Revealing My Inner Dork

☆ December 26, 2010

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The day after Christmas, I start on my taxes. I love preparing my tax paperwork.  Seriously.  I look forward to it.

During the year, I stash receipts in a little basket on my desk. When my credit card and bank statements arrive each month, I go through and check off each receipt on the statements (and, in doing so, can easily determine if there are any bunk charges).

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Then I put the receipts in a bright little accordion file, clumped together by month. The statements go in regular file folders along with other bills that arrive by mail – insurance, phone and internet, utilities, etc.

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This little routine happens every month.
The day after Christmas, the real fun begins.

I get a nice pad of recycled, college-ruled paper and a pen I’m in the mood for, and title a series of pages with the overarching sections of all my expenses:  AUTO, HOME OFFICE, HEALTH, POST OFFICE, BIZ SUPPLIES, ANIMAL, etc.

Then I go through the year’s receipts, month by month. I take one month’s worth and organize them into the above categories, secure them with a clip, and go on to the next month.

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I then get out my past check carbons and my credit card statements and cross reference my receipts with my credit card statements and check carbons.  As I do this, I write down the dollar total of every receipt in the section in which it falls, and mark off the charges on my credit card statements with blue highlighter so I know what has been accounted for.  Some things, like my website hosting fees, are listed only on my credit card statement, and so marking the receipt charges in blue lets me easily see what other expenses I need to tally.  Other things, like payments for hay, are only in my check carbons.

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I write everything down under the proper heading.  All gas receipts are listed together on the AUTO page.  Dog food and vet fees go on the ANIMAL page.  Office supplies are listed together, as are inventory supplies and expenses.  All post office receipts are copied down and tallied together.  Etc, etc.

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Then I pull out my file folders – I keep them in a box like this, which has been with me since New York and is very handy to tuck away upstairs and then carry to my desk when I need it.  Tallying the bills is easy and straightforward;  phone, internet, and electricity go in the HOME OFFICE section; my two bi-yearly car insurance payments go on the AUTO page, etc.

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Then I do it all over again for the next month.

Once I’ve completed the entire year, I add up the totals for each section.
I then do a similar tally for income, by month, but that part is far less complex.

When I’m done, I have my entire financial year accounted for in a condensed form that fits neatly into a standard business envelope for storage.

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I love doing this because it allows me to see the financial side of my life very clearly.  I can see the arcs in my income throughout the year; I can see what expenses were higher or lower than the previous year, which seem legitimate in correspondence with income and which need to be assessed for the coming year.  I can see how my business has grown and where it is weak.  Being intimately aware of the money that flows in and out of my life is a source of pride for me, and it is empowering, no matter what the dollar amounts are.

If only I didn’t have to write a check to the IRS at the end of it!

Comments

94 Responses to “Revealing My Inner Dork”

  1. Lisa
    December 26th, 2010 @ 10:25 am

    I bow down to how organized you are. I used to do something similar but as my office got a little upside down everything has turned to chaos.

  2. Sandy
    December 26th, 2010 @ 10:27 am

    way to organized for me. i am lucky if anything makes it to the filing cabinet!

  3. Don Cooper
    December 26th, 2010 @ 10:28 am

    yes… your inner dork is shining through!

  4. Karen
    December 26th, 2010 @ 10:29 am

    My system is somewhat different but no less satisfying. Going over my financial records and getting everything ready for my accountant is like re-reading my journal; it helps me see the “lay of the land” for the year just passed. I especially enjoy embracing my inner philanthropist; I don’t have a lot to give but I do give a good amount away. This pleases me to no end.

  5. Sharon
    December 26th, 2010 @ 10:29 am

    you have inspired me to get myself organized. I try during the first part of the year, but somehow it falls apart. thanks for sharing your inner dorkiness…..even in that you have inspired me, giggle, giggle!

  6. Marie Moore
    December 26th, 2010 @ 10:29 am

    Wait…we are supposed to keep receipts? HAHA. Love your “dorkiness.” :)

  7. Terrry
    December 26th, 2010 @ 10:43 am

    that is great that you are organised and enjoy doing the organising!

    I wish I could get interested enough in doing my taxes so as to do a good job of it, as you do.

  8. Sara
    December 26th, 2010 @ 11:14 am

    wow. just wow.
    I cant even imagine being that organized. i just started a few months ago keeping track in my check/debit register. it’s been a challenge in itself..

    that’s something to aspire to..

  9. Eve
    December 26th, 2010 @ 11:17 am

    Your ocd is a beautiful thing, woman.

  10. Felyne
    December 26th, 2010 @ 11:29 am

    I wish more people were in this much control of their finances.

    I’m right here with you, I’m an accountant (of sorts) and thrive with this kind of paperwork. Some people can paint, some people can cut people open and sew them back together, I can reconcile.

    Good on ya babe!

