! Happy organizing! 🙂