Who Knew Organizing Receipts Could Be So Easy And So Pretty?
6 Materials
Easy
Are you like me and have had situations where you needed to return an item but could not find the receipt to show proof of purchase? There are some stores like Costco and TJ Max that can track every single item you have bought when you use their client or membership card. But there are a lot of stores that do not and also have petty strict return policies including returning the item in a certain amount of time and having the receipt proving you purchased the item at their store. It is also amazing how all of the little purchases add up each month! It is a good idea to keep track of all of the receipts so you can go through them at the end of the month to see where the money has gone.
But keeping track of all of these pieces of paper can be a tedious thing to do. I wanted a system that was very low maintenance and easy to follow consistently. I also wanted a system that was pretty and added to the kitchen décor!
I started with two empty cylinder shaped cookie tins with lids. I confess. I specifically bought these cookies for the storage potential more than the cookies! But the cookies were very tasty to eat. I even crushed them and sprinkled them on my ice cream bowl for a delicious dessert! You can also use coffee tins that come in this shape.
I sprayed a primer on the top half of the tins and both lids.
Then I sprayed black chalkboard paint on the top half of the tins and both lids. You can also use any paint colour with a gloss or matte finish. I chose black chalkboard paint because that is what I had in the house and it complemented the black patterned scrapbook paper I chose to decorate the tins.
Measure and cut the scrapbook paper so it fits around the two tins. Apply and seal it with Mod Podge using a foam brush.
I used a label maker to make a RECEIPT label that I applied vertically down the side of both tin. This ended up being a solution to a problem because the scrapbook paper did not quite go all the way around the tin. This label covered the gap very nicely. I made two labels for the lids. One label said “THIS MONTH” and the second label said “LAST MONTH.”
I placed my receipt organizer on the desk in our kitchen. The one labeled “Last Month” sits behind the one labeled “This Month”. When I come home after running errands or shopping I stuff the receipts in the “This Month” tin. At the end of the month I go through the “Last Month” tin and file the larger purchased items that need to be kept and discard the rest. Then I switch lids and move the now empty tin to the front. I repeat this system every time on a daily basis adding new receipts and at the end of the month going through the receipts from the previous month. It is a super easy, very low maintenance and even pretty system for organizing receipts!
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
Comments
Join the conversation
2 of 93 comments
-
This is a cute idea. The only problem is....I now have to go out and buy the cookies to eat! Oh darn! LoL! It also gives the work space a neater appearance. Good Job.
-
Sheer genius! Thanks for sharing!
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
What about oatmeal containers? More healthy eating than cookies for sure!😋