You just ran out of ink for the 5 orders that showed up on Etsy today.
Or you realize that you don’t have the right size canvas for that painting that’s been roaming around in your head, trying to get out.
Or the 100% cotton white thread is running low in your machine and you’re not going to have enough for that wholesale order due at the end of the week.
Or you don’t quite have the washi tape that you’re looking for to put together that exciting DIY guest post for that fabulous BIG blog.
So, you do what (I’m guessing) a lot of us do: you run out/go online and buy it!
Which is great, ’cause it gets the job done.
But, did you track that purchase for your year-end bookkeeping exercise? You know, the one that asks you to add up all of your expenses to go against all of your earnings?
No? Boring, right?!
Well, here’s a fun little DIY envelope template that lets you store your receipts and keep track of all of those expenses. It’s based on a week-to-week timeframe and it’s big enough to keep both store receipts as well as online receipts that you can (and should – right then, right there!) print off.
I actually keep two: one for beside the computer where I do my online shopping and one for my purse for my in-store shopping. Then, I throw them all in a box until the end of the month where I transfer them to my bookkeeping program.
Easy-peasey!
The template is super easy to use: print it out (it works best in colour; it’s a little light in black & white), cut along the outline, fold & secure with tape or glue.
As you can see from the picture, I simply used washi tape to secure the tabs as it’s somewhat transparent and you can write on fairly easily.
Plus, it’s so pretty!
Start being a tracking star & print yours now… click on any of the images, the link below or here & make your life easier when you hand in your expenses to the accountant next year 😉
Do you keep good track of your expenses and if so, how?
Do you get as detailed as charging for the
washi tape you used or the one sticker you used?
Thank you – accounts and expenses are dirty words in my world, but you have made them pretty. If anything’s going to make my books more organised, it’s this!
:o)
Thank you again, Lucy x
I love this! It’s so simple yet very clever …
This is brilliant! I will definitely be sharing this around!
Awesome~! I do this ALL THE TIME in MY biz and well as DH’s~What a waste! It’s so frustrating. I’m printing this off RIGHT NOW< RIGHT NOW!!!! Thanks for such a great suggestion.
Oh. This is genius! Printing a few off for my purse & desk right now 🙂
Thank you so much for the great idea and freebie!
@Bee, what a great question! This envelope is really geared towards those last minute dash items that can tend to get lost in the shuffle when it comes time to declaring your expenses. If you ran out to buy a roll of washi tape, then yes! I would charge it… if that sticker was part of a larger purchase (ie, a roll or sheet of them), then I would simply put that towards the cost breakdown of whatever product I was making… sounds like another post on this might be worth something!
@Lucy, pretty really does make yucky better, doesn’t it?!
@Deanna, I’m a huge fan of the simply clever 😉 hope it helps!
@Kerry, thanks so much – happy to share!
@Sindy, you’re very welcome & as a small biz, the less waste, the better 😉
This is really awesome! I love it!!! TFS! 🙂
I love organizing and keeping things in their place and this will make doing that with my wallet so much easier! Simple and awesome!!!
Oh, this is good. I’m also going to use this for tracking personal finances (finally time to see how much I really spend on books. Yikes!). Thank you so much for the printable! And you’re right, pretty is always better. 🙂
this is brilliant (and so sweet & pretty)! thank you so much for sharing. i was wondering what bookkeeping program you use/if you have any suggestions?
thanks!
Hi Sara! Thanks so much… it helps to do the mundane when it’s pretty, isn’t it? I use Simply Accounting, but I’m an ex-bookkeeper from a previous life 😉 Freshbooks is quite good & it’s fairly cost effective, easy to use & mobile. Lots of luck!
this is brilliant (and so sweet & pretty)! thank you so much for sharing. i was wondering what bookkeeping program you use/if you have any suggestions?
thanks!
(sorry about the double post)
This is absolutely PERFECT! I needed this to help keep up with tracking expenses (a chore most of us hate to do). I am so glad to have found this and now I don’t have to reinvent the wheel 🙂 Gonna use this starting TODAY!
Just saw this, Catrina – I’m so glad I can help make this chore easier for you 😉 How have you gotten on with it so far?
pretty good!
Love this Geri…….
Thanks, Colleen… sorry for the delay – just saw this!
Hello new favorite thing!! I have to print this out!! I think it will really help me! Thank you!! =)
Ergo – Blog
Just came across this, Chloe – you’re so very welcome… anything to make these chores easier to do 😉
Hey Geri,
It gives me immense pleasure that I came across your blog post and even more than that I got pleased with the approach of your expense tracking and reporting. One free advice I would like to give you that when you are concerned about the expenses that come in daily basis, why not then to go with tools that helps manage the expense more precise and happening. What I would like to say that when the concern is all about the expenses then I know that no one even would like to loss a single penny unnecessarily.
My kind of management (including tracking and reporting) is being taken care by the automated tools which gives the end result with more precision. I am currently using Replicon’s expense reporting software ( http://www.replicon.com/olp/expense-reports.aspx ), Even you can go ahead with the same to get the expenses tracked and reported in all possible and lucrative manner.
Carla!!
I have just found this envelope and wanted to say THANK YOU. Very cute. It makes spending cash and tracking expenses a little more enjoyable!
Thank you so much! I’m using this for a budgeting service for my mental health clients and it works so well because they carry a lot of cash. Thank you thank you!!
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! This is even better than what I was looking for (a sales tracker) but yours is actually an envelope and I can take it with me so I don’t have to remember to write everything when I come back home, I can do it then and there! 😀 Thank you loads for this.
THANK YOU so much for sharing this !! this is a perfectly brilliant and genius way to store my receipts and eliminate the post it notes :))
This is awesome! I run a daycare from my home and really need to do better with my tracking – but I’m not # oriented and find the business side very overwhelming. This is awesome!
This is awesome! Thank you so much!!!
My husband and I are trying to help my nephew get on his feet on his own. We want him to start out using cash envelopes but have also taught him how to balance a checkbook. These will be perfect for him to practice balancing it. AND he can look in the envelope to see if he was right. PERFECT
Your so awesome for putting this up. I needed this as all of my receipts seem to get put in with hubby’s business. Thank you so very much.