Home Organization Tips

The holiday season is the easiest time to let the  house go a bit - let things pile up.  And there’s always some way to rationalize the bedlam:  you were too busy to put your packages away, too tired to deal with the mess, or running late to a holiday party with little time to focus on straightening up the house.  All of these excuses are valid (I should know; I’ve used them all numerous times); but they are still excuses.  Because it’s exactly in times of chaos that critical receipts can get lost, misplaced or accidentally thrown out.  Consequently, taking extra time to care for your holiday receipts can save you from the distress of searching for them, arguing with the store clerk to return or exchange your items without their proper receipts and the throbbing headache that justifiably results from this entirely traumatic process.  

The easiest way to keep your holiday receipts on hand is to clear out a special section of your wallet just for these receipts.  Make an effort to place all of them straight into that section (and to keep all other money, receipts and garbage out of it), so that you will know where they are when you need them.  During the holiday season, it is especially worthwhile to save all of your grocery store receipts, in case you stumble upon a spoiled product that needs to be returned, or accidentally purchased the wrong product and wish to exchange.  Likewise, people are doubly likely to forget a bag or two at the grocery store during the holiday rush.  In the event that you misplace one of your shopping bags and need to reclaim it at the store, it will be helpful to have your receipt handy. 

If you receive a gift with a gift receipt that you fully intend to return (yet ANOTHER Clay Aiken CD, for example), it may be helpful to keep the receipt in the gift box so that you will have it handy when you make it back to the store.  Alternatively, if there is no gift box, place the entire gift with the gift receipt into a shopping bag, to keep them together until you can return it.  If possible, tape the receipt either to the box or directly to the gift, to further prevent it from getting lost.  (Note: if the item needs to be returned in the original, undamaged box, do not put tape on the outside of the box, as it can ruin the box). 

Even if you are excited about your new gadget and can’t wait to throw away the box and put it on your shelf, it is worthwhile to save any gift receipts that you receive, in case you discover that the item is defective or it breaks within a short time.  It is recommended to save your receipts for the window of time in which the store will accept a return or the length of the product’s warrantee policy.  This way, you will not get stuck with a lemon - you will hopefully be able to make lemonade. 

After the holiday season, place the gift receipts that you have received and the receipts of your own purchases (minus the grocery purchases) in an envelope labeled ‘’holiday receipts 2006,” and file the envelope with the rest of your important documents or receipts.  By doing this, you will keep the receipts out of your way, but you will be able to find them easily when you need them. 

Posted on December 15th, 2006 by Sari
Filed under: organizing tips