IDeas on how to keep track of online purchases?

[vonfirmath]

I've got a bunch of things ordered from various online stores (Amazon, etsy, Kickstarter, bearded dragon food supplier, Facebook marketplace)

 

Except I just realized I'm losing track of what purchases I am still waiting for and what has been delivered already.

 

I have explored apps, but they all want you to enter a order by putting in the tracking number. I want to start tracking the order BEFORE I have a tracking number so I'll notice if I never get something I paid for already.

Any ideas? How do you handle this?

[rebcoola]

I just keep a list when it's ordered I put check. When it arrives I put a star.

[Pawz4me]

I've never ordered from any site that didn't send a confirmation email. So I keep that in my inbox. When they send a shipping notice I delete the original confirmation email. When I receive the item I delete the shipping notice email. It's not perfect, but it works for me.

[klmama]

I flag the confirmation email in Outlook, so it turns yellow.  When it arrives, I click to turn it white again.  

[MEmama]

I created a simple email folder labelled Holidays 2021 where I keep all gift purchasing correspondence. When an item is delivered I mark the relevant emails with a flag (like crossing it off the list, as it were).

[Spryte]

I use an app called Gifted. 

When I order an item I mark it ordered, and once it arrives I slide the toggle over to “have it.” Once it’s wrapped and ready to go—I mark it “gifted.” There’s a toggle bar for each gift for idea, need it, ordered, have it, gifted. I wish it had a “wrapped” option, but I sub “gifted” and that works fine for me most of the time.

You can include price, store, tracking numbers, pics of the item, etc.

I also use this app as I have ideas through the year. You can sort by people or event, or general gift closet, and there are places for storing likes/dislikes, sizes, for people, etc. 

It’s pretty handy. I like that as I note things “needed” it creates a shopping list for each event.

[Carol in Cal.]

I use my email inbox.  I search on a word like receipt to find my orders.  Or delivery.

[catz]

This is sloppy, but I just have an e-mail folder just for order related e-mails and track everything in there.  I use thunderbird which has nice search capabilities.  I do have a list of gifts usually at the holidays just so I know who is getting what but 95% of the time I don't need an outside list.  

[Loowit]

Usually post-it notes on my desk, but this year I just check the sites I ordered from every day.  Probably not the most efficient, but my email inbox is a mess and I don't want to use that.  Today I found an unexpected delivery on my front porch.  I was trying to figure out what I had ordered and forgot about, then I found out it was from SIL and nephew.

[Katy]

I delete the email when I get the thing.

[BlsdMama]

I use a color coded Excel spreadsheet. I put ordered or wrapped next to it dependent on status. Otherwise I run short or over order gifts!

[mathnerd]

I used an app called "Shop" for a while to provide very good tracking for all my online orders. It did a good job of tracking my purchases and notified me of deliveries (it asked to access my emails and notifications):

https://shop.app

I don't use it anymore because I was uncomfortable about sharing my shopping habits and giving access to apps to my personal information. But FWIW, it was a good app.

[ShepCarlin]

I throw the receipts into an email folder labeled Christmas 2021 receipts and then I also have a note in Evernote where I have listed out who is getting what. It's rather low key, but it has helped me tremendously. Under the persons name, I'll list the item, when I ordered it, how, and when it's received. That way I can glance at it and see what I am still waiting for. Has been a life saver this year as I started shopping in October so harder to remember what is what. I hide everything in my armoire and closet and things get chaotic quickly. The Evernote list sums it all up nicely.

[Elfknitter.#]

I use an app called Route. I believe I had to give permission to access my emails so it could catch emails from stores. It tracks orders and updates shipping statuses automatically.

[Janeway]

I actually have a separate folder for those things. I titled it receipts pending, and then receipts (some are called Receipts Christmas 2018, Receipts 2019, one even says Amazon). Then, when I receive things, I move the emails for the receipts to the other folders. On the rare occasion I do not have a receipt or just don't have one yet, I send myself an email and store it in that folder.