Vocino Labs

When it comes time to file your taxes when you’re self-employed it means claiming a ton of stuff that helps you do what you do. That usually consists largely of technology — computers, cell phones, 500 trips to the Apple store, etc. It can also mean just about everything though. There are hundreds of perfectly legal and healthy tax write-off claims that I should be making.

The problem is I’m just lazy. Who saves receipts? Anyone? It’s a pain in the ass — not just getting them back home, but storing them and going through them when it’s time.

So, I set out to create an easily deployable system that I could manage which would catalog and index all my receipts in a nice and neat database.

Software

If you read this blog or know me at all, you know I’m a Mac zealot (except for the Ultimate Gaming Machine hobby of mine).

Therefore, I wanted a nice and clean MacOS application to organize everything. I much prefer apps that sort of fit in to the operating system (e.g. look like iTunes, hah). That’s where Yojimbo from Bare Bones Software comes in.

Now, Yojimbo is much more than just what I needed it for but it can also be used pretty specifically for tasks such as mine. Really, it’s an all-around information organizer.

Yojimbo makes keeping all the small (or even large) bits of information that pour in every day organized and accessible. It’s so simple, there is no learning curve. Yojimbo’s mechanism for collecting, storing and finding information is so natural and effortless, it will change your life — without changing the way you work.

This tasty little software solved my primary problem, which was having the ability to tag all my receipts in a completely customizable way I liked. And when it works right out of the box, what could be easier?

Hardware

Obviously, I need to get the physical receipt into my Mac in the first place. For this, I need a scanner.

What I hate about the printer/scanner market is they all look like complete and total dog shit. Here I have this stylish PowerMac, with a stylish Apple Display, next to a stylish MacBook Pro, all sitting on a stylish desk… and now I have to sit some disgusting printer/scanner/fax beige box crap next it? …with little purple plastic things sticking off it? Ugh.

There had to be something better.

After visiting my local CompUSA, Best Buy and Circuit City, I realized that the Apple Store carried some printers too. Although Apple doesn’t make one, I figured it was worth looking since maybe they catered to a higher level of aesthetic professionalism than the other big chains.

I’m glad I did because there I found a somewhat 2001-inspired printer/scanner which stood out from the rest — the Samsung SCX-4500 Multi-function Printer.

Exclusive to the Apple Store (which explains why I hadn’t come across it), the Samsung SCX-4500 combines a laser printer, laser copier, and color scanner — and establishes a new design standard for multi-function systems. What more do you want?

Honestly, a lot usually — but for me, it’s great since I rarely print anything and the scanning is just fine. I mostly cared about looks anyway. All-in-all, though, it’s a great little workhorse printer.

Process

The process is simple. I buy something expensive (usually from the Apple Store, of course) and get a receipt.

If it is in fact from the Apple Store, I get that receipt emailed to me and getting it into my database is as simple as doing a Print > PDF to Yojimbo. This goes for any internet purchase as well.

If it I absolutely must get an old-school printed out receipt (like at Spearmint Rhino, for example) and it somehow manages to survive long enough in my pocket to make it home, I put it in the scanner. MacOS X makes it easy to scan a document that doesn’t actually have to live anywhere — a temporary preview scan that can then be “printed” to Yojimbo in the same fashion as the digital receipts.

From that point I can add appropriate tags such as “Business” or “Pleasure” or “Too Drunk to Remember” etc.

Now that it’s almost tax time, we’ll see if my efforts end up paying off at all or if I eventually abandon everything due to laziness and kick myself come April.