What to do with the paper?

[neal105 3]

I'm investigating going paperless and I like the idea but I need some emotional help. Once the scan is completed and loaded into EN what does one do with the paper? Do you shred it and recycle? What if it is a receipt and the store requires the original for a return? Do you file the paper into a general box just in case it is needed? Bite the bullet and throw it away? Looking for everyones thoughts and ideas.

Also along with this question is dedicating ones entire process to EN. Will EN be around for years and years? What happens when you are 3 years down the road and EN goes away. How will you have access to all of your data? Keep a copy of everything local?

Thanks

Neal105

[bduncan 49]

This is a fairly big topic, but some thoughts based on your questions:

-I am extremely ruthless about what I keep. It has to have a pretty high bar for what I will keep. Most things I recycle and/or shred.

-If it is a receipt for something I think I might potentially need to return/get warranty service for, I do keep it. I have a "Purchases" folder in my file cabinet and it goes in there.

-Some stores will take a scanned receipt, but many won't. A clever tip I received from a reader: when he buys something, he asks whether they take scanned receipts or require the original, and he writes that on the back of the receipt. Then when he is scanning, he knows whether he needs to keep it or not.

-Remember that with Evernote, your data is in fact kept locally. If Evernote Corp were to suddenly go away, you could still export your data out of the client application. However, if it makes you feel better, you could keep a local backup as well.

[jbenson2 2,147]

-Some stores will take a scanned receipt, but many won't. A clever tip I received from a reader: when he buys something, he asks whether they take scanned receipts or require the original, and he writes that on the back of the receipt. Then when he is scanning, he knows whether he needs to keep it or not.

That's a good tip.

However, if I ever run into a company that refuses to accept a scanned receipt, not only will that be my very last purchase from them; but I will also make sure their store managers and field supervisors get to know me on a first name basis.

[GoingPaperless 0]

I agree with the others. What I do is note if there is a waranty item purchased and when I scan it in I tag it that way with the date the waranty is over. For the paper, I put it in a box and let it age. No hurry to trash it. I can keep it until I need the room then take it to the shred. I have two boxes: shoe boxes for store receipts and a record box for statements and such. In general, I try to cut off the paper at the source by requesting paperless. For new products, the first thing I do is download a PDF of the manual an put the manual in my recycle box.

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

Behold, I am become Death, the destroyer of Paper.

Books, magazines, pamphlets, Christmas cards, receipts, and just about everything else in pulp form has submitted to my righteous wrath.

[BurgersNFries 2,407]

Behold, I am become Death, the destroyer of Paper.

Books, magazines, pamphlets, Christmas cards, receipts, and just about everything else in pulp form has submitted to my righteous wrath.

Me too, mostly. I do save about 1/3 of the old photos/slides/letters and important docs like birth certificates, passports, car titles. Nearly all greeting cards received get tossed after scanning. (I also scan greeting cards sent just for yucks.) I've not graduated to magazines & books, yet, though.

[afly 3]

Sorry to resurrect such an old topic, but having similar concerns to OP, I just wanted to provide an example of how going paperless can sometimes bite you in the bum.

In 2009-2010 me and my wife applied to get spousal visa in the UK (she's Australian). A big part of such an application is proof of being together over a sustained period. It doesn't matter how green or great you think paperless is when faced with a UKBA that considers scans, duplicates or print-outs absolutely inadmissible, positively no exceptions (They're like that about everything, almost as if to make it such a difficult process, you'll just give up )

I've been using paperless banking for years now (on-line only) and paper statements were one of the requirements. For all of the banks bleating on about doing their bit, saving the environment and how paperless is a benefit to the consumer, they took 4 months and charged me over £130 to get 2 years worth of back statements which would of otherwise been acquired for free and sitting in my drawer.

This isn't a dig at the concept, I'm just about to delve into it myself, but I'm not sure all paper copies will be heading straight for the bin just yet

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

Sorry to resurrect such and old topic, but having similar concerns to OP, I just wanted to provide an example of how going paperless can sometimes bite you in the bum.

