What stood out to me in the readings about receipts is how they were used in Ancient Egypt. The receipts were made of rock and far bulkier than the receipts of today, and were called “proto-cuneiform tablets,” which I thought was fascinating. Another standout anecdote I got from the reading was an ancient receipt that was made to record a sacrifice made to a local god by Horion, who was the son of Apollonius at the time. I thought it was pretty special that we can keep these records. If I may add another quote, “Receipts facilitated trade across different currencies, and meant that travelers did not need to carry heavy gold or silver whenever they left home.” This quote made me realize how smart receipts are, and they are an often-overlooked utility that originally facilitated trade across vast distances.
My experience with receipts has been lackluster. I usually toss them or ask the cashier not to give them to me, since they aren’t useful for most small purchases; they are mainly useful when you might suspect returning a product.
https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/what-kind-of-records-should-i-keep
This link goes to an IRS page that talks about all the important documents that should be kept safe, which I think is purely more useful than fascinating; however, the fascination comes from how little I currently know about important documents.
