The 6 Absolute Best Ways to Store Receipts

Do you want to learn how to store receipts to easily find them when you need to make a return, prepare for tax time, or double-check that you’re spending wisely? In this post, I’m giving six of my all-time favorite, no-brainer ways to organize receipts so you’ll never lose one again!

Real Talk: I’m quite an organized person. I’m not perfect or obsessive about it, but I can confidently say that if you were to drop by my house unexpectedly, it would resemble the photos you see here on the blog.

(Okay, perhaps I don’t always have fresh flowers or a made bed on days when we leave for work exceptionally early, but overall, this blog represents how I live my authentic, everyday life.)

Clutter in my house stresses me out (I wish it didn’t, but it does), and discovering clutter in a closet, drawer, or cabinet has the same effect.

If I open a drawer and see it is disorganized or cluttered, I take a few minutes right then and there to declutter and organize, and I immediately feel more fulfilled. Believe it or not, I truly enjoy organizing! Labeling, color coding, and sorting things bring me happiness. I even devoted the entire month of January to purging every room in our house!

Easy Receipt Organization for Receipt Hoarders

In This Post

While I love being organized, there were years when I couldn’t manage to keep my receipts in order.

It drove me crazy until I finally tackled my receipts and figured out a system for storing them. This system has helped me keep my receipts organized and accounted for ever since.

It’s always a good idea to hold onto receipts. Keeping receipts organized is integral for business owners like me, but it’s also a savvy way to make sure you’re being a good steward of your finances, regardless of whether you own a business or not.

When I was looking for the perfect way to organize receipts, I found some really easy and creative options. While not all of these ways to store receipts will work for everyone, I thought I would share the six best ways I’ve found to keep them organized. Maybe one of these will work for you!

Ideas to Store Receipts

Here are six organizational tools for receipt hoarders to find a way to help us get organized once and for all! And the best part? Since I’m more of a paper girl, the first five of these methods will focus on receipt storage for physical receipts.

Have no fear: If your receipt preferences center around the electronic, we will cover how to store receipts digitally in the final section of this post.

The best part is that every single one of these ways to keep track of receipts is super easy and affordable!

Store Receipts Out of Sight By Hiding Them in a Closet.

The “closet-hiding method” is the type of receipt organizing that currently works for me. In my opinion, this method is the best way to store receipts for clothing and is perfect for clothes you think you’ll wear but don’t end up loving.

If you want the option of making a return, you’ll need to save your receipts for proof of purchase. Here’s how the “hidden closet” method of receipt storing works…

When I check out at a clothing store, and the cashier asks if I want the sales receipt with me or in my bag, I always choose to keep it in the bag (less clutter in my purse or wallet!). When I get home, I hang the item in my closet and immediately staple or paperclip the receipt to the item’s tag.

If I don’t wear the item or get home and no longer love the fit, color, or style, I always know where the receipt is to return it. When it’s time to make a return, I throw whatever I am taking back to the store in a bag and return it; honestly, I don’t detach the receipt until I’m in line at the store.

This method has worked for me, but the only problem is that it doesn’t account for receipts for the items you end up keeping/wearing. What should I do with the receipts of the large ticket items after I wear them, especially in case I find an imperfection after I wear them? This is where the remaining five ideas come into play.

Store Receipts Monthly with an Organizer Pouch.

This “organizer pouch” receipt storage method is an incredibly affordable and convenient way to keep organized and is the perfect option for a paper filing system.

I saw the above pictured monthly organizer at Target (in the office supply section) and thought this $7.00 item could be the answer to receipt organization problems. You can label the 12 tabs in this pouch by month and place each receipt into the right pocket based on the month of purchase. Or you can purchase this one from Amazon that is already labeled and ready for you!

However, I also like the idea of separating the receipts by category (e.g., blog expenses, clothing, home, family, personal, etc.). Try it and see what works for you. You can keep this pouch in your purse for easy access. I love the idea of pairing it with item #6 from this list.

(Note: you could also accomplish the same effect as this method using an accordion folder or filing cabinet).

