Save receipts the moment you get them. If you wait, they disappear into the pocket dimension.

There is a mysterious force in the universe that specifically targets receipts. You’ve seen it. The second you think, “I’ll deal with this later,” that small slip of paper enters a hidden realm—never to be seen again.

Call it the pocket dimension. Call it chaos. Either way, it’s undefeated.

Receipts have an uncanny ability to disappear at the exact moment you need them most. The refund window is closing, the expense report is due, or tax season is looming—and suddenly that receipt is gone. Not misplaced. Gone. It’s not in your wallet, your car, your desk, or that random drawer where everything else ends up. It has crossed over.

The problem isn’t just forgetfulness—it’s delay. The longer you wait, the more opportunities you give the universe to misplace it for you. A receipt left in a pocket goes through the wash. One tossed in a bag gets crumpled beyond recognition. Thermal paper fades like it’s trying to erase itself from existence.

The solution is simple and almost annoyingly obvious: capture it immediately.

The moment you receive a receipt, do something with it. Take a photo. Upload it to your expense app. Drop it into a designated folder or envelope. The key is to break the “I’ll do it later” habit, because later is where receipts go to die.

Think of it like this: every receipt is a tiny, time-sensitive piece of data. If you don’t secure it right away, it expires—not officially, but practically. And in fields like event production, filmmaking, or nonprofit work, those little pieces of paper add up fast. Miss enough of them, and you’re leaving money, reimbursements, or clean accounting behind.

Building the habit doesn’t require a full system overhaul. It just takes a trigger. For example:
When you get a receipt, don’t put it in your pocket—take the extra three seconds to scan it.
If you’re traveling or working an event, designate one place where every receipt goes, no exceptions.
If it can’t be digitized immediately, it needs a “home” immediately.

No limbo. No “I’ll sort it later.”

Because later is exactly when the pocket dimension opens.

And once something goes in there, it’s not coming back.