  11. Donna
    December 26th, 2010 @ 11:36 am

    My one question is how did you get away with only a $94.00 vet bill? If I ever had one that low I would think they left out a 1 or a 0:)

  12. catherine
    December 26th, 2010 @ 11:46 am

    I file religiously , I look and look at all receipts; here in Ca we have to pay taxes for all “on line purchases” now, so more filing and notes. Boxes of sharpened yellow pens and crisp yellow pads, and I sit and review my life and get mad at myself for stupid purchases. Then I have to send a check to the IRS and Franchise tax board and review my options: move to Wyoming, no state taxes, Nevada, Montana….Then I look outside my window and see my mountains and violet sky , and I pay.
    Still, less and less services, rising food and gas prices,medical insurances trough the roof….Who are they kidding in DC…

  13. Jan
    December 26th, 2010 @ 11:58 am

    I couldn’t live without Quickbooks! I do all of my accounting there then at the end of the year I send the CD to my CPA. Yeah, I keep my receipts filed and organized just in case the IRS comes knocking.

  14. Angela S
    December 26th, 2010 @ 12:10 pm

    Shreve~ you are organized and disciplined; a one-two punch for sucess! :)

  15. Noelle
    December 26th, 2010 @ 12:23 pm

    Ahhhhhh, organization. What a great job you do. My mom and dad got a new file cabinet for me for Christmas – I can’t wait to dig in to all the paperwork!

  16. catherine
    December 26th, 2010 @ 12:25 pm

    Jan, thanks for that, sounds great to keep it on line as well, for extra fast look, sending a tax CD is a new concept for “yellow pad” pencil sharpening me. Every year I dream of sending a DVD along with my taxes, but it would be XXXXrated for bad language and I would end up probably in the big house.

  17. Deborah
    December 26th, 2010 @ 12:40 pm

    Quite inspirational! I know the deep feeling of satisfaction, a task like this can bring!

  18. Olga
    December 26th, 2010 @ 12:43 pm

    Good you have the mind of an accountant, did you study accountancy or similar at college? because that kind of love for taxes can all be in the mind of someone that would be or is very good at accounts.

    I like accountancy and I’m good at it, but your government wants to know way to much about how you spend money, seriously. Sorry if it sounds bad, but I’m European and not used to that level of “government wanting to know about you”.

    Happy Christmas and best wishes and hugs for the “farmily”

  19. SailorJohn
    December 26th, 2010 @ 1:12 pm

    Seriously, think “MS Money”!

  20. kerin rose
    December 26th, 2010 @ 1:18 pm

    Shreve,
    I am always curious about the systems everyone else is using!>..organizing is not my strong suit!:)…this is good…I like your inner dork! :)

  21. Lisa
    December 26th, 2010 @ 1:35 pm

    You’re scary organized! : )

  22. Cherri
    December 26th, 2010 @ 1:51 pm

    I am the same way!!

  23. wyomama
    December 26th, 2010 @ 1:59 pm

    There’s just nothing like cool and beautiful office products to make something that could be a tedious and awful job a satisfying and enjoyable project. :)

    Just think – doing that with a cheap pen, a cardboard box, and mismatched envelopes??? *shudders*

    To dorks everywhere!

  24. Ava
    December 26th, 2010 @ 2:10 pm

    Seems to me that, oddly enough, your “dorkiness” over finances fits right in with Artistic Cowgirl Shreveishness. Money is a tool. You’d no sooner allow your axe or shovel to sit out in all weather to rust as you’d treat your cameras carelessly, right?

    I have a folder, neatly labeled “Tax Stuff.” And I’m quite good about pitching, uh, stuff into throughout the year. It’s just pulling the stuff back *out* and doing something with it come January that’s the problem.

    Clearly, the answer is BASKETS. ::smiles::

  25. Dawn
    December 26th, 2010 @ 2:39 pm

    DORKS RULE!!!! :)

  26. Sheila
    December 26th, 2010 @ 2:51 pm

    Oh My!! I so wish I was as organized as you are. I try, but it all seems to unravel, so taxes take awhile! Admire your dorkiness!

  27. kathy grossman
    December 26th, 2010 @ 3:22 pm

    I wish I had been smart enough to get into a business where my animal expenses were deductible. Curses.

  28. Marlene
    December 26th, 2010 @ 5:38 pm

    HA! I had to laugh..You must be the good Aries..hehe..My husband and I are both Aries
    4/7 and 4/8..and I always tell people we are the exact opposite in organizational skills..I always refer to him as the “good” Aries.Organized,Focused,Driven.and .tentatious.He is the same as you when doing taxes…he LOVES having everything itemized and knowing where all his money is…he even looks forward to tax time…I am so happy he is in my life!! Marlene in Cambria

  29. eni
    December 26th, 2010 @ 5:45 pm

    This is amazing!

