                     THE COUPON MANAGER
                        Release 1.20
                              
                             by
                         Gard Brown
                  Copyright (c) 1995, 1996



Welcome to The Coupon Manager, release 1.20!  This shareware
product is the result of over 1 year of development, in the
attempt to produce a multipurpose, practical utility which
will simplify the process of shopping, while taking
advantage of the numerous promotions and other offers
(coupons) by various manufacturers.  Although The Coupon
Manager is extremely simple to use, it is recommended that
you print out, or read this documentation in order to
familiarize yourself with the features and concepts of the
software.


FEATURES:

o Multiple relational databases to reduce redundant input
o Windows and pull down menus make for ease of use.
o Supports mouse (with mouse driver) or keyboard entry.
o Practically unlimited record capacity.
o Prints Reports & Lists for most databases.
o Organizes Shopping lists by store to simplify shopping.
o Tracks Coupon Expiration Dates


CONCEPTS:

Databases?  Windows?  Menus?  Redundant input?  Why all this
fancy computer talk when all I want to do is make a shopping
list and organize my coupons?  The answer to that is simple.
All this fancy computer talk is combined in an easy to use
software program that will get you and your coupon
collection organized quickly.  You will be amazed at how
much money you will start to save each time to go shopping.
The problem most people face now is that making shopping
lists is too tedious and hunting for clipped coupons is too
time consuming.  The Coupon Manager will get your coupons
organized, and remind you that you have them when you go to
make your shopping list.  In addition, the products that you
purchase regularly are already in the "Database", so that
making lists is now faster and more convenient.

Here's how it works.  Most people get coupons from many
different sources, but due to the time in organizing them
and then hunting them down at shopping time, what you
collect is rarely what you use.  The fact of the matter is
that every household from one person to a family of 10 will
reduce weekly shopping expenses dramatically in very little
time, with very little effort when using The Coupon Manager.
As you collect your coupons for the products you regularly
use, simply enter the coupon into the coupon manager, then
file it.  When filing, I keep mine in a small plastic box,
like the ones you keep index cards or recipes in.  I also
like to categorize mine by product type.  This process is
actually quite quick, perhaps 10 - 15 minutes per week.
Once this is done, when you are ready to make your shopping
list, all you need to do is use The Coupon Manager's list
maker to select the products that you need that week.  As
you make your list, the program will show you what coupons
you have for each category you select.  If you choose to
purchase a product that you have a coupon for, simply remove
the coupon from your file, and The Coupon Manager will
remove it from it's database.  While you are shopping, your
list will conveniently show you that you have coupons for
certain products, which will further remind you of the money
saving potential.

To help you with this process even further, the Coupon
Manager will remind you of coupons that will expire soon, or
have expired already so that you may remove them from your
file.   There are many other features, which you will
discover as you use The Coupon Manager.


CHANGES SINCE VERSION 1.00

o Version 1.10 offers a few visual improvements over version 1.00.
o When making shopping lists, TCM will now assume you want to purchase
  at least the minimum quantity required when using a coupon.
o Added a "Product Pick List" for making a quick manual list before
  creating the list on the computer, OR, to serve as a reminder of
  items that you may have forgotten that you need.
o Corrected a minor bug which would not properly 'PICK' a product
  from your product list when you DO NOT use a coupon.

CHANGES SINCE VERSION 1.20

o Version 1.20 welcomes a new lower registration price!  Now only
  $15.00 per copy as opposed to $29.95 for 1.10!
o Reorganized Hot Key functionality to enhance operation
o Added Date limiting function to expiration report.  You are now
  able to limit this report to any date you wish.  The report defaults
  to 30 days, but you may reduce or increase this range as needed.
  Enter 12/31/99 to print all coupons on file.
o Corrected minor problems that may occur during some editing functions.




