The other day I was working with Logitech trying to figure out what was wrong with my mouse. The left mouse button release before I’ve actually let go, which makes moving and dragging files (and many other mouse usage benefits) a little challenging.
One of the questions was if the mouse was still under warranty or not. I actually couldn’t remember when I bought this mouse. I think it’s been awhile, but the older you get the more the years seem to run together and was that last year or 5 years ago?
Then I had the idea of some kind of database I could use to track major purchases, or at least purchases that tracking warranty information would be helpful. As I began to think of the core component of a calendar, the idea of using Google Calendar then popped in my head.
You could do it a couple of different ways, either by setting up an individual calendar just for purchases like that. Or just add them into your existing calendar. I started naming events like “PURCHASE: Frigidaire Dishwasher” and using the basic fields of the calendar I can say when I bought it, where and use the comments field to track things like the Model# and Serial# and any other information I may think is important.
After awhile this could even be used as a type of home inventory list if you started to get pretty granular and detailed about the information you’d put in the calendar.
Now, the only thing that’s up in the air at the moment is just how long Google Calendar keeps past events on the calendar? I’ve gotten mixed information from “indefinitely” to “randomly”. I”m waiting to hear back from Google Support on this question, so when I do, I’ll be sure and update this post.
UPDATE: After thinking about the last issue raised on how long Google Calendar would keep past events, the quick solution would be to just have the event repeat annually. That way it would always be scheduled as an event into the future and therefore be searchable. In the details, you could provide the original purchase date and other information as stated before.