DEAR SUN SPOTS: Is there a business, school or individual one can hire to set up a filing system in one’s own home for keeping records for their personal use, separating outdated material no longer needed to be kept and may be thrown out, including outdated bills, etc. If so, please phone 782-5802. Thank you, Sun Spots, for all the interesting materials and answers to other peoples’ problems, with solutions you have given in the past. Great work! — No Name, Auburn

ANSWER: There are several Web sites where you can search for a professional organizer. They include www.findmyorganizer.com, www.napo.net (National Association of Professional Organizers), www.organizerswebring.com, www.professionalorganizers.com and www.certifiedprofessionalorganizers.org. (From the proliferation of Web sites, one must assume that Americans think themselves most disorganized!)

Sun Spots spoke to one organizer who was recommended by a friend who made good use of her services. Elizabeth McGrady of Clearing Clutter Inc., 650-2894, [email protected], is based in Portland. She will drive for half an hour from there before her hourly rate of $65 kicks in. She is also willing to perform a free 15-minute phone consultation. You can see her photo on her Web site at www.elizabethmcgrady.com.

It can be very difficult to assess whether you should keep something or throw it away. Think about whether you are likely to ever need to refer to the item again. For example, a utility bill: If you are not self-employed and do not own a business and therefore have not deducted that bill, or a percentage of it, from your taxes, once the bill is paid, you are unlikely to need it again. You might want to keep a year’s worth to compare the costs and kilowatts used, but that is not essential.

One beauty of the Internet is that it reduces paperwork but keeps it available. Electric bills are a good example. Through its green option, customers can now view their Central Maine Power bill on the Internet any time and pay automatically through their bank account, but there is no paper bill mailed out to keep or throw away and no check to write and mail. The same is true for many other utillity and credit card bills. It is very efficient and saves a lot of trees!

There are also many books on organizing that may help you weed out extraneous paperwork. Ask your librarian or check out a bookstore in person or online.

Here is what the Internal Revenue Service recommends:

“Keep a copy of your tax return, worksheets you used and records of all items appearing on it (such as Forms W-2 and 1099) until the statute of limitations runs out for that reutrn. Usually this is three years from the date the return was due or filed or two years from the date the tax was paid, whichever is later. You should keep some records longer. For example, keep property records (including those on your home) as long as thy are needed to figure the basis of the original or replacement property. For more details, see Publication 552.”

The IRS has an excellent Web site with all their forms and publications available at www.irs.gov. If you don’t have online access, you can order Publication 552 at 1-800-829-367.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: To the Student Council, National Honor Society and the staff at Mountain Valley High School who honored our veterans on Nov. 12 with a breakfast, we thank all of you very much. The group that I sat with were very friendly and asked many questions of our time in the service and of the veteran homes.

I mentioned that I was on the board for the Maine Veterans Homes and that we were always trying to help students who are interested in going into the nursing field. The Navy people at our table told of the carriers in the military and of their service time. The whole affair was very enjoyable. Thanks again to all. — John Kezal, Korean veteran, U.S.C.G. and M.V.H.

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