It's the 1st of the month. Your `/Inbox/Receipts/` folder has 30 unnamed PDFs from the last month. Goal: organised, merged, archived monthly pack in five minutes.
Clock starts.
Minutes 0–2 — Rename pass
Open the receipts folder. Sort by date modified. For each PDF: rename to `YYYY-MM-DD_<merchant>_<amount>.pdf`. Five seconds per receipt; two minutes for 30 receipts.
The rename is what makes the merge order automatic.
Minutes 2–4 — Merge
Drag the whole folder into Flint merge. Chronological order via filename. Hit merge. Two minutes including drag, merge, and download.
Output: `2025-08_Receipts.pdf`. One file, 30 receipts.
Minutes 4–5 — Compress and archive
Compress the merged pack. Typical 70%+ reduction. Move to `/Archive/Receipts/2025/`. One minute.
Five minutes. Month closed. Ready for the next reconciliation.
FAQ
What if I don't have time to rename each receipt?
Skip renaming and merge in whatever order Flint defaults to. Less searchable later but still functional as a monthly pack.
Should I check each receipt before merging?
Quick eyeball — confirm none are duplicates or wrong-month. Don't read each one fully; that's a separate review step.
What about non-PDF receipts (images)?
Convert to PDF first via OS print-to-PDF or a converter. Adds 5–10 seconds per receipt.
Can I skip the monthly pack and just keep individuals?
You can, but monthly packs make accountant submission and audit response far faster. Five minutes a month buys hours of future ease.
Five minutes. Month closed. Pack ready. Speedrun this month's receipts in Flint.