Don't Let Money Slip Through The Cracks (Of Your To-Do List)

Welcome to Saving Money with Andrew!

Thanks readers for your “when saving money goes too far” stories! But as much as I love to save on electricity, I think I will stick with my refrigerator rather than switch to a root cellar. Moving on…

Forgetting things can be costly. Many companies’ business models (ahem, every single subscription service) rely on us forgetting to cancel free trials. And the credit card companies make most of their money charging interest on unpaid balances. In another (higher stakes) context, the majority of life insurance policies lapse over time, with the largest single reason that the owner simply forgets to renew the policy.

Part of becoming a grown-up, for me, has been realizing that if I don’t write something down, there is a greater than 50% chance I will forget it.

For a long time I relied on post-it notes, but eventually realized that I needed a more robust solution I could access from anywhere. Over time, I’ve ended up using two tools to manage my tasks—the Gmail “snooze” feature and Todoist (the free version is good enough for most casual users), which is a fantastic cross-platform task management system with great web and mobile apps. Here are some of the ways I use these tools to save money:

• When I have an email with a certain deadline to do something (for example cancelling a free trial of Apple TV+, as I commonly bounce from one streaming service’s free trial to a different service), I will just snooze the email using Gmail’s “snooze” feature until a few days before the due date.

• When I receive useful coupons that I don’t need at the moment (e.g., 20% off at Bed Bath & Beyond, never shop there without one), I will often snooze the email for a time in the future when I think I might need it.

• In Todoist, I regularly set recurring annual reminders to make sure to renegotiate any recurring promotional deals before they expire (e.g., NYTimes or the cable company, as discussed in this vintage SMwA post)

• I also set periodic Todoist reminders to make sure to pay insurance premiums, mortgage, and credit card bills (though those are usually on autopay anyway)

Right now, I have 19 current tasks and another 107 periodic reminders set between tomorrow (cancel Peacock free trial) and July 6, 2022 (check NYTimes to request new $1/week for a year promotion).

I’ve found these tools extremely valuable to make sure important tasks don’t fall through the cracks, for money-saving and life in general. I hope you do too.

And now…Andrew’s pick of the week:

The NYTimes longread on Gritty, the Philadelphia Flyers’ mascot (and his creator) is a must-read.

Also, a reader passed along Office Depot’s deal on the Powecom KN95 Masks at just $5 for a 10 pack. A great deal while it lasts.

I hope this has been helpful. If you liked it, please share it on social media! Also, please send me your feedback, requests, and success stories.