USING THE COUPON MANAGER:

General Keyboard controls are as follows:

     o Pull-down menus can be selected by pressing
       ALT+Highlighted Letter.

     o Keyboard Arrow keys will move menu highlighter
       up/down and left/right.

     o TAB Key will move from Field to Field in data
       entry screens.

Additionally, full mouse support is available.

The opening screen of The Coupon Manager (TCM) offers pull
down menus with the following options explained below:

     o Coupons
       -Add/List - Adds and Lists Coupons on file
       -Coupon Report - Prints a list of Coupons on file
       -Expiration Report - Reports on Expiration Dates

     o Lists
       -Shopping Lists - Creates / Prints Shopping lists
       -Retail Stores - Maintains Retail Store Database
       -Categories - Maintains Category Database
       -Manufacturers - Maintains Manufacturer Database
       -Products - Maintains Products Database

     o Documentation
       (Displays this Document)

     o Registration
       (Shareware Version Only)
       Displays valuable information on how to register
       this outstanding software!

     o Exit
       Exits software

Most of the screens in TCM are self explanatory, however for
those of you new to computers or databases, I will explain
the concepts behind how this software was designed for use.

TCM keeps a database (or list) of the products that you
purchase regularly.  As it comes, all the `sample' products
are `generic' in that, they do not have `real' manufacturers
names.  We felt it was best not to set up our sample
products with real manufacturer names simply because we did
not want to `offend' any manufacturers by not including
their products.  TCM works best if you enter the products
that YOU use regularly.  Many TCM users have found it to be
quite simple to enter these products first, before entering
coupons as to reduce and simplify entry of both products and
coupons (what we mean by this will be explained in more
detail later in this document).  You may enter your favorite
products directly into the sample database, or the more
advanced users may want to delete the TCM product database,
and create their own from scratch.  Should you wish to
delete the sample database, simply delete the 6 product
files, with these names:

               PRODUCTS.DAT
               PRODUCTS.K01
               PRODUCTS.K02
               PRODUCTS.K03
               PRODUCTS.K04
               PRODUCTS.K05

These files can all be found in the C:\COUPON directory.


ENTERING PRODUCTS:

Whether you decide to create the product file from scratch
or modify the sample products file, you will find it easiest
to start by entering your products first.  Simply select
LISTS, then PRODUCTS, then EDIT PRODUCT LIST.  *NOTE: You
may also find it useful to print the sample product list so
that you will see how TCM categorizes products.*

Once you have the Product List on your screen you will see a
list of all products in TCM listed alphabetically, and
across the bottom, you can select to ADD PRODUCT, CHANGE,
DELETE and EXIT.  Should you want to CHANGE or DELETE a
product, simply use the arrow keys or the mouse to move the
highlighter to the appropriate item, and select CHANGE or
DELETE respectively.  TCM will also allow you to type the
name of a product, which automatically narrows the list as
you type to the products that most closely match your input.

To Add a product, select ADD PRODUCT or press the INSERT
Key.  At this point, you will see the Add Product window pop
up, which will allow you to add a product to the database by
entering it's name, Manufacturer, product category and sub
category.  *NOTE: If you do not generally purchase products
by the same manufacturers, then you may want to just use the
name GENERIC for all your products.  However, if you choose
this method, you should also enter your coupons for GENERIC
manufacturers as well, so that TCM will remind you
appropriately when you make shopping lists.*  Enter the
description of the product and press ENTER or TAB to move to
the manufacturer field.  Notice that a list will pop up
allowing you to select the manufacturer from the TCM's list
of manufacturers.  If the manufacturer you are looking for
is not on the list, then you may add that manufacturer at
this time by selecting the ADD button.  You may scroll up
and down through the list, or type the name of the
manufacturer and allow TCM to search for you.  Once you have
the correct manufacturer selected, press ENTER or Click on
the SELECT button.  Next, you will see a list of categories
pop up.  Using the same procedure you used to select a
manufacturer, select or enter your category.  The last pop-
up you will see is the list of sub-categories, which will
further help to group your product.  Select your sub-
category or enter a new one.  Once you have all the product
information selected, you will be able to review your entry
before adding it to the database.  To complete product
entry, select OK, or press ENTER.  You may continue entering
your products until you have entered the products that you
use most often.


