Do you make a habit of saving receipts? I think it is a very good idea to save almost every receipt for a time. I have a basket very similar to the one above. It sits on the shelf above my computer and after I am done entering a receipt into my computer budgeting program, I toss it in the basket. There is no organization to the basket, but it is easy and I can find something if I need it.
Why would I want to save receipts? Well - for a few good reasons.
#1 - Unexpected returns, you may not think you will need to return an item, but maybe it unexpectedly breaks. Some stores such as Meijer, Toys R Us and Target have very strict return policies and without a receipt you are pretty much out of luck!
#2 Rebates. I have occasionally found a rebate on an item that I have already purchased or maybe I have purchased part of the required total of items. Saving my receipts has saved me money this way!
How long do I keep the receipts?
For grocery items and such you probably don't need to keep them for more than 2 -3 months. The basket I have is a pretty nice size, so I can go through it 3 -4 times a year and shred what I don't need. It doesn't take much time. For big ticket items I keep them at least a year, for appliances I keep them as long as I have the item.
What don't I keep?
Gas, fast food and Aldi. I would never have a rebate on these items and would know immediately if I needed the receipt, so they can get shredded right away.
Do you keep receipts? Do you organize them, and if so how?
2 comments:
I hate to throw away receipts but I have never been organized at keeping them unless it was an expensive Christmas present. I think I still have the receipt from the Nintendo about 10 years ago!! I have often been sorry when I can't find a receipt because they are all over my unorganized house, purse and car! I appreciate your idea of which ones to save and to just keep them all in one basket. Great idea, Thank you. I'm new to your blog and I love it! Especially learning how to do CVS. Thanks!
We keep all our receipts too. I'm bad about throwing them in my "Receipts" bin though. And this is where Meijer's return policy has come in handy. If you buy an item on your credit card, you can return it without the receipt and get a credit on your credit card. They can look it up by swiping the card with which you paid for the purchase. The key is remembering which card you used. Since I only use one credit card, this is not difficult.
I don't know if other stores have this policy or not but it has saved me several times from having to take the "lowest price" when I return an item for which I can't find the receipt.
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