A
Anonymous
Guest
For instance, I have a coupon which gives me 20% off my next drycleaning order. I don't know when I'll next take drycleaning in, but when I do, I want to use the coupon.
Thanks.
Thanks.
handling coupons, and irregular contexts
Yes, I have the same question about coupons, and the same principle in a more general way....
How to handle things which are not in a usual (every daily or weekly) context. For example, I have been carrying a $5 coupon for the movie theatre in my wallet for a little while, and to remind me, I kept a reminder on my "@anywere" list (things I can do when stuck in traffic, riding a bus, etc.). Sure enough, last time we went out to the movie, in the usual rush of getting the whole family ready, to the theatre on time, and finding a movie that would be suitable for all, there was nothing in my face to remind me to use the coupon - sure, it was in my wallet with the cash, but like the reminder on my @anywhere list, I had seen it so many times that I had grown numb to it.
I've thought of a couple of possible solutions, but none of them feel very satisfactory.
In the case of the movie coupon, for example, I could review it during every weekly review, and put it in my tickler file for the date I plan to next see a movie, however this is one of the more spontaneous type of activities, and I'm not likely to plan a specific movie night in advance.
If I "review" this item too often, as I had done, there is a great risk of growing numb to perceiving it when it is actually needed.
I can put a reminder in my tickler so that I see it periodically, but again, I risk either tickling it past the time I may need it, or tickling to see it too often, and again, becoming numb to it.
I could put a generic reminder inside my wallet which says something like "Do you have a coupon for what you are about to pay for?", but again, I know I would become numb to this prompt.
Another example is a specific "agenda" for someone that I interact with on an infrequent basis. For example, if I have a borrowed object from someone who I will see again socially, but again, on a more spontaneous basis. Even if I keep a note of this in their address book entry, I don't necessarily think of checking it, especially if my spending time with them is on the more spontaneous side.....
I have specific "Agenda" lists for my business partner, and receptionist, which I review at least once a day, but what is the effecient way to deal with the types of examples above?
I'm open to any new ideas!
thanks,
Jeff
Yes, I have the same question about coupons, and the same principle in a more general way....
How to handle things which are not in a usual (every daily or weekly) context. For example, I have been carrying a $5 coupon for the movie theatre in my wallet for a little while, and to remind me, I kept a reminder on my "@anywere" list (things I can do when stuck in traffic, riding a bus, etc.). Sure enough, last time we went out to the movie, in the usual rush of getting the whole family ready, to the theatre on time, and finding a movie that would be suitable for all, there was nothing in my face to remind me to use the coupon - sure, it was in my wallet with the cash, but like the reminder on my @anywhere list, I had seen it so many times that I had grown numb to it.
I've thought of a couple of possible solutions, but none of them feel very satisfactory.
In the case of the movie coupon, for example, I could review it during every weekly review, and put it in my tickler file for the date I plan to next see a movie, however this is one of the more spontaneous type of activities, and I'm not likely to plan a specific movie night in advance.
If I "review" this item too often, as I had done, there is a great risk of growing numb to perceiving it when it is actually needed.
I can put a reminder in my tickler so that I see it periodically, but again, I risk either tickling it past the time I may need it, or tickling to see it too often, and again, becoming numb to it.
I could put a generic reminder inside my wallet which says something like "Do you have a coupon for what you are about to pay for?", but again, I know I would become numb to this prompt.
Another example is a specific "agenda" for someone that I interact with on an infrequent basis. For example, if I have a borrowed object from someone who I will see again socially, but again, on a more spontaneous basis. Even if I keep a note of this in their address book entry, I don't necessarily think of checking it, especially if my spending time with them is on the more spontaneous side.....
I have specific "Agenda" lists for my business partner, and receptionist, which I review at least once a day, but what is the effecient way to deal with the types of examples above?
I'm open to any new ideas!
thanks,
Jeff
A
Anonymous
Guest
I'm dying to read some good ideas on this topic, too! Jeff summed up my experience perfectly.
Jay
Jay
Re: How do you handle coupons, etc?
