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I don’t know about you, but in my efforts to save money with the Daily Deal vouchers, I sometimes find myself actually wasting money. I will buy a “great deal,” and then it will expire before I get the chance to use it. Finally I got really sick of that happening, so I came up with a system that helps me avoid it. Here’s what I do:
Create a Spreadsheet
I created a spreadsheet that has each daily deal site listed, with the following columns:
- Deal Site Name (Groupon, Mamsource, etc)
- Deal Business Name
- Voucher Cost and Value
- Expiration Date
- Number Bought
- Used – I track when I used it and who I used it on. I also list ideas for how I might want to use it (gifts)
Mark Your Calendar
Once I purchase the deal and after I list it in my spreadsheet (which I call my Daily Deal Vouchers), I then put the item on my calendar, marking its expiration date. My personal Google Calendar will actually send me an email of every event that is on my calendar.
Use in Budgeting
Each month when I do my budgeting, I review my sheet to see what is expiring or what I could incorporate into our budget (like meals out, family outings, dates with the kids, etc). I schedule it on my family calendar so I don’t forget to use the voucher before it expires.
*Remember on items that need to be shipped, or appointments that need to be scheduled (i.e. – massages, hair appointments or vacation deals), don’t wait until the day of! Set your reminder a few weeks early!
I use Couptivate.com to track most of my daily deals – while they don’t have ALL the sites on there yet, they’re constantly adding. I like that it sends me a reminder when one of my deals is about to expire, and it lists the deals according to expiration date.
and of course it’s free!
I also use couptivate…it’s great! Even when you buy a deal from a site that they don’t track yet, you can still upload it individually and type in all of the pertinent details. It’s a great onestop shop!
Oh…and on couptivate, there is also the option to receive a monthly summary email, listing all of your unused deals so you get a great future look on a monthly basis, in addition to the expiration notifcation a week before your deal expires.