With retailers becoming more and more strict with return policies, it's important to keep those receipts! But keeping them organized can be a pain in the neck! Here's the way that I keep track of them.

I purchased one of those 12-pocket check storage envelopes, or you can use a coupon organizer. Just make sure it has 12-13 pockets and is wide enough to hold longer recipts without folding them a dozen times! Label one slot for each month, and put all receipts from that month's shopping in that month's slot. Once you've done this for a year, pull the 1-year-old receipts at the beginning of that month and shred them. 

This method also comes in handy for those 1-year warranties as well. You'll have that receipt for the entire year. If you purchase something with a warranty longer than 1 year, staple the receipt (or a copy of it) to the instruction manual for the item under warranty.

Sometimes organization can be your biggest money-saver! Isn't it better to get the cash/credit back rather than a merchandise card? 

That is such a great idea. I have been using a box (i shop alot) but that just get to stacking up and is to messy. I am going to buy a 13 pocket one tomorrow and organize that will save money and hopefully time sorting through reciepts if i need one.

Good reminder for everyone Jane.

I enter all of my receipts into Quicken, and then file the paper receipt in a monthly expansion file (like this one http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/969224/Office-Depot-Brand-Xtralife-Recycled-Expanding/ from Office Depot).  The receipts that in the file for a year, after which time I shred most of them and keep the really important ones that I think I might still need to hang onto.

Great ideas!  I've been trying to figure out the best system for my receipts!  I'm drowning in them!!

i got dave ramsey planner and put them in there it  good for cvs buck reward also.

Great Idea!!! One of those why didnt I think of that. It will keep everything together

Good idea. I keep mine in two envelopes. One to match them up to my credit card statement. Once I'm billed I move themto the second labeled envelope and hold them another month - just in case and then I  shred them. If they are for something with a warranty, instead of filing them in the second envelope or shredding them, I attach them to the booklet that came with the item and file everything in a letter-size accordian file, which I've labeled each section. (Small appliances, bathroom accessories, lawn equipment, electronics, etc.)

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one hoarding reciepts.  I started putting the ones that I need for taxes in the back pocket of my accordian file thingy.  Then I separated them into groceries/food, vehicles/maintenance, household projects, medical, dogs, gifts, hobbies/entertainment, taxes, and stuff for my son in college.

Does doing it by month work better? I keep them in there for the whole year. 

I obsessively save my post office receipts when I sell things online.  I have begun stapling them to my slips from PBS, so I have a better idea of where my items are when I get those ugly emails, requesting the location of an item (this happens ocassionally with eBay).  I have a rotation similar to yours, but I shred after 90 days.

I use the same type of container as Jane, but I sort mine alphabetically so that if I need to return something from WalMart I'll know to look in the W,X,Y section. 

I also have one section for tax deductible receipts, for things like career expenses, medical/RX receipts, etc.  I don't sort those by category because I keep all the category information on Quicken. 

That is a wonderful idea. I'm re-organizing my file cabinets and office area and that will go a long way to corral those wayward receipts i don't want to toss out just yet.