A NOTE ON PRODUCT CATEGORIES AND SUB-CATEGORIES:

TCM uses categories and sub-categories to group your
products.  During development of TCM we found it to be much
easier to create shopping lists and use coupons if products
are selected by category / sub-category.  Once you start
making shopping lists, you will see what we mean.  The
categories / sub-categories that come with TCM are only
intended to give you an idea of how to group products.  We
expect that you will need and want to add to these categories
as you use the software in order to accomodate the types of
products that you use regularly.


ENTERING COUPONS:

You can enter your coupons in the same manner as you enter
products.  The very first step in adding a coupon is to
select the product for which the coupon is to be used, this
is why entering products first is highly recommended.
However, you may still add products from the coupon entry
screen, but it does make for a little more time consuming
procedure.  After selecting the product, enter the amount or
value (the amount you save with this coupon).  Next, enter
the expiration date, the quantity you are required to
purchase with this coupon (if more than one).  Lastly,
select what type of coupon this is.  The type is usually a
Manufacturer Coupon, but some TCM users like to enter Mail-
In-Rebates, and other such coupons.


PRINTING AN EXPIRATION REPORT:

One common problem that people who collect coupons encounter
is that of expired coupons.  It can be quite frustrating to
go hunting for a coupon, only to find out once you've found
it that it has expired.  Of course, some coupons expire in a
year or two, while others, usually the really good ones,
tend to expire much sooner.  TCM assists you with this by
helping you `prune' your coupon collection and maintain only
current coupons by printing an expiration report.  This
report not only shows you what coupons you have which are
already expired, but also which coupons will be expiring
soon, so that you may opt to use them now if you wish.  To
print an Expiration Report, Select the COUPONS menu, then
EXPIRATION REPORT.  TCM will prompt you for the date limit,
which defaults to 30 days from today, as well as which printer
port you will send the report to.  LPT1 is highlighted for
you, since most printers are connected there.  If you do not
know what port your printer is connected to, simply select
OK here.  Notice also, that you have the ability to print
this report to the screen if you wish.


CREATING AND PRINTING SHOPPING LISTS:

TCM's most powerful feature is its' ability to help you in
creating shopping lists.  Since TCM keeps a list of all the
products that you use regularly, making a shopping list is
as easy as choosing what you need from the list.  When you
choose a product that you have a coupon on file for, TCM
will ask you if you want to use that coupon or not.  Then,
once your list is complete, TCM will print a shopping list
for you, and indicate which items you have a coupon for,
which will further remind you to take those coupons with you
when you go shopping.

Creating a shopping list is just like entering information
into any other part of TCM.  Here is an overview:

     o Select LISTS, SHOPPING LISTS, ENTER/UPDATE
     o Select CREATE A NEW SHOPPING LIST
     o Enter a descriptive name for the list, or accept
       `Shopping List' default
     o Optionally, you may enter Notes.  Notes are intended
       to remind you to check on things while at the store.
       Anything you enter here will print at the bottom of
       this shopping list when you print it.
     o Select OK
     o You will return to the Shopping List Manager Screen
     o All Shopping lists will be listed here in order from
       most recent to oldest
     o Add items to the list by selecting ADD/DELETE ITEMS
       TO SHOPPING LIST
     o The shopping list will appear, with options to
       ADD ITEM, CHANGE, DELETE and DONE
     o Select ADD ITEM
     o Select Category
     o Select Sub-Category
     o If you have a coupon for this category, a list of
       coupons will pop-up, otherwise, a list of products
       in this category will pop up.
     o If the coupon list pops up, and you select a coupon,
       you will be prompted to delete the coupon from the
       the database, so that you will not be prompted to use
       this coupon again.
     o Enter the Quantity you wish to purchase
     o Select the store that you prefer to purchase this
       item from.
     o Accept this Item, and you will be returned to the
       list
     o Continue entering items until your list is complete
     o Quit List Manager to return to the Main Screen.