That one is fairly easy. Keep your drycleaning in one place, and place the coupon next to it with a clothespin. (VISUAL reminder that you only see when you are actually going to be doing something with the drycleaning)
Puzzled said:
That one is fairly easy. Keep your drycleaning in one place, and place the coupon next to it with a clothespin. (VISUAL reminder that you only see when you are actually going to be doing something with the drycleaning)
Movies - I have a 'movies to see' memo on my palm that just lists titles of movies/DVD's we want to see. If you are in the habit of looking at the movie list memo then you could put a note at the top of the list like this:
***Coupon $5.00 Expires 12/31/04
I typically put coupons on my errands list so I can match them with trips to the store. Right now I have a couple of free kids meal coupons for Subway that my kids earned at school so I keep them on my errands list because we will most likely use them when we are out running errands. I also have a coupon for a book store that expires this week. It is also on my errands list and I matched it up with another errand for the same store where I have to make a return.
Some coupons I put in my someday/maybe list. For example, I have a free pass for our local children's museum. That will be a scheduled event sometime in the future so I put it on the S/M list until that decision is made.
I don't have a solution to everything. I currently have an Amazon.com gift certificate that expires in 9 months and nothing in mind to use it for. I keep it in my S/M list with the date on it, but I'm not confident that is the best place for it. If I put it on my @internet list then it just gets skipped over all the time and eventually annoys me because I can't check it off.
Surely there's a logical way to organize these little boogers! :roll:
***Coupon $5.00 Expires 12/31/04
I typically put coupons on my errands list so I can match them with trips to the store. Right now I have a couple of free kids meal coupons for Subway that my kids earned at school so I keep them on my errands list because we will most likely use them when we are out running errands. I also have a coupon for a book store that expires this week. It is also on my errands list and I matched it up with another errand for the same store where I have to make a return.
Some coupons I put in my someday/maybe list. For example, I have a free pass for our local children's museum. That will be a scheduled event sometime in the future so I put it on the S/M list until that decision is made.
I don't have a solution to everything. I currently have an Amazon.com gift certificate that expires in 9 months and nothing in mind to use it for. I keep it in my S/M list with the date on it, but I'm not confident that is the best place for it. If I put it on my @internet list then it just gets skipped over all the time and eventually annoys me because I can't check it off.
Surely there's a logical way to organize these little boogers! :roll:
TesTeq
0
Safe Coupon Management
The challenge of "Safe Coupon Management" is to hide them from your sight all the time except for the moments when they may become the tool to lower your spending. In principle coupons are the tool to increase your spending. So they should be put in the place where they are easily accessible when necessary but not visible in other cases.
TesTeq
The challenge of "Safe Coupon Management" is to hide them from your sight all the time except for the moments when they may become the tool to lower your spending. In principle coupons are the tool to increase your spending. So they should be put in the place where they are easily accessible when necessary but not visible in other cases.
TesTeq
I put regular cents-off coupons in an organizer that I keep in the car and bring with me to the grocery store. I keep things like the movie discount coupon, restaurant coupons, gift certificates, store credits and the like in a designated section in my wallet. I "review" them when I clean out my wallet each week. I enter expiration dates for I'd-kick-myself-if-I-forgot-to-use-it coupons and offers in the appointment section of my computer organizer, with reminder ticklers. Online discounts and specials, which usually involve codes, are logged there as well, and I often tack related materials to a certain place on the bulletin board in my home office.
I have a number of coupons and offers that are expiring tomorrow. A couple I'll use; most will be tossed. I don't find that having reminders increases the likelihood that I'll make unnecessary purchases. I'm less pressured to make an impulse purchase just to get the discount if I've known about it for awhile and given myself the time to consider whether I really want or need that particular buy of a lifetime.
I have a number of coupons and offers that are expiring tomorrow. A couple I'll use; most will be tossed. I don't find that having reminders increases the likelihood that I'll make unnecessary purchases. I'm less pressured to make an impulse purchase just to get the discount if I've known about it for awhile and given myself the time to consider whether I really want or need that particular buy of a lifetime.
C
CosmoGTD
Guest
You could also be like me, and just throw those suckers in the garbage and not use them unless they are worth some decent coin!!
(my mother used to keep a massive drawer of coupons, so i SWORE i would not be a slave to the coupon marketing hysteria!).
I do keep a Subway card in my wallet, as i eat there a lot, and a book discount card, etc. I just keep them in my wallet and treat them like cash.
Coz
(my mother used to keep a massive drawer of coupons, so i SWORE i would not be a slave to the coupon marketing hysteria!).
I do keep a Subway card in my wallet, as i eat there a lot, and a book discount card, etc. I just keep them in my wallet and treat them like cash.
