End-of-Year Purge: 10 Documents You Can Get Rid Of

The end of the year is a great time to clean out closets and get organized for a fresh start. But what about that growing pile of paperwork in your home office?

In 2024 alone, consumers lost a staggering $12.5 billion to fraud, and the FTC received over 2.6 million reports of identity theft. While we hear a lot about digital data breaches, the #1 type of identity theft was credit card fraud (over 449,000 reports). Many thieves still use ‘old-fashioned’ methods like dumpster diving and mail theft to get personal information. Pre-approved credit offers, discarded bills, and other sensitive documents tossed in the trash can provide everything they need to open fraudulent accounts.

Starting the new year with better personal file organization is one of the smartest resolutions you can make. It’s time to secure your information with an end-of-year paper purge, and we’re giving you official permission to start shredding. Here are 10 personal documents you can confidently get rid of right now.

The Purge List: 10 Documents to Shred Today

Knowing how long to keep personal documents can be tricky. This simple document shredding checklist will help you decide what you can shred and what you should keep.

1. ATM Receipts & Bank Deposit Slips

Once you see the transaction appear correctly on your monthly bank statement, you no longer need the paper slip. Holding onto them after that point only creates clutter.

2. Pay Stubs

It’s a good practice to check your pay stubs throughout the year to ensure your income and withholdings are correct. However, after you receive your annual W-2 form and verify that the numbers match, you can confidently shred the individual stubs.

3. Most Credit Card Statements

After you’ve paid your bill and checked that all the charges are accurate, there’s no need to keep most credit card statements. The key exception is any statement that contains a purchase you plan to claim as a tax deduction. File those away with your other tax records.

4. Utility Bills (Older Than One Year)

For most households, a 12-month history of utility bills is plenty. This gives you a record of your usage patterns. However, if you claim a home office deduction on your taxes, you’ll need to keep those bills for longer as proof of expenses.

5. Expired Warranties & Manuals

Once the warranty period for a product is over, the paper document is useless. For product manuals, you can almost always find a digital copy on the manufacturer’s website. Shred the paper and free up some space.

6. Old Insurance Policies

When your new auto, home, or renter’s insurance policy arrives, the old one becomes obsolete. You only need to keep the documents for your current, active policy.

7. Credit Card Junk Mail

Those pre-approved credit card offers that flood your mailbox are a goldmine for identity thieves. Don’t just toss them in the recycling bin. Make it a habit to shred these offers as soon as you get them.

8. Old Travel Itineraries & Boarding Passes

Your trip may be over, but your personal data on those travel documents is still active. Boarding passes can contain your full name and frequent flyer number, which criminals can use. Once you’re back home, shred them.

9. Non-Tax-Related Receipts

Receipts for everyday purchases like groceries, coffee, or clothes can be tossed once you’ve confirmed the charge on your statement. The only receipts worth keeping are for items you might return, items under warranty, or purchases you plan to deduct on your taxes.

10. Paid Medical Bills

For routine medical visits, you can shred the bill after you have paid it and matched it with the Explanation of Benefits (EOB) from your insurer. It’s wise to keep records related to major surgeries, chronic conditions, or ongoing treatments for your long-term medical history.

Pro tip: Worried your personal data might have been breached? Check out our guide to spotting identity theft and our tips for protecting your child’s personal information.

The Keepers: What Not to Shred and How to Store It

Now that you’ve made a pile of documents to shred, let’s talk about the important papers left behind. Your new year document organization plan needs a strategy for protecting your most critical files.

The “Never Shred” List

Some documents are irreplaceable and should be protected for your entire life. These include:

• Birth certificates
• Marriage and divorce certificates
• Social Security cards
• Wills, living wills, and powers of attorney
• Property deeds and vehicle titles
• Passports
• Tax returns (keep these for at least seven years)

The Problem with Home Storage

Keeping vital records in a standard home filing cabinet or desk drawer puts them at risk. They could be lost in a fire, damaged by water, or stolen during a break-in. For extra peace of mind, we recommend storing these documents in a fireproof safe at home, in a safety deposit box, or at a secure, climate-controlled storage facility like Augusta Data Storage.

Start the New Year with True Peace of Mind

Getting through an end-of-year paper purge is a win-win. You clear out the clutter and take a big step toward keeping your personal info safe. Once you’ve sorted your papers into “shred” and “keep” piles, the next step is to dispose of them securely.

For the “shred” pile, don’t rely on a home shredder. At-home shredding might seem convenient, but it often falls short in security. Most home shredders only cut paper into strips, which can be pieced back together. Augusta Data Storage offers convenient drop-off shredding to ensure your confidential information is completely destroyed. As a NAID AAA Certified company, we follow the strictest industry standards for document destruction.

For your “keeper” documents, let us protect them. Our secure, climate-controlled document storage facility safeguards your most important records from fire, water damage, and theft.

Start the new year with a truly clean slate. Get in touch with Augusta Data Storage today to learn more about our secure drop-off shredding and personal document storage.