But how long should we save documents?. Five years is a prudent period but only in some cases. For example, you should save your income tax statement for a decade, so long as during that period there has not been any problem and you have not been audited.

On the other hand, bills for purchases of things we use regularly should stay with us as long as we still use them. It is also a good idea to keep on hand documents of special importance such as the deed to your home, birth certificates, the family record (libro de familia in Spain), certificates for families with lots of children, life insurance policies, photocopies of car records until they are no longer valid or the title to the car has changed. (The originals should be kept in the car itself.).

Nor should you get rid of academic diplomas because they may become necessary when looking for a job. With these diplomas we can justify every line in our curriculum vitae).

Work contracts take on a special importance in the event of a work dispute, and the same applies to redundancy letters. You should save these until the matter is settled, either out of court with a court sentence.

Another special drawer or box should be set aside for medical records. There you should save cards showing your medical history and the vaccinations received by all the members of your family, as well as X-rays and test results.

Each time we ask for a loan the bank will ask to see a copy of our last income tax statement if we are self-employed. The same applies for pay stubs in the case of people who have employers.

In filing appeals with the government in tax disputes, you need a copy of documents that prove what we have contributed as taxpayers. Still, for tax purposes and to check your own numbers against the annual summary provided by your company, it is a good idea to keep your monthly pay stubs from the whole year. Expired passports have no value other than whatever sentimental meaning you want to give them.

People who are divorced and make child support payments should hold on to all papers that prove this in case of a problem or a legal dispute.

Filing any kind of complaint requires documentary proof of certain income and expenses. This means that when you buy an appliance or other consumer goods it should come with a stamped� guarantee. Save these guarantees along with instruction books to spare yourself time and disappointment when the time comes, if it does.

If your home is burglarized, the only way to prove to the insurance company and the police that things have been stolen is to show them purchasing receipts (instruction manuals also work as proof). This way the insurance company can make an inventory of what has been lost and calculate its liability.

Life insurance or illness policies should be kept in the same folder for easy use if the case arises. They should be stored in a logical way so they can be used by any person, not just the one or ones who are in mourning. The latter might not be in condition to go through hundreds of papers in search of the policies.

A tip
When you throw away old papers make sure they don't have personal data (telephone number, address, bank account numbers, etc) so as not to tempt miscreants.