Coz
Re: handling coupons, and irregular contexts
This post brings to mind that there is still one part of the Put It In Front of The Door Principle that I still feel is missing in my own implementation. I will use alarms to remind me of meetings and other things need to be done at a certain time of the day. In this instance, if I think of the coupon before a few hours before the movie, I may set an alarm for 20 minutes before the movie starts to remind me of the coupon just before I'm about to pay for tickets.
I think a great complement to this would be some sort of Longitude/Latitute/GPS type of alarm system. I could enter the coordinates for the parking lot of the theater and when I drove into the parking lot, I would get the reminder on my Palm that I had a coupon. This would leave nothing on my mind until I actually needed it. The same thing for restaurant and store coupons as well.
There have been times when I needed to stop by the post office to mail something on my way to work. Sometimes I will set an alarm to go off just a few minutes before I expect to reach the post office. Once again, a Longitude/Latitude/GPS type of alarm would be much better for this.
I still haven't purchased GPS unit. Is anyone else using a GPS unit as part of their GTD implementation? I don't think that I would want to carry an extra device just for this, but it would be interesting to see if anyone is doing anything like this.
Jeff K said:
This post brings to mind that there is still one part of the Put It In Front of The Door Principle that I still feel is missing in my own implementation. I will use alarms to remind me of meetings and other things need to be done at a certain time of the day. In this instance, if I think of the coupon before a few hours before the movie, I may set an alarm for 20 minutes before the movie starts to remind me of the coupon just before I'm about to pay for tickets.
I think a great complement to this would be some sort of Longitude/Latitute/GPS type of alarm system. I could enter the coordinates for the parking lot of the theater and when I drove into the parking lot, I would get the reminder on my Palm that I had a coupon. This would leave nothing on my mind until I actually needed it. The same thing for restaurant and store coupons as well.
There have been times when I needed to stop by the post office to mail something on my way to work. Sometimes I will set an alarm to go off just a few minutes before I expect to reach the post office. Once again, a Longitude/Latitude/GPS type of alarm would be much better for this.
I still haven't purchased GPS unit. Is anyone else using a GPS unit as part of their GTD implementation? I don't think that I would want to carry an extra device just for this, but it would be interesting to see if anyone is doing anything like this.
F
Frank Buck
Guest
I put these in my tickler file at home so that they all pop up at one time on Saturday. That way, I can look through them in terms of which ones I think I would use during the week. Mine are things like $3 off oil change or free movie rental.
My wife handles all of the grocery store coupons and sorts them by type of item in a pouch. Before we go to the grocery store (or when we are in the car running errands), she will take the procery list and match look through the pouch to see which items have coupons (or to see which GOOD coupons are about to expire and may trigger a purchase).
My wife handles all of the grocery store coupons and sorts them by type of item in a pouch. Before we go to the grocery store (or when we are in the car running errands), she will take the procery list and match look through the pouch to see which items have coupons (or to see which GOOD coupons are about to expire and may trigger a purchase).
Coupons
I'm with Cosmo - throw them out. Life's too short to be pawing around through my pocketbook for a 50 c coupon on a product, that if I was smart, I wouldn't even be buying anyway. My time is valuable to me. The cash I saved using coupons did not come anywhere near compensating me for the time I used fooling around with them.
I'm with Cosmo - throw them out. Life's too short to be pawing around through my pocketbook for a 50 c coupon on a product, that if I was smart, I wouldn't even be buying anyway. My time is valuable to me. The cash I saved using coupons did not come anywhere near compensating me for the time I used fooling around with them.
C
CosmoGTD
Guest
Well I must admit, i do use some of them.
Today i used a GAP 10% off, and i grabbed a ton of $1 off my Green Tea, and I used a $5 of Amazon to cover delivery.
So for me i just use a few of them that are worth something, that i am going to use anyway.
But lets face it, these coupons are marketing gimmicks to get you to buy their stuff, and not save money.
But as far as GTD, i just keep them in my wallet, and in my "outbox" at home.
Coz
Today i used a GAP 10% off, and i grabbed a ton of $1 off my Green Tea, and I used a $5 of Amazon to cover delivery.
So for me i just use a few of them that are worth something, that i am going to use anyway.
But lets face it, these coupons are marketing gimmicks to get you to buy their stuff, and not save money.
But as far as GTD, i just keep them in my wallet, and in my "outbox" at home.
Coz
Re: Coupons
I used to never use coupons either, and I till totally agree with you about $.50 for something that I wouldn't normally buy anyway. However with GTD it is so easy to incorporate coupons into my system that I probably save $50 to $100 a year with practically no effort at all. I use the same system to remind me to use gift cards that I might otherwise forget also.
