How to Never Let a Daily Deal Expire Again

When Groupon first came out, my friends and I went really crazy buying Groupons each day.  Then we ran into a problem.

We kept having to rush out to use our Groupons on the day they expired.  As time went on, we got less and less organized and our Groupons started expiring.

Now, there’s Groupon, Specialicious, LivingSocial, Amazon Local, and more.  It’s hard to keep up with things.  I can’t even remember all the sites I should log into to make sure I am keeping track of all my vouchers.

But I found a better way.

Using Google calendar, I created a system that lets me know what options I have available, what site they are on, and when they are close to expiring.

This is how I did it.

1. Create a new calendar in Google Calendar

Daily deal calendar

 

The reason you want to create a new calendar is so you can turn it off and on.  If it’s annoying you and taking up too much space (if you have a ton of deals!) you can toggle it off and back on again.

2.  Fill in all the details for your daily deal in a meeting request

 

 

Individual Meeting Request

 

I put the dates that the deal is valid as the dates of the event.

I set a pop-up notification 10 days before the deal ends.  You can also set multiple reminders, so you can add a pop-up to also tell you when a deal is a month away from expiring.

I put what website it is on as the location.

And I copy and paste the direct link to the voucher as the description.

Here’s where I get a little over-organized.  I also make the color of the deal the same color as the branding of the company.

So for my Amazon Local deals, I set them to yellow.  My Specialicious deals are set to purple.  My Groupon deals are set to green.  Etc. Etc.

Then I set it to show me as available.  This way, it won’t take up room on your actual calendar.  It’ll list all the deals at the top.

So when I go to look at my calendar, this is the reminder I see at the top all the time.

Using Google Calendar to Keep Track of Daily Deals

This is also useful when I’m trying to think of where I want to go for dinner that night.  I can pull up my calendar and see if I have any deals nearby.

I also enjoy getting the pop-up notification.  It has really helped me use these effectively.  For example, see the $100 ones to Barrel Oak above?

I forgot I got two.  So when I used one, I thought I was done.  Then a notification for the second one popped up.

That’s when I asked Emily if she was interested in going to a winery with me!

It’s also great for when you are getting off a plane and really don’t feel like cooking (and you didn’t preset your crockpot).

I just pop open my calendar and pick a place I still have been meaning to go to.  So I guess Haute Dogs and Fries is next!

men cheering in bar
They are so excited your Groupon didn’t expire.

 

(Please note, if you click on my links to go to those places and aren’t already members of those deal sites, I may get referral credit for it.  

About Jeanne Marie Hoffman

Former bartender, still a geek. One equal part each cookies, liberty, football, music, travel, libations. Stir vigorously. +Jeanne Marie Hoffman Jeanne on Twitter

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4 comments

  1. Very smart system, and way super-scary organized! In CA it’s a little different in that “vouchers” are treated like gift certificates, and as such, unlike “coupons,” vouchers *CAN’T EXPIRE* by law (they’re treated as cash). But that “lack of urgency” to use the vouchers can also mean one forgets about said vouchers, and so here, your system would still be of use and adds value.

    • Jeanne Marie Hoffman

      The cash value you paid for the vouchers don’t expire, but the promotional amount (like when you pay $20 for $40 at a restaurant) does expire. So if you let them expire, it almost renders getting the vouchers pointless!

      • Very true! Guess I just need to get organized and set up a whole bunch of Google calendar reminders! Not sure I’ll go so far as to do the color coordination thingy, though 😛

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