I was told there was a good article in this week’s Big Issue. So I went looking for it this morning on the way to work. Normally I pass at least two sellers on Collins Street, plus another at the Parliament station exit. Do you think I saw any of them today? Nope, not a one.

The great clear-out of junk has commenced, with my filing cabinet being trimmed of fat. Accordingly, I decided to borrow my mum’s shredder to make sure that no bits of paper I’m chucking out will fall into the wrong hands. I’ve tried to avoid getting paranoid about such things in the past, but with the recent cases of identity fraud, it probably pays to be wary.

Tax records have to be kept for 7 years. Just about everything else that’s older than about a year, I’m chucking, with anything sensitive thrown in the shredder first. The amount of paperwork sent by the bank in particular is staggering, but it’s been interesting to re-read my bank records from years gone by. Around 1990 I seemed to make an awful lot of stops past JB Hifi for CDs and video tapes (both things now also subject to the clear-out).

So, I now have a cardboard box full of shredded paper, a bunch of other papers in the recycling bin, and a much neater filing cabinet. The great cull of ‘05 continues.