One of the toughest things about manufactured spending is keeping track of everything. There are large spending requirements to be met, gift cards to unload, credit card balances that must be paid off to avoid interest fees, and due dates to keep in mind. If you’re doing all of this for more than one person, it gets even more stressful. Not to mention the risk of screwing it up increases substantially.
I’m in the midst of an $82,000 spending challenge and have gotten a few emails from folks asking how I’m able to keep track of it all. My system isn’t very sophisticated. I used to write it all down in a notebook. That can get tedious fast. Excel spreadsheets are an eyesore, so I’ve resorted to a simple table I created using a Word document.
It contains all of the information I need to monitor my progress in meeting spending requirements. It also helps me track credit card due dates, balances, and how much I’ve paid off. For example, if I’ve just made a $2,000 payment on my Alaska card, I’ll make a note under “Payoff.”
At the end of each month, I add a note under “Progress” about how much of the spending requirement was met. This helps me prioritize which spending requirements to focus on at any given time. It’s a fairly simple process and without it, I’d have difficulty keeping track of my manufactured spending activities.
I also have a separate place where I keep track of all my gift card balances, including American Express gift cards, Visa gift cards, and Amex for Target. Occasionally, I’ll use a gift card for a student loan payment via Evolve, resulting in a balance under $5. I keep track of them in an email file so I can use the right cards to load to my Starbucks account. This is an easy way to track and unload gift cards with small balances, as well as larger ones.
Manufactured spending is becoming increasingly difficult these days, with Walmart making it a hassle via their broken Bluebird kiosks, shopping portals pulling American Express gift cards, and other inconveniences. Once I meet my $82,000 spending requirement, I’ll take a break from it for a while. It’s becoming way too time-consuming, inconvenient, and risky. More importantly, all of the hassles are taking the fun out of it.
No problem for me. I only do one at a time.
People who continue to pursue time-consuming activities they consider not only inconvenient but risky often wind up either in rehab or in the lucrative world of travel blogging. YMMV. As for me, one card at a time.
I guess it’s time for rehab because the world of travel blogging isn’t as lucrative as it used to be.
Hi Ariana, I am very impressed with your 82K “spending.” Read about your watching “revenge” yesterday, and watch half of the first show last night on netflix. It is very interesting. Thanks.
Lol! I’m glad I got someone hooked. Enjoy!
newbie here who just liquidated first GC successfully yesterday. curious, why do you bother with Evolve and Starbucks when you can just use your Simon GC to buy a MO? is it just to avoid suspicion due to volume or is it hard for you to find a grocery store that allows GC as payment? still learning and have found your blog to be the most helpful by far! 🙂
Does Citi Cards recognize Simon Mall GC as cash advance?
No, they will not be coded as cash advances.