In 2009-2010 me and my wife applied to get spousal visa in the UK (she's Australian). A big part of such an application is proof of being together over a sustained period. It doesn't matter how green or great you think paperless is when faced with a UKBA that considers scans, duplicates or print outs absolutely inadmissible. Positively no exceptions (They're like that about everything, almost as if to make it such a difficult process, you'll just give up )

I've been using paperless banking for years now (on-line only) and paper statements were one of the requirements. For all of the banks bleating on about doing their bit, saving the environment and how paperless is a benefit to the consumer, they took 4 months and charged me over £130 to get 2 years worth of back statements which would of otherwise been acquired for free and sitting in my drawer.

This isn't a dig at the concept, I'm just about to delve into it myself, but I'm not sure all paper copies will be heading straight for the bin just yet

A good cautionary tale. Yep. You have to think ahead about this kind of stuff and be aware of legal and bureaucratic obligations. In the US, in my own situation, there are very few things that require original paperwork. However, just yesterday I discovered that I have to submit originals of receipts to my university to be reimbursed for something. Apparently, my department and everyone else I have worked with does not require paper, but the Treasurer's office does. *sigh* I usually keep "important" paper like this around for a little longer until I can verify it isn't needed, so it is no big deal. But, I learned that over time the hard way

I would say I have only needed four pieces of paper over the last few years (these receipts), so that is pretty good! However, just this week I am being required to print out something else and carry it across the country to, of all places, the Evernote Trunk Conference ("Please PRINT and bring this ticket to the event entrance."). LOL. How ironic

[AndyC 3]

Behold, I am become Death, the destroyer of Paper.

Books, magazines, pamphlets, Christmas cards, receipts, and just about everything else in pulp form has submitted to my righteous wrath.

I have so far shredded or recycled about a three foot high pile of paper. I've retained a pile less than an inch thick. That contains a couple of sentimental things, and a few things I need the original paper for. In the UK the sale of goods act states that you don't need a receipt, just evidence of purchase, so the credit card statement is good enough (also "where on that sign does it say can't be a scanned copy?")

About the only things I have left that isn't an actual book is the paperwork for the mortgage and ownership of my house, my passport, my driving license (has a paper component in Europe), and the supporting docs for this years tax return. Oh, and a few cheque books.

I'm secretary of a club and told the committee I was going digital and if they didn't want the originals of 30 yaers of minutes and redords destroyed they needed to find storage or them. They're getting DVDs each next week. The rest is either shredded or recycled.

And treasurer of another club, and those records have been almost entirely digital from the start, so it was only a few dozen paper invoices that had to be scanned.

I killed my shredder in the process and had to buy another one. Seriously.

[sshih 18]

I'm a little too sentimental to go completely paperless, so I keep most of the handwritten letters I receive just to have the physical form of them. However, for documents and more "impersonal" papers, those go straight to the recycle bin. Once scanned into Evernote, they're keyword-searchable anyway, which beats any filing system I can come up with.

Also along with this question is dedicating ones entire process to EN. Will EN be around for years and years? What happens when you are 3 years down the road and EN goes away. How will you have access to all of your data? Keep a copy of everything local?

Neal105

As for your question about whether EN will be around? I think Phil Libin, the CEO has a little something to say about that

Part of EN's mission is to become a 100-year company, and the decisions and long-term focus of the company definitely live up to its words. http://www.readwrite...t-100-years.php

I take comfort in knowing that EN is a company that really wants to stick around for the long haul. And to reiterate what bduncan said--if EN was to go away, you could still export your data out of the client application, and keeping a local backup as well as an extra safeguard isn't a bad idea.

[TechBarber 100]

-Some stores will take a scanned receipt, but many won't. A clever tip I received from a reader: when he buys something, he asks whether they take scanned receipts or require the original, and he writes that on the back of the receipt. Then when he is scanning, he knows whether he needs to keep it or not.

That's a good tip.

