One of the key activities when women have time together is, of course, shopping. Our men hate to shop, so when we Real Women get together, it is just a natural, and social, ritual.  At a recent meeting of BFF’s at my home, we were planning a day doing what we do best, and my husband walked in to the living room to see each of us sorting through our personal piles of coupons, special offers, and rewards cards.  I’m sure to him it looked like some foreign version of Poker.  The comments swirling around the room sounded a bit like this:  “I have two coupons for this shop, I’ll split them with you”; “I have points for discounts off at this store, let’s swing in there”; “oh, look, I found a gift card with a balance still on it”;  “you really must sign up for the frequent shopper card at this place, they give great points and discounts”;  “did I tell you I saved 60% on all my purchases using this card?”  and so on.  We were thumbing through our stacks as if we were dealing cards.   The conversation then turned to the best organizational methods we each had.  One carries all her coupons and cards in one envelope in her purse at all times. I, on the other hand, have a separate small wallet in my purse for rewards cards, and my coupons live in a certain place on my kitchen counter near the car keys to be grabbed when appropriate.

Rewards cards and coupons are now a common method of making transactions. Virtually every place I go uses them.  Ring up my purchases at CVS, and they ask for my card.  Go to lunch at Panera, they ask for my card and I wait expectantly to hear if I’ve earned a free drink or pastry.  Go shopping at Dress Barn and they ask if I have Daisy Dollars.   Keeping all of these cards and offers organized and up to date can be a part-time job in itself.  And yet the results really can be beneficial.

This got me to thinking…. Could there be benefits to having Rewards Cards for your personal and professional life as well?  How about at work…. Every time someone comes in to your office with a helpful solution and positive attitude rather than a complaint, they get an extra point on their card.  Earn enough points, and perhaps they earn a raise.   How about at home?  Your children do their chores in a timely manner with little fuss, they get extra points on their card.  Earn enough points, and they can either take a week off from chores, or earn a toy they’ve been wanting.  Your husband cooks dinner or fixes the faulty light fixture, and he gets extra points on his card.  And of course we all know what he wants to use HIS points for!  Depending on your mood, that could be a win-win scenario.

What I am really waiting for, of course, is the Rewards Card that not only gives me a few dollars off on a purchase, or a free lemonade…but one that truly rewards the busy Real Woman.  How about we get points for getting through our crazy days, being the over-achievers that we are, and then after we’ve accumulated a certain number of points, we are surprised with a free spa treatment. Or a weekend away.  Or a cleaning service to come and clean our bathrooms for a year.  I know if such a card existed, I’d quite literally never leave home without it.