To print a shopping list, select LISTS, SHOPPING LISTS,
PRINT SHOPPING LIST.  You will see all your shopping lists
displayed in order from oldest to most recent.  *NOTE: Most
users of TCM will delete lists which are no longer needed.
You can delete old lists from the Shopping List Manager
screen, where you enter and update lists.* Select the list
you wish to print, by highlighting it, and choosing PRINT.


You should now have a pretty good understanding of the basic
functions of TCM.  Once you start using TCM regularly, you
will find it not only saves you time, but it will also pay
for itself very quickly.


TROUBLESHOOTING:

TCM is compatible with any IBM Compatible PC with DOS
versions 5.0 and up.  TCM can be run from Windows 3.1,
Windows for Workgroups 3.11 and Windows 95.  You can also
run TCM from the MS-DOS Prompt.  This software has been
tested under many different operating conditions, however,
no warranties can be made on suitability for purpose, or
loss of data.  However, some TCM users who have run into
problems have been able to resolve them easily.  Below are a
few hints as to things to try should you have a problem with
TCM.

Q: I get an out of files, or not enough files to open list
   error while running TCM.

A: Make sure you have FILES=60 or higher in your CONFIG.SYS
   file.


Q: When I select to print a report or a list, I get an error
   that says the printer is not ready or offline.

A: If you are using Windows 95, try going into your printer
   properties screen.  Select Details, and Port Settings,
   then de-select Spool MS-DOS print Jobs.  Alternately, you
   can just select RETRY, and it will print.


Q: When I print a list or report, I am getting some strange
   letters and words on my Laser Printer.

A: The Shareware edition of TCM is configured for EPSON
   compatible printers.  This was chosen as the default since
   most printers either come, or can be set to EPSON
   compatible mode.  When you register, you will be able to
   select what compatibility mode you would like.  If you want
   to see how TCM will print to your laser printer using the
   shareware version, simply set your laser printer to EPSON
   mode and try printing again.


Q: When I print to the Screen, I get strange letters and symbols
   along with regular text.

A: TCM prints to the screen only for the purpose of getting a
   quick preview of what will print should you choose to do so.
   It is not intended to be a replacement for paper copy.  What
   you are seeing on the screen are the control characters that
   tell your printer to reset, or change print styles.  These
   are normal, and you should disregard these letters or symbols.


REGISTRATION:

I have spent many hours writing, testing, and documenting
TCM.  It was developed for people who use coupons when they
shop.  Your comments on this product are always welcome.
When you register, you will receive a personalized disk of
TCM, and you will also be notified of any future updates by
mail.  All I ask for all the work that I have put into TCM
is a registration donation of only $15.00.  As with any
shareware product, you are authorized to evaluate TCM for
your use for 30 days, after which, you are required to
register if you wish to continue to use the program.  You
will be sure to find this product to be quite valuable if
you collect coupons, and a time-saver if you just want to
make shopping lists.

To register TCM, simply Print out the registration
form from the registration menu option.  Please print your
name and address clearly.  Send your check or money order to
me at:

                    Gard Brown
                    TCM Registration
                    P O Box 10885
                    Daytona Beach, FL  32120-0885


OR, If you use Compuserve, you can register via Compuserve's
Shareware Registration Database, (GO SWREG), then Select to 
Register Shareware.  You will be asked for the Shareware
Registration ID:

	CompuServe Registration ID:   6866

The registration charges will be billed to your Compuserve
Account.

If you have any problems or questions about the use of TCM, 
please feel free to send EMAIL Via Compuserve to

	Gard Brown    71700,1345

		    OR

Via Internet:

	71700,1345@Compuserve.com

Enjoy! And thank you for your Support!
