How Do You Keep Track?

[mad4themouse]

I'm trying to become more organized with my rewards programs. How do you all keep track of your rewards? Specifically, how do you keep track of your sign ups and purchases? When they were made and for how many points? Which program owes you how much in points or rewards? Which programs you have cashed out at and when you cashed out, when they paid, etc?

Right now, I keep a digital filing cabinet for all my confirmation emails and correspondences with various programs.

I have a notebook that I manually record where I cashed in, for what and on what date. I also have a column to check off when the reward arrives.

I set up an Excel spreadsheet to see what I'm taking in with each program. I have a running total for each program as well as a tally of each month's earnings. I have to admit to being a little lax in keeping this one up-to-date.

I do not keep track of my daily points at any given site (just too much to do) but I have a general idea of how close I am to cashing out at most of them.

How do the rest of you keep on top of things? I'd love to get some input. I'd especially like to get all this stuff in one place so that I'm not opening a number of programs and windows just to see what's going on with my rewards. Thanks a bunch!

 

[Eilonwy]

Well, I don't usually do any sign-ups (like AOL or whatever), so I don't have to keep track of those.

I keep all my email confirmations for about a year (only 'cause I'm too lazy to clean out on a more regulat basees--but when my quota gets too full, I sometimes go through and printout old ones that I don't need for proving points, but want to keep the info for my own records, and then I delete the email).

I keep track of the rewards I've cashed in for in an Excel spreadsheet, as well as keeping track of what I've spent on things I wasn't planning to order in the first place (Amtrak, Tupperware, etc. but not my clothing purchases like LLBean). I record the date I requested it, then go back when it's received and record that and the date. (I also changed the color of the things I'm still waiting on, so I can see those at a glance.) I keep my Amazon GC earnings (from surveys, etc.) separate from my cash/webbie cashouts--which get converted to Disney Dollars. I also start keeping track of the Greenfield Surveys I've answered in another part of the same spreadsheet. When Tupperware was allowing $1 eCerts, I also kept a notepad file of the date, and which banner/offer ID each one was, and when I used it. But those days are over. I also keep other ramblings in this file like the Amtrak stations to use when they have an offer.

I don' t keep track of daily points. But I often figure out what I've earned in a day at Memolink. More for my own curiousity, because I decided clicking all those little 5pt links wasn't worth my time, and I just do all the slot machine ones when I remember to everyday. Since the other ones I do are Luckypoints and PCH, I figured there was no point keeping track of 50pts/day. But I do glance at my balance every now and then to see if I'm getting close to cashing out. I don't even keep track of all the MyPoints emails I do. Maybe I should. But I'm not going to track all those down and fight for 5 points.

When I order something I print out the confirmation page and note when it was ordered, through which program, and how many points I should get. Then I go back through these every so often to make sure I got the points. I also print out the confirmation page when I cashin, say at Greenfield.

I'm not very organized, and it's really just a big stack of papers next to my monitor.

That's probably not much help, but that's roughly what I do.

 

[mad4themouse]

Thanks, Eilonwy. I think I may try keeping track of my redemptions using an Excel spreadsheet. I'm still a novice with them, so it took quite a while just to set up the one that I have right now. I especially like the idea of using different colors to mark the redemptions that have been received.

I started keeping the digital file cabinet because of all the paper that I had piling up next to my computer. I really has saved me quite a bit of paper and ink!

 

[Liv2CdWorld]

WOW, you two are organized in my eyes

My "filing" system consists of an email folder containing the Mypoints email and the order confirmation. Once I receive the points, I delete the email.

I've never kept track of anything else should I ?

 

[Eilonwy]

Originally posted by Liv2CdWorld
WOW, you two are organized in my eyes

My "filing" system consists of an email folder containing the Mypoints email and the order confirmation. Once I receive the points, I delete the email.

I've never kept track of anything else should I ?

I only started keeping an Excel spreadsheet this year because I wanted to see what I was "earning." I also have a spreadsheet with our "proposed" Budget for our Disney trip. This way I know how much I NEED to earn, and how much I already HAVE earned. It's easier to get DH to make the trip if he knows what we have to spend. I've also been keeping track of how many DD I've purchased, and how many DDRD I've accrued on our Disney Visa. Then I've figured out based on our budget how much of the trip I can pay for with DD or DDRD, and how much "cash" I need for non-Disney things (gas, food/hotels on the trip down). Hey, what do you want from the daughter of two bookkeepers who has her own business management degree? But I let DH keep the checkbook and pay all the bills.

Oh. I forgot to add that I then transfer the budget spreadsheet to my Palm Pilot, and enter all our expenses on the trip as they occur. Excessive? Maybe. But it helps me keep the money "in check."

 

[Liv2CdWorld]

That's great! I couldn't get myself to be that organized. Actually, when I start planning the next trip, I usually use the excel spreadsheet and enter what the costs are and what rewards I have that can be used. I just don't keep track all year though.

As far as when we are there, we usually charge EVERYTHING back to the room, this way I can see everything on one sheet - lodging, food, etc.

Also, now that I know that the DRD from the visa are so easy to use, I only use my visa to pay for EVERYTHING.

Can't wait to start planning the next trip.

 

[Eilonwy]

Originally posted by Liv2CdWorld
That's great! I couldn't get myself to be that organized. Actually, when I start planning the next trip, I usually use the excel spreadsheet and enter what the costs are and what rewards I have that can be used. I just don't keep track all year though.

As far as when we are there, we usually charge EVERYTHING back to the room, this way I can see everything on one sheet - lodging, food, etc.

Also, now that I know that the DRD from the visa are so easy to use, I only use my visa to pay for EVERYTHING.

Can't wait to start planning the next trip.

I normally do charge everything back to the room. But since I only (yeah, only ) have to come up with money for food and passes (and souvenirs), I'm trying to pay for as much as possible with DD and DDRD this trip. I already have enough DD for our food budget. This doesn't include money that will be spent on groceries (since we're staying at OKW, we plan to have breakfast in the room most days). I have enough to cash in for $20 in DDRD, but I think I'll hold off on actually doing it until it's closer to trip time (but not too close).

I also have a $50 Amex GC from the Pontiac test drive, and I plan to use that for a hotel on the way down.

I figure the less I have to pay for after the trip, the better.