Receipt Vault
Catalog purchases by merchant, amount and category.
Overview
The Receipt Vault is a searchable catalogue of every meaningful purchase you make: merchant, date, amount, category, currency, and an optional note. It is not a photo OCR system; it is a structured ledger that you can scan later when you need to remember when you bought the laptop, what the warranty cut-off is on the dishwasher, or how much you actually spent on holiday gifts last December.
Where the Expense Log focuses on cumulative monthly burn, the Receipt Vault focuses on the individual transaction as a discoverable record. Both can coexist: log routine small spend in the Expense Log and stash significant purchases in the Vault with enough detail to recover them later in tax season, an insurance claim, or a warranty conversation.
How it works
Each entry stores merchant, purchase date, amount, category, currency, and a notes field for context such as warranty length, serial number, order ID, or the reason for the purchase. The list is sortable and filterable by merchant or category, and the running totals per category help when you are reviewing where a windfall or a holiday budget actually went.
There is no receipt image upload; the value is the structured metadata. If you need the original receipt, store it in your email or cloud drive and link to it in the notes field.
Examples
- Catalogue a $1,499 laptop purchase with the merchant, serial number in the notes, and a Tech category so it is one search away when the warranty question comes up.
- Track holiday gifts under a Gifts category in November and December to see the seasonal total before next year arrives.
- Log a business-deductible client lunch with the merchant, attendees in notes, and a Business Meals category for end-of-year tax prep.
- Record a major appliance purchase with the model number and installation date in notes so warranty service calls go faster.
FAQ
Can I upload photos of receipts?
No. The Vault is text-only on purpose; image storage adds complexity without changing the fact that you still need to find the receipt later. Use the notes field for a link to a file you keep elsewhere.
How is this different from the Expense Log?
The Expense Log is optimised for fast small-spend capture and monthly totals. The Receipt Vault is optimised for finding a specific past purchase by merchant or category.
Should I log every purchase?
No. Use it for purchases worth recovering later: warranty items, tax-deductible spend, business expenses, and anything you might need to reference in a year.
Can I export the catalogue?
Copy entries from the on-screen list. The data is yours; treat it like any other personal ledger.
What if a merchant changes name or is acquired?
Log the merchant as it appears on the receipt at the time. Note any renames or acquisitions in the notes field so future searches still find the entry.