Tip: Check Out Shoeboxed

Yesterday I blogged about prayer and the sovereignty of God. Today I come crashing down to earth. This is about as mundane as it gets, but I think it may be helpful.

I hate expense reports. My wife has bailed me out by finding an online service that does most of the dirty work. I wish I had found it long ago.

This is going to come across like a sales pitch, which is why I’m not using their affiliate link. I get nothing for recommending them. I just want you to know about it in case you find helpful. It could save you a lot of time and hassle.

Here’s how it works:

• Mail Shoeboxed an envelope of receipts. Or, snap a copy of the receipt with your phone, or scan the receipts and submit them on your computer. You can forward them email receipts as they come in as well.
• They OCR and then verify the details of your receipt and create an online, searchable archive. You can export them to Excel or to all kinds of other services like Evernote, Freshbooks, and more.
• You can even set up rules so that it categorizes your expenses for you.

I had a big brown envelope sitting beside my desk. I finally got around to uploading them to Shoeboxed the other day. I’m pretty cynical, and I didn’t expect much. I was surprised how well it worked. I’m finding that I can snap receipts as I go and have them filed and categorized without having to do a thing.

There is a charge, but it’s minimal. I’m on the cheapest plan, and it’s enough for me. They offer a free trial if you want to kick the tires.

It looks like a great service. It may help you spend time on things that matter a little more than expense reports.