Resolving to be Organized

One of my perpetual New Year’s resolutions is to become more organized.  Consequently, I am always in search of ideas, gadgets and tools that will help me accomplish just that. 

Thanks to technology (hooray for the inventive-types!), I think I’ve found something that will be very useful to me.

I just became familiar with what I think are two really good free apps  for my smartphone. 

The first app is CardStar.  This app rids your wallet and keychain of those irritating reward/membership cards whose popularity has grown exponentially in the last few years. It allows you to store your grocery, drugstore,  library (really!) and lots of others cards, in your phone. It converts the data you enter and creates the same barcode that appears on your card.  Consequently, you can just hand your phone to the clerk and he/she can scan it.

I don’t know about you, but I tried carrying all those cards in my wallet and it just wasn’t big enough.  I moved them to a clear Ziploc-type makeup bag, which was often left in my car.  But, where’s the organization in that, my friend?  Finally I settled upon a black cardcase, generally used to collect business cards, which I purchased at Target. 

The problem is, I had more cards than the case had shiny transparent sleeves. (Okay, maybe that’s a compulsive shopping problem, but let's solve one dilemma at a time).  

The second app is SWAGG.  This app allows you to import your gift cards (rewards/membership cards too, but I liked the CardStar app more for this function) to keep up with them.  The cool part is that, if you allow it to, the app can access and display the available balance of most of these cards. 

And while I realize there’s some controversy about stores being able to track consumer spending habits, I am not so distrustful that I’ve decided that receiving the discounts and the convenience aren't worth it.

Once the data is manually entered (I think I was hoping they’d magically enter themselves, but no such luck) you’re ready to go.

I entered all my information two days ago and I’m going to try both of these apps in 2011.  I’ll let you know how it goes. 

Disclaimer:  My sister has used CardStar for at least two months and really likes it. Sometimes store clerks are unfamiliar with the app and she has to do a bit of explaining.   I don’t know anyone who uses Swagg, but the app reviews are very good.  Also, I don’t know anyone who works for either app creator and, it goes without saying that, they don't know me.