|
 Email this
 Print this
 Send comment
Basic Steps
- (Optional) Create a Shopping List.
If you plan to manage a whole set of needs, such as groceries or health & beauty items,
you can build shopping lists with the "Add Many Needs" page.
See
How To Add a Lot of Needs at Once.
- Enter Receipts. Enter supplies you purchase using the "Receipts" page.
See
How To Load Several Assets Just Purchased.
- Check Your Dashboard.
MakeLifeEasy will age your supplies.
You can just wait for MakeLifeEasy to notify you
when a need moves up on your shopping list.
You can also check in from time to time and view your Dashboard (in advanced mode).
- Respond to Emails.
MakeLifeEasy will notify you when you need to do something, including:
- Check Asset Levels (amounts remaining)
of certain assets using the "Check asset levels" page
- Check your Shopping Lists because one or more of your needs will be uncovered soon.
- Get Your Shopping Lists and Shop.
View/update your lists, and if you need to shop, you can print them out
and take them with you to the store, or shop online using the Need Shopper
available from your shopping lists.
- (Optional) Check shopping schedules. One way to get alerts about when you need
to shop for needs is to use shopping schedules. Especially when you get started,
you'll probably want to adjust these to suit your desired shopping patterns.
Then, if you're using them, you may want to check in occasionally to change them.
Beginner, Intermediate, and Expert Use
You can choose how deeply and broadly you use MakeLifeEasy.
You can dive in head first, or ease in slowly.
You can choose how many needs to manage (the breadth)
and which features to use (the depth), as shown here.
The examples of breadth shown (health & beauty, office supplies, food, etc.)
is just a suggestion, and your order may be different than the one shown.
The table that follows describes the levels in more detail.
Supplies Management Levels (Depth)
The full benefits of MakeLifeEasy begin to appear
when you can get to level 3 and beyond.
But, you can get some benefits by starting small,
as shown here. Once you get started you can advance to higher levels.
Another starting approach is to go to level 3 or 4
for just one or two of your "problem" needs. For example,
manage an item that you often overpay for because
it's never on sale when you run out of it.
Either way, as you get comfortable with MakeLifeEasy,
you can add needs and move to higher levels.
| Level |
Benefits |
What you do |
| Basic |
Seller offers |
Level 1:
Simple Shopping Lists
a. Short: a few needs
b. Long: many needs
|
Simple reminders
Simple shopping
|
"Need shopper":
No direct offers,
you pro-actively shop
for your needs
"High-profit buys":
General offers,
based only on
need name
|
Just enter needs,
not assets
|
Level 2:
Smarter Shopping Lists
|
Past unit prices
(price lists)
|
"High-profit buys":
Better offers, with
competitive prices
|
Enter some assets
Don't enter inventory
management data
Don't accu-track
Don't check levels
|
Level 3:
Smartest Shopping Lists
a. Using days left
b. Using lead times
c. Using shopping schedules
|
Aging => short lists
More buying advice
(suggested quantities)
|
"High-profit buys":
Even better offers,
with correct quantities
and quantity discounts
|
Enter all assets
Do enter inventory
management data
Do accu-track
(for c) Enter lead times
(for d) Create & use
shopping schedules
|
Level 4:
Automatic Buying
a. Multiple bids
b. Term agreements
|
Seller sends you
what you need
|
"Linked offers":
Best offers: with
linking discounts
|
(for b) Set up agreement(s)
|
Level 5:
Long-term improvement
|
Cost-per-day curve
Lowering costs overall
|
(not applicable)
|
Manage many supplies
Set up expense categories
for CPD Curve
|
Usage Rates: Leaping from Level 2 to Level 3
Trying to guess your usage rate for an asset can be a hurdle for many people.
It's actually not as difficult as you think: your first guess can be way off,
but MakeLifeEasy will help you "home in" on it quickly by just checking
inventory once or twice. Specifically, once you reach the midpoint check
for an asset (the "50%-left" check), you've come a long way towards
establishing your usage rate.
But, if entering usage rates is just too hard for you, you have an alternative:
Each time you use an asset, you can just enter the date you started using it,
and the date you finished using it. Once you've done this one or two times,
MakeLifeEasy can also estimate your usage rate. This takes longer, and it's
not as easy to tell MakeLifeEasy about changes in your usage rates, but it does work.
In summary, if you can enter your usage rates when you enter an asset,
MakeLifeEasy can provide you with good buying advice much more quickly.
But, if you simply can't do it, go ahead and enter the "start and finish" dates for
your assets, and MakeLifeEasy will eventually learn your usage rate.
That's how you leap from level 2 to level 3.
Email this
Print this
Send comment
|
|
