Daily Deals: Keeping Your Vouchers Organized

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!