"No Thanks, I don't need a Receipt"

I was reading a blog post about Identifying Bad Processes which commented that:

...is your purse or wallet overflowing with receipts? Receipt clutter is almost always caused by either not having a process for handling receipts or having a process you don’t use because the method is inconvenient, poorly designed, or not the best process for your needs...

It got me thinking about why we have so many receipts cluttering up our wallets and purses.  Sure, there are some receipts that you simply must keep for proof of purchase, or warranty purposes.  But then there are those redundant receipts that vendors seem to give you (often without asking if you actually want a receipt to start with).

Until recently, I used to always select "printed receipt" to see my bank balance from an ATM. But as soon as I viewed the balance, I posted it through the slot in the metal "Receipts" bin.  From the overstuffed receipts bin, I'd hazard a guess that most of us do the same. After seeing the mess of receipts poking out of the bin, I made a conscious decision to select "balance displayed on screen" instead.  One less thing to put in the wallet.

Another thing that usually hangs around in my wallet is the humble shopping list.  Not any more.  Those of us with smartphones have no excuse to be using paper lists.  The Nokia N8 has a pretty comprehensive App Store called Ovi.  The ShoppingList app from Nokia's Ovi Store lets me select from a list of common grocery items to add to my list.  And if there's something not on the list, I can add it using the free text field.  Best of all, it's 100% free.

Another twitter follower suggested that iPhone and Android owners can also ditch their paper shopping lists for the Grocery Gadget app.  You can share your lists with a number of people, and a number of devices (Blackberry and Nokia versions coming soon according to the website).

How about when you need to collect an item that requires a reference number?  Put it in your phone as a To-Do item, or just in the notepad on your device.  No need to use a sticky note that is only going to become wedged in your wallet or purse and stick to stuff.

A quick twitter poll uncovered a number of other excellent solutions to reduce your wallet bloat:

• Buying lunch with EFTPOS; you aren't going to return your sandwich, so you don't need a receipt.
• Buying fuel from the petrol station; the fuel is in your car, you can't return it.
• Printing out online movie tickets; just make a calendar appointment in your phone for the movie time and date, and put the reference number in the appointment as well.
• Receipts for Taxation purposes; in Australia, the ATO only requires a bank statement for taxation proof of purchase.

So what other ways have you found to reduce your wallet bloat?

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