I don’t know what to do with receipts.

I feel like I need to keep them for various purposes, like taxes or financial proof or just money tracking.

But they pile up in random places around the house, overwhelming and useless.  Katie abhors them because of they’re a mess.  I look upon them with increasing dread as I come home each day and drop a few more onto the already immense pile.

Yet, at gas stations, I’ll always press YES when the pump asks if I want a receipt.  I haven’t yet learned to let go.  I need that little piece of paper that tells me: don’t worry – I’ll keep track of exactly how much money you’ve spent.

The truth is that I don’t need that little piece of paper.  All of my credit card transactions that I get receipts for are but a few clicks away on the Internet.  Moreover, I download all of my transactions from my credit card’s site into Quicken, so I have a local copy as well.

Do I really need to hold on to that receipt during the short amount of time between when I make my purchase and it appears in my Quicken register?

For large purchases, the answer is still obviously yes, if primarily for warranty and return purposes.  But for a $3 hamburger or $5 book, the answer should probably start being no.

It’s a risky business, but I think it’s a step I’m ready to take.