Thursday Tips: Organizing Receipts

Thursday is tip day.

I used to keep paper receipts in my wallet, and it drove me crazy. I prefer a small wallet, so in order to make the receipts fit I had to fold them up to the size of a credit card. It only takes about 5 thickly folded papers to make my wallet feel really stuffed. And don't get me started on those 12 inch long novels that Home Depot seems to feel we need as a receipt!

In order to zip my wallet closed, I had to keep pulling the papers out and putting them in their more permanent home, an accordion file sorted by month. That file is stored out of sight, so transferring the paper was a pain and so I'd put it off another couple days and then my wallet got even more wadded up. Argh!

I had an "aha!" moment about four months ago, and started putting receipts in a separate zippered pouch in my purse. This photo shows from top to bottom: my purse, the receipt pouch, and my wallet.



The zippered pouch is slightly shorter than a checkbook and can easily hold a month's worth of receipts without getting overly full and messy. Many of the papers fit without folding, and most only need a single fold to fit. At the end of the month, I transfer the whole kit and caboodle to my monthly file. In the meantime, if we need to return something, the receipt is usually still in my purse for easy access.

As a bonus, I get to use the really pretty silk pouch that my Mom gave me for my birthday last year. It reminds me of her and is a pleasure to use.

I've been enjoying Rocks in My Dryer's "Works for Me Wednesday" (WFMW) so much lately that I'd thought I'd participate again. For more household and organization tips, cruise on over to Shannon's site. It's fun, but I'm not changing my tip day to Wednesday.