Are you like most people who have a “healthy respect” (aka nightmarish fear) of the IRS and have every receipt, every return, every writing implement ever used or needed for filing your last 35 years’ taxes? Has your filing system expanded from a drawer to a whole closet “just in case”?

While that may be a little exaggerated, it’s not uncommon for people to still have boxes and boxes of papers they’re not sure if they should hold on to or alas…set free.

If you fall into the category of wondering whether to keep or not to keep all those papers, here are three guidelines to help you sort it all out.