Yes, coupons are marketing gimicks but you can make them work for you if you use them right. There is a reason that coupon fraud is a billion dollar a year industry.
Diane said:
I used to never use coupons either, and I till totally agree with you about $.50 for something that I wouldn't normally buy anyway. However with GTD it is so easy to incorporate coupons into my system that I probably save $50 to $100 a year with practically no effort at all. I use the same system to remind me to use gift cards that I might otherwise forget also.
Yes, coupons are marketing gimicks but you can make them work for you if you use them right. There is a reason that coupon fraud is a billion dollar a year industry.
CosmoGTD said:
At least for me that is 100% true. I'm a shopaholic and coupons just encorage the addictive behavior. And the funny this is...the stuff that I really need on a regular basis...I never find coupons for that stuff. Like soy milk, or my favorite shampoo.
One thing that does work for me:
In Outlook Notes I have a note "clothing or accessories to buy" whether it be a realization that this winter I'm in need of a new coat or I'd like to have a new pair of knee-high boots. So I make a list of all the things that come to mind. I get various department store coupons via email and in snail mail. I always print them out or save them in a folder at home. When they come in, I check my list on Outlook and my budget for that month and go shopping. So far it's worked great. I get what I need at 15%-30% off sometimes more and once in awhile I get something I want and not have to pay full price.
I like spending my energy on saving $50 rather than $.50.
C
clumber
Guest
Here's how I've managed them ...
I was the original poster of the question -- after a few weeks getting used to GTD, I've evolved into the following scenario:
I only keep the coupons that I know I will use or that I want to use, that are significant enough to take the time (i.e., no grocery coupons for me).
In my calendar (which also contains a 'to do' and 'notes' column for each day) I write "last day to use x coupon". The coupon is then placed in my 'errands' folder in my planner. My calendar is a week at a glance, so each day I see that coupon listed there if I want to use it. At the end of the week, if I haven't used the coupon, I toss it. I typically check my errands folder when I'm out and about just to make sure I'm not forgetting anything, so that's another reminder while I'm out.
Just FYI, the coupons I currently have in my system are: 25% off one item at Borders; 50% off one item at a local craft store; $5 off dry cleaning; 20% off dry cleaning. In each case, it's at least $5, and on things that I would normally buy anyway, so it's worth it to me. Your mileage may vary.
Ann
I was the original poster of the question -- after a few weeks getting used to GTD, I've evolved into the following scenario:
I only keep the coupons that I know I will use or that I want to use, that are significant enough to take the time (i.e., no grocery coupons for me).
In my calendar (which also contains a 'to do' and 'notes' column for each day) I write "last day to use x coupon". The coupon is then placed in my 'errands' folder in my planner. My calendar is a week at a glance, so each day I see that coupon listed there if I want to use it. At the end of the week, if I haven't used the coupon, I toss it. I typically check my errands folder when I'm out and about just to make sure I'm not forgetting anything, so that's another reminder while I'm out.
Just FYI, the coupons I currently have in my system are: 25% off one item at Borders; 50% off one item at a local craft store; $5 off dry cleaning; 20% off dry cleaning. In each case, it's at least $5, and on things that I would normally buy anyway, so it's worth it to me. Your mileage may vary.
Ann
Managing grocery store coupons with HandyShopper
Palm users can utilize HandyShopper, a tremendous list manager application by Chris Antos. This free Palm application actually inspired me to get a Palm in the first place. You can track all sorts of information about a particular item (stores where you can buy it, per-store prices and aisle locations, etc). You can also track items for which you have coupons, so, when you are at the grocery store, you know exactly which items have coupons associated with them. You can also set alarms and due dates on items so that you know when your coupons are set to expire.
See http://www.ggaub.com/hs/ for more information.
Palm users can utilize HandyShopper, a tremendous list manager application by Chris Antos. This free Palm application actually inspired me to get a Palm in the first place. You can track all sorts of information about a particular item (stores where you can buy it, per-store prices and aisle locations, etc). You can also track items for which you have coupons, so, when you are at the grocery store, you know exactly which items have coupons associated with them. You can also set alarms and due dates on items so that you know when your coupons are set to expire.
See http://www.ggaub.com/hs/ for more information.
