Guides
Practical, step-by-step guides for getting receipts, invoices and inventory into spreadsheets — and keeping your books clean.
Receipts & Expenses
How Long Should You Keep Receipts for Taxes?
The short answer is at least three years after you file, but several common situations stretch that to six, seven, or longer. Here is how the IRS rules work, with dates you can apply to your own records.
Nov 1, 2026 · 6 min read
How to Make an Expense Report from Receipts
Whether you are reimbursing an employee, billing a client for travel, or closing out a business trip, an expense report turns a pile of receipts into one clear, approvable document. Here is how to build one that gets approved the first time.
Oct 28, 2026 · 6 min read
How to Import Receipts into QuickBooks Online
QuickBooks Online can take receipts one at a time, or in bulk through a CSV upload. Here is how the bulk route works, which file format to use, and how to avoid the most common mistake: recording the same expense twice.
Oct 24, 2026 · 6 min read
How to Scan Receipts into Excel (3 Methods Compared)
Getting a receipt from paper into a spreadsheet sounds simple until you have 200 of them. We compare manual entry, Excel's built-in picture import, and AI extraction, with the cleanup formulas you need for each.
Oct 21, 2026 · 7 min read
How to Organize Receipts for Taxes (Small Business & Freelancer Guide)
A shoebox of faded receipts is not a record-keeping system. Here is a simple, repeatable way to capture, categorize, and store receipts so tax season takes an afternoon instead of a week.
Oct 18, 2026 · 7 min read
Invoices & Bookkeeping
How to Reconcile Vendor Statements with Your Invoices
A vendor statement is the supplier's version of what you owe. Reconciling it against your own records catches missing invoices, duplicates and unapplied payments before they turn into late fees or overpayments.
Nov 1, 2026 · 6 min read
How to Extract Line Items from Invoices into a Spreadsheet
An invoice total tells you what you spent. The line items tell you what you bought, at what price, and for which job. Here is how to capture them in a spreadsheet structure that holds up.
Oct 27, 2026 · 6 min read
How to Automate Invoice Data Entry for a Small Business
Automating invoice entry is less about software and more about a dependable intake process. Here is how to choose an approach, design the workflow, and keep the controls that stop duplicate or wrong payments.
Oct 24, 2026 · 6 min read
How to Build an Accounts Payable Spreadsheet in Excel
A good accounts payable spreadsheet tells you what you owe, to whom, and when, at a glance. This walkthrough builds one from scratch with working Excel formulas for due dates, aging buckets and vendor totals.
Oct 21, 2026 · 6 min read
How to Convert a PDF Invoice to Excel (Without Retyping)
Retyping invoice numbers, dates and line items from a PDF is slow and error-prone. Here is how each conversion method actually behaves on real invoices, and how to pick the right one for the files you get.
Oct 18, 2026 · 7 min read
Inventory
Reorder Point Formula: How to Calculate It in Excel
The reorder point tells you when to place an order so you don't run out while waiting for it. Here is the formula, three ways to set safety stock, and an Excel sheet that flags what to reorder.
Nov 1, 2026 · 6 min read
How to Create SKU Numbers (With Examples)
A good SKU tells you what an item is at a glance and never breaks in a spreadsheet. Here is how to design a SKU format, handle variants, and generate SKUs with an Excel formula.
Oct 28, 2026 · 6 min read
How to Track Reseller Inventory and Profit (eBay, Poshmark, Etsy)
A sale price is not a profit. Here is how to set up a reseller spreadsheet that tracks every item from sourcing to sale, with real cost basis, fees, shipping and aging inventory.
Oct 24, 2026 · 6 min read
Restaurant Inventory and Food Cost: How to Calculate It Weekly
Food cost percentage is only as good as the inventory count behind it. This is a weekly routine — count, purchases, sales, formula — that a small kitchen can actually keep up with.
Oct 21, 2026 · 6 min read
How to Do an Inventory Count for a Small Business (Step-by-Step)
A good inventory count is mostly preparation: clean data, a clear count sheet and a plan for variances. Here is the exact process, from the week before to the final adjustment.
Oct 18, 2026 · 7 min read