However, if I ever run into a company that refuses to accept a scanned receipt, not only will that be my very last purchase from them; but I will also make sure their store managers and field supervisors get to know me on a first name basis.

I agree with you, but I can see why some retailers don't like copies or scans. Let's say you purchase a television from Costco. After a couple of weeks you decide you don't like it so you return it with your scanned receipt. The cashier would mark on the bill that it was returned, typically with the date, and in doing so you could no longer use that receipt to return that TV.

I've worked in retail before so I know there are a ton of people out there who would do this if they could use a scanned receipt.

1. Walk into Costco and purchase TV
   
2. Return TV a few days later with scanned copy of receipt. The cashier then writes "returned Sept 20/2012" and scratches the item off the bill.
   
3. You go home, print out another copy of the receipt from Evernote.
   
4. The next day you return to Costco without a TV, but with a fresh receipt for said TV.
   
5. You walk over to the TV aisle, load the TV onto a cart, and try to return it again - this time making $1,000 in the process.
   

I know it sounds horrible but you wouldn't believe the lengths people will go to in order to steal. One day while working at an electronics retailer a guy walked in and just picked up an iMac and walked out. That was that.

By limiting you to the "original" copy of the receipt, they can at least limit the possibility of you doing malicious things with your freshly scanned duplicates.

I don't necessarily agree with it, but I can see where they're coming from.

[afly 3]

Yep I can imagine that being a problem TB.

What should happen is that the receipt has a barcode/number on it which when scanned for refund, marks it refunded centrally. That would beat the counterfeiters

I guess we're some ways off such systems though atm

[TechBarber 100]

Yep I can imagine that being a problem TB.

What should happen is that the receipt has a barcode/number on it which when scanned for refund, marks it refunded centrally. That would beat the counterfeiters

I guess we're some ways off such systems though atm

That's the issue. There are lots of ways around the problem I noted above, but retailers either aren't equipped with the proper tools, or their staff are completely unaware that a scanned receipt is acceptable.

Unfortunately, we're a few years ahead of the "paper-crowd" =)

[BurgersNFries 2,407]

-Some stores will take a scanned receipt, but many won't. A clever tip I received from a reader: when he buys something, he asks whether they take scanned receipts or require the original, and he writes that on the back of the receipt. Then when he is scanning, he knows whether he needs to keep it or not.

That's a good tip.

However, if I ever run into a company that refuses to accept a scanned receipt, not only will that be my very last purchase from them; but I will also make sure their store managers and field supervisors get to know me on a first name basis.

I agree with you, but I can see why some retailers don't like copies or scans. Let's say you purchase a television from Costco. After a couple of weeks you decide you don't like it so you return it with your scanned receipt. The cashier would mark on the bill that it was returned, typically with the date, and in doing so you could no longer use that receipt to return that TV.

I've worked in retail before so I know there are a ton of people out there who would do this if they could use a scanned receipt.

1. Walk into Costco and purchase TV
   
2. Return TV a few days later with scanned copy of receipt. The cashier then writes "returned Sept 20/2012" and scratches the item off the bill.
   
3. You go home, print out another copy of the receipt from Evernote.
   
4. The next day you return to Costco without a TV, but with a fresh receipt for said TV.
   
5. You walk over to the TV aisle, load the TV onto a cart, and try to return it again - this time making $1,000 in the process.
   

I know it sounds horrible but you wouldn't believe the lengths people will go to in order to steal. One day while working at an electronics retailer a guy walked in and just picked up an iMac and walked out. That was that.

By limiting you to the "original" copy of the receipt, they can at least limit the possibility of you doing malicious things with your freshly scanned duplicates.

I don't necessarily agree with it, but I can see where they're coming from.

Absolutely agree. I think it's less of a problem in the case you cited b/c most stores (including Costco) have the returns counter at the door, to prevent people from doing just that. However, a more feasible (IMO) scenario is anything smallish that can be easily stolen. IE clothing. I could buy a dress & return it with one receipt. Steal another one, walk back in another day/store/clerk & return the stolen one with a duplicate receipt.