Create a Cabinet Door “Command Center” to Organize Receipts and Other Paper Clutter.

This next idea is not a permanent home for receipts or essential docs, but it’s a great “holding place” for this clutter until you have time to address it. Especially if you live in a small home (we’ve likely all been there at one time!), there may not be much room to “hide” paperwork coming in from work, the mail, or the store.

A cabinet command center is the perfect solution to keeping receipts organized and concealed until you’re ready to permanently store the receipts. You can simply designate a cabinet door to hold the command center components, which is an easy way to keep receipts and other paper clutter hidden by merely closing the cabinet doors.

Store Receipts in a Basic Jar.

notebook with pen, calculate and glass jar used to store receipts

While this option for storing receipts doesn’t tackle receipt organization for years, it can be a game-changer for those needing a simplified system. This “basic jar” option is pretty genius, especially for people who describe themselves as disorganized.

This is a great way to corral those receipts and keep them around, but it doesn’t require much time to create or maintain.

You only need a large canister (I love this one!) to drop in the necessary receipts. You can add a piece of washi tape on the front as a label for extra credit. The glass jar can be displayed (especially if it’s not glass and you can’t see through it) or added to a cabinet or closet.

A shoebox can also work with this method, but I just love the look of the jar. However, receipt storing doesn’t have to be aesthetically pleasing, so just do what works for you!

This method is super low maintenance, but does what it has to do–collects receipts all in one place!

Organize Receipts with a DIY Envelope Collection.

This is an idea I threw together using items I had around the house. It’s like my Target accordion organizer (#2 above), but it didn’t cost me anything and can easily be personalized.

I used a binder ring (leftover from this Christmas Card project), a stack of envelopes, and a hole punch to create a DIY Receipt Ring. I love this because it allows you to add or subtract categories, and it’s easier to manipulate because you can detach one of the envelopes if needed.

Since my husband takes care of all of the DIY Playbook’s business receipts, I usually try to save all my receipts and give him my pile monthly so he can be well-prepared for tax season.

In this system, I can make a blog expense envelope, quickly take it off, and give it to him when I see him. Then I can add another envelope to the ring for the next month. I also love this because I can add an envelope for coupons and easily take that off the ring when I head out to go shopping.

Digitally Organize Receipts.

Hand uploading digital receipt via mobile app on an iphone

If getting rid of as much paper as possible is an idea that fascinates you, you’ll love this idea for how to organize receipts digitally using receipt management software!

In the spirit of transparency, digital receipts, unfortunately, don’t work for me. I know myself too well and know that converting hard copies of receipts and storing them electronically is not something I will stick to for the long haul.

I did want to include this option, though, because I know other people are amazing with technology and may love this method of organizing electronic receipts. In an increasingly electronic world, it’s probably wise to move toward using more digital tools to keep financial records

Prefer a digital system? Check out these popular platforms to help you digitally store e-receipts:

Tips to organize digital files and passwords

Expensify: This app categorizes receipts when you upload photos and even imports credit card transactions.
Zoho Expense: Popular for small businesses needing to store receipts for tax purposes, this app is similar to Expensify and is great for those users who need to categorize receipts for business expenses. This helps business owners ensure they’re taking full advantage of deductibles! (This is also important in the case of an audit!)
QuickBooks: Perhaps the most popular of the receipt-tracking apps, QuickBooks is an accounting software that helps keep your complete budget in order on top of storing receipts and quickly generating expense reports.
Evernote: An oldie but a goodie, this receipt scanner converts paper receipts into digital images.

You can add any of the above mobile apps to your phone or mobile device to transition all of your hard-copy receipts into electronic files for a digital system that will keep you organized and clutter-free. These keep your receipt information intact without adding to your home’s clutter. Sounds like a win to me. Perhaps I should re-think my aversion to digital receipt-keeping!

If anyone is reading this and already uses a digital receipt system, please share in the comments. With all of the blog expense receipts I save, having digital copies would be amazing, especially come tax preparation season!