Organizing Receipts

Anything that is just an everyday receipt (groceries, gas, clothes, books, etc) I put in my guest room closet (use a bin) for 30 days or so. Then I shred or burn it.
Anything that is a bigger ticket item, or comes with a "manual" (electronics, TV, washer/dryer, lawn mower, coffee pot, etc), I staple to the inside cover of said manual, and keep the manuals all in one drawer. But you could designate a book shelf or bin if that works better for you. I found that all the manuals are different sizes, so just dumping them in a deep drawer is what I do.
Other than that, what kinds of receipts are left?
If you mean statements (like credit card or bank statements) then I keep a hanging file folder of those. I shred/burn the credit card statements when they are over a year old (add them to the bin in the guest closet, lol) and file the bank statements in with my tax paper storage each year. (I get a manila envelope from my tax preparer with everything I have provided them, plus the actual tax forms, and then I slip in that years corresponding bank statements and payment stubs/LES). I store those by year for 7 years.

After reading your "added": If you have the space, I would get 2 additional bins(shoe boxes). Put your receipts for clothing/shoes/purses that you are concerned about needing to return in one bin. Fill it for 6 months. Then start putting receipts in bin #2. At the end of a year, dump bin #1 (shred/burn or toss if there isn't any personal info on it) and start filling bin #1 again. At the end of the next 6 months, dump bin #2 and start refilling it. And so on. That way, you will keep all your receipts for a minimum of 6 months before tossing them. Most places won't honor a return older than that anyway. And usually by then, you'll know if you need to return/exchange something.

try neat receipts. It's a great program that you can buy for your computer. You scan your receipts and it will let you organize them however you want. Then if you need the receipt for anything you can print it off.

I save all my receipts in a plastic accordian folder I got at Target for a dollar. The folder is divided into 12 sections, one for each month. I just drop each receipt into the proper month and can find one pretty easily if I need to return something. At the end of the year, I throw most of the receipts away, except any for big ticket items like appliances. Those I put in a separate envelope in my file cabinet.

I save almost all my receipts and it has really paid off for me. I've dug out old ones for warranties and even took back dishes that I had bought 5 years previously because they started cracking.

I organize my receipts alphabetically by store and year. I almost always remember where I purchased something so it makes it easy to find. I have a file bin with 2 sets of folders labeled alphabetically, one set of folders for the current year, one for the previous year. When the new year starts I take all the receipts out of the older set and put them in a big manila envelope, label it with the year, and store them long-term in a file cabinet. I then have an empty set of folders to start filing the new year's receipts, and I still have the previous year's handy and alphabetized in case I need them. I hope that makes sense. It really works for me. I've never had any trouble finding a receipt. We've been robbed a couple of times and having my receipts was helpful for insurance purposes. We also move every 2-3 years since my husband is military and so every time the movers mess something up, I can find out and prove exactly how much it cost.

I save the envelopes that come with bills to organize for the upcoming year. I separate the envelopes into large and small and use the large for the receipts and the small for mailing bills or other "unimportant" mail. I use label stickers to cover the celephane openings on the envelopes so that I can address them....I know...I am cheap!!!! I label the large envelopes with month and year and clip them together. I keep them in my desk. My family knows to put every receipt on my desk. I use the receipts to update checkbooks, etc. This is also useful if you are trying to track your expenses. At the end of the month, I go through the envelope and sort the receipts into categories: gas, lottery tickets (bless my dh!), fast food, groceries, etc. Not too specific, but enough that I can get a handle on spending. I add up by the different categories and put it on the outside of the envelope by category. IF I am ambitious, I add up the sales tax and put it on the outside of the envelope. This helps at tax time....I itemize and have claimed much more than the standard deduction for sales tax. I must admit that some years I have had to sit for hours and days doing this, so I am trying to keep up with it on a monthly basis. I keep the envelopes in a shoe box in my home office. Now that we are going mostly paperless, I have to add that it is getting harder to track some of our expenditures....So now I am keeping a notebook and annotating by kiddo: tuition, books, etc. I have a large family so as I get "older" my notebook has become my best friend!!!! Sorry this is so long....good luck!

I have 3, large 4 drawer filing cabinets. Granted, I home office and I am anal about my paperwork. My husband laughs because he can ask for a receipt for years back and I have it within 5 minutes. He did just that today, twice!

Example, on big ticket items such as when we upgraded and replaced everything that had to do with our heating and AC, I made a file for the company we did business with. I have a file for Home Depot, Best Buy, Lowes, Home improvement (for those receipts that don't fit into one of my other catagories), washer/dryer, dishwasher, etc... you get the gist.

We use 1 credit card which is paid more than in full each month and I access that online for details on a transaction. I do my banking online and have access to cleared checks and payments made online.

I do expense reports weekly and medical expense reports bi-weekly and I use the original receipts in those reports for future reference in case of an audit, etc. At the end of the year, I combine all expense reports, file them away together and then start over.

Good luck!!

We have a photo box that we keep our receipts in. Once something clears our checking account (we online bank, so usually a day or two) we shred it -- for consumables (restaurant, gas, groceries). If the receipt is for an item that I may return I either tape it to the item or keep it in the box for 30-90 days, depending on the return policy and then shred. For big-ticket items, I staple the receipt to the owner's manual and file in our filing cabinet. We have files such as appliances, stereo, TVs, garage (lawn mower, snow thrower, tool box, etc), boat, vehicles, etc.

When I sell or donate the big-ticket items, I shred the receipt and make sure the owner's manual goes with the item.

Good luck!

My bank statements are all available online, along with my monthly credit card activity. I never receive a paper bank statement. My medical expenses are available for the year on my insurance company's website. I pay all my bills by automatic deduction (opt out of any company sending me a paper bill) and my paycheck is deposited automatically. When I do private consulting work, my clients pay me through Paypal which allows me to see reports of all activity on their website. My tuition charges are available on my school website. My tax statements are all available online from my employer and my financial advisor, I don't even need to print them.

The only time I need to save a paper receipt is when I travel for work. Then I put them in a file folder just long enough to scan them and submit them by email. Then I don't need to save them.