My new system for organizing paper coupons
This discussion thread and an overflowing box of coupons has inspired me to set up a better system for managing coupons, and I'd like to share with you the results of my efforts. I focused primarily on finding a way to easily collect, process, organize, review, and use paper coupons. For each major category of coupons that I use, I have one document sleeve/pouch in which I store coupons. I store them in such a way that I can easily add, find, and retrieve them. I will describe how to build these pouches in detail.
First, determine the major categories coupons that you use. I have three primary categories:
Supermarket coupons
Product-specific coupons that you would use in a supermarket (soup, toilet paper, etc)
Restaurant coupons
Coupons that are only useful at a particular restaurant (20% off dinner, buy one entree, get one free, etc.)
Store coupons
Coupons that are only useful at a particular store (15% off next Kohl's charge, $10 off next purchase with your Sears card, etc).
For each category of coupons, you will need the following materials:
Second, take all of those coupons that you have and put them into your in-tray. Process them as you would any other paper input: trash expired coupons or coupons you won't use and park reminders of those that you absolutely want to use in your system. As you process each coupon that you want to keep, stack it by category, face up, and sorted by name, then by expiration date. Do not sort them by size! If you must, fold large coupons in a way you can still identify them (write on the backs if you must).
Finally, once you have your separate stacks sorted by name then expiration date, adjust the stack so that the top and left sides of each coupon are touching (tap the top and left edges on a flat surface like a deck of cards). Clip the stack with a small binder clip to the upper-left corner of a piece of cardboard, fold the clip arms down, then insert the whole thing into one of the document pouches. Do this with each stack of coupons.
Now you have several pouches that contain "coupon books" that are sorted in a logical order that makes addition, retrieval, and purging a snap. Here are some extra tips to consider to make the most use out of this system:
I hope that you find this information useful. If you implement this system, please let me know how well it works for you.
Have a great day!
This discussion thread and an overflowing box of coupons has inspired me to set up a better system for managing coupons, and I'd like to share with you the results of my efforts. I focused primarily on finding a way to easily collect, process, organize, review, and use paper coupons. For each major category of coupons that I use, I have one document sleeve/pouch in which I store coupons. I store them in such a way that I can easily add, find, and retrieve them. I will describe how to build these pouches in detail.
First, determine the major categories coupons that you use. I have three primary categories:
Supermarket coupons
Product-specific coupons that you would use in a supermarket (soup, toilet paper, etc)
Restaurant coupons
Coupons that are only useful at a particular restaurant (20% off dinner, buy one entree, get one free, etc.)
Store coupons
Coupons that are only useful at a particular store (15% off next Kohl's charge, $10 off next purchase with your Sears card, etc).
For each category of coupons, you will need the following materials:
One vinyl/plastic document sleeve, preferably with a business card holder in front.One small binder clipOne piece of cardboard or similar heavy-duty stiff material, cut to fit the document pouch
Second, take all of those coupons that you have and put them into your in-tray. Process them as you would any other paper input: trash expired coupons or coupons you won't use and park reminders of those that you absolutely want to use in your system. As you process each coupon that you want to keep, stack it by category, face up, and sorted by name, then by expiration date. Do not sort them by size! If you must, fold large coupons in a way you can still identify them (write on the backs if you must).
Finally, once you have your separate stacks sorted by name then expiration date, adjust the stack so that the top and left sides of each coupon are touching (tap the top and left edges on a flat surface like a deck of cards). Clip the stack with a small binder clip to the upper-left corner of a piece of cardboard, fold the clip arms down, then insert the whole thing into one of the document pouches. Do this with each stack of coupons.
Now you have several pouches that contain "coupon books" that are sorted in a logical order that makes addition, retrieval, and purging a snap. Here are some extra tips to consider to make the most use out of this system:
- If you have a label maker, stick a label on the pouch to identify the type of coupons inside.Keep the clip on the side that faces the opening in the pouch so that you can easily pull it slightly out of the pouch to remove small coupons. Apply only minimum pressure to the clip and work the coupon that you want to detach from the others.If you've scheduled a trip to the supermarket ahead of time, remove the coupons that you know that you will use and stick them in the business card holder at the front of the pouch so that you have them at the ready. Be careful that they don't fall out, however.Make sure you review the contents of your coupon book as often as you need to make sure you don't miss out on valuable offers, but don't just use a coupon just because it expires soon. Remember, if you redeem a 50% off coupon for a $100 item that you didn't really need, you didn't save $50, you wasted it.
I hope that you find this information useful. If you implement this system, please let me know how well it works for you.
Have a great day!