A Tip on Organizing Your Receipts

If you’ve ever found yourself with a heap of digital receipts piling up in your downloads folder or email inbox, you know how quickly things can get out of hand. The problem isn’t just clutter—it’s wasted time when you need to track down a receipt for taxes, reimbursements, or bookkeeping.

One simple solution? Use a naming convention.

A naming convention is just a set of rules for how you name your files so they’re consistent, easy to scan, and informative at a glance. This prevents duplicates and helps you immediately spot what’s missing.

Here’s the system I recommend: YYYYMMDD_Vendor_$XX.XX_Category.pdf

Let’s break it down:

YYYYMMDD = The date of the purchase in year-month-day format.

Vendor = Who you bought it from.

$XX.XX = The exact amount you spent. (If it's a whole dollar amount, I still include the .00, to eliminate any ambiguity.)

Category = The expense category (OfficeSupplies, Subscriptions, Insurance, etc.).

Example:

You made a purchase on August 21, 2025 at Staples for $32.67 on office supplies, the receipt would be saved as:

20250821_Staples_$32.67_OfficeSupplies.pdf

Why this works:

- Files stay in chronological order automatically.

- You can quickly search by vendor, category, or amount.

- No more wondering if you’ve already saved a receipt—it’s all clear from the name.

Yes, it takes a little patience when you’re starting out, especially if you have a heap of receipts to sort. But once you set up this system, you’ll save yourself hours of frustration down the road.

Bottom line: A small habit now = smooth sailing at tax time later.