How Do You Organize Your Credit Card Receipts?
There are many tasks that most people prefer not to do. Things like opening your mail, paying your bills, and organizing your paperwork. Organizing your paperwork requires a system of filing. Even the process of getting to the point of filing can be overwhelming.
This article will offer insights into two different approaches to organizing your credit card receipts while traveling.
A story of two friends
I went on a short vacation with a friend of mine last year. We shared some expenses – a ride from the airport to the hotel as an example. We also shared a hotel room. I travel somewhat frequently and have developed a system to keep track of credit card receipts and other paperwork. My friend uses a different approach to keeping track of her receipts and paperwork.
Organizing credit card receipts as you go
Not surprising, I like to have any papers I need for my travel organized and kept in a folder. It not just any folder but a zippered folder made of water-resistant nylon. Here is picture of it:
It is on a short list of one the best purchases I have ever made.
One side is the paperwork I feel I may need during my stay such as copies of my hotel information and all of my prepaid activities. I also include any notes on things that I don’t want to miss seeing or doing during my stay.
The other side is for all of my receipts. Each day, I removed all the receipts from my pockets as well as from my day-bag. Activities that did occur are moved from one side of the folder to the other. Any brochures and maps that I may have picked up are reviewed and discarded if I didn’t plan to use them. In other words, every credit card receipt, map or brochure is either filed, thrown away, or set aside for the next day.
A few minutes a day and things were kept in order. I also have a pretty good idea as to what we still may want to do and things we decided to forget.
Wait to organize your credit card receipts
My friend had a completely different system. Every day she emptied her purse and bags of all receipts, papers, and brochures. Rather than spending too much time sorting, she put all the papers into a drawer in the room. She would look through the brochures, putting most of them in the drawer as well. Setting aside a few maps and brochures to review for another day.
At the end our stay, as part of packing, she sorted through all the paperwork and credit card receipts in the drawer. Placing credit card receipts into one pile. Tossing most of the brochures, maps, and other paperwork.
Final Thoughts
This is an example on how to approach staying organized. One is doing a little at time. The other is to do it – once. The results are the same. We each had all of our necessary paperwork that we needed to make sure our credit cards are properly charged.
How do you keep up with your paperwork when you are traveling? Do you keep your receipts or do you rely on email and text messages?
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