Do you have mountains of receipts? If you’re anything like me you have receipts in your purse and car and your husband has receipts in his wallet and pockets! Most receipts that we have do not need to be kept. Some can be tossed immediately while others can be cross checked against a bank or credit card statement. Nonetheless, we need to get rid of them sooner than later!

When you need to get your receipts under control, get organized by using these four tips:
1. Sort – First, sort your receipts into categories based on how you paid for your purchases:
▫ Cash
▫ Check
▫ Debit
▫ Credit card charge
Purchasing a small accordion file with dividers will help you with your organization. You will want to label them so you can find the right receipts quickly. Categorizing your receipts this way will help you with the next step.

2. Enter – Whether you write them in your check register or input them in a computer program, each receipt needs to be entered or accounted for. You can do this on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. Find a place close to the area where you will do the inputting of the receipts to store them, in the small accordion file, until you have time to enter them. If the receipts are for credit card purchases, you can compare them to your monthly credit card statement when it arrives.

3. Toss

Once you have entered the receipts or compared them to a statement, most of them can be thrown away. Make sure you shred the receipts that contain personal information and account numbers. There may be times when holding onto a receipt, for a period of time, is a wise choice.

4. Save

There are certain receipts that will need to be saved. Perhaps you have an item to return, for example. Put these receipts in a place where you will have easy access to them when you are ready to go back to the store. Receipts for large ticket items such as appliances or electronics should be kept for as long as you own the item. Stapling the receipt directly to the owner’s manual or warranty is a good idea.

These days it is not difficult to be inundated with receipts. We haul them home, they come in the mail and usually pile up on every flat surface! If you take a little time each week to follow these four steps, it will help you to get organized, and cut down on the amount of receipts you keep.