  30. Janet H.
    December 26th, 2010 @ 6:08 pm

    You are more organized than we are, which is saying something! Ha! We keep receipts in a bill box, keep a file folder for tax receipts like charitable donations, but we don’t have a home business, which simplifies things. My husband does taxes on Turbotax, and we can pull things out easily to find the various categories needed.
    (When we were first married and on a student budget we did itemize our expenses in a ledger and I agree, it does help to see where you spent more or less during the year and where you might do better next year.)

  31. Cory
    December 26th, 2010 @ 7:08 pm

    Shreve,

    Your financial organization methods are amazing, especially to a perpetually disorganized person like myself! As I look to my left and right at the moment, eyeing the piles of receipts, invoices and miscellaneous paperwork stuffed in all of the cubby-holes of this old roll-top desk, I truly have something to aspire to. =)

    Thank you for sharing, I enjoyed it as always.

  32. TT in MD
    December 26th, 2010 @ 7:38 pm

    I look at this level of organization as a way to get back more of my time – If I didn’t have it so organized along the way, I would lose a lot more of my time figuring it all out! I too look forward to the new year and getting the taxes done – get to clean out the files, get rid of papers, etc. – spring cleaning just a little early!

  33. Patr
    December 26th, 2010 @ 8:23 pm

    I know CPA’s who are drooling right now because I am one. Napkin please?

    I keep a very detailed ledger on the computer and update it weekly.

    Organization Geeks Unite! In a very straight and ordered row please.

  34. Betsy
    December 26th, 2010 @ 8:52 pm

    I have been following your blog(s) for years now, and I can say without any doubt that this is my favorite post of yours…EVER. Such meticulous record keeping is something that appeals to me greatly because…well, because I suck at it. :)

    You’ve inspired me to start keeping track of these things. Thanks!

  35. Alice
    December 26th, 2010 @ 9:02 pm

    Wow! With financial things, I’m fairly organized (or so I thought…now I’m not sure I’m organized at all). The rest of life, I’m not organized at all by anybody’s standards but my own. I tend to do the “pile system”. While it looks a mess, I know exactly where everything is.

  36. karen
    December 26th, 2010 @ 9:07 pm

    Funny last line, Shreve..Just wondering what you file that one under? Racketeering, extortion or reverse gov’t subsidies?…lol!!!!

  37. Sheila
    December 26th, 2010 @ 9:43 pm

    You are like an onion (in a nice way; I love onions)as every layer that is peeled back makes me love you more and more. You are more of a dork than I am … and I admire you so much for that! Best wishes for an orderly New Year …

  38. Assana
    December 26th, 2010 @ 11:37 pm

    You *are* a dork! :)

  39. Assana
    December 26th, 2010 @ 11:38 pm

    Now… how can I get you to also do *my* taxes?? ;)

  40. Scotty
    December 26th, 2010 @ 11:47 pm

    Jaw drops. This has raised the bar for aspiring dorks.

  41. Katbalu
    December 27th, 2010 @ 6:47 am

    Oh I so wish I could be as organized as you! I do try but always end up falling back to my old ways!

  42. Lady Anne
    December 27th, 2010 @ 7:23 am

    My husband and I pay for almost everything with a check or debit card, so it is easy to track medical bills, church contributions, etc., and he uses TurboTax to file with the IRS.

    Notice I said “he”. While I am quite well organized, I suffer from dyscalcula (like dyslexia, but with numbers) so I am no help at all when it comes to the adding and subtracting. You want it filed? I’m your girl. Added up? Ask somebody else!

  43. Patty
    December 27th, 2010 @ 8:00 am

    I love those big metal clips that fold open or closed. I feel better just using them, makes me FEEL organized even if I’m not.

  44. Marg
    December 27th, 2010 @ 9:18 am

    I can top your dork level a bit perhaps. I get excited when the tally doesn’t balance the first time, THEN I get to hunt for the error. That is the most fun for me. I’m actually a bit disappointed when it balances straight off.

  45. Amanda
    December 27th, 2010 @ 10:11 am

    I was a bank teller (and then a lead teller) for many years, and I won’t lie: the bookkeeping aspect was SO MUCH FUN. I belong to a gaming group that plays a kind of bastard crossover of Battlelords and Serenity, and I’m the sentient giant cat accountant for the ship. ;) I actually made up an incredibly complex series of Excel spreadsheets to detail exactly how much each crewmember made from the latest caper, what percentage goes to ship upkeep, what percentage goes to our Bribe Box™, etc etc. I bask in the dorkness.

    I assume you’re doing the itemized tax return then? You realize you can claim quite a few things as deductions, right? Work clothes, gas, mileage… you may not need to worry about these things (lucky you), but for fellow commenters, save *all* your receipts!!! You never know, it could mean the difference between paying $700 to the IRS and having them pay -you-!

  46. Martha
    December 27th, 2010 @ 10:13 am

    At the risk of revealing my own inner dork (too late) I’ll say that I looked at this post from a completely different standpoint. I am an art director and have many clients in the financial services arena. How often have I searched for stock photos just like these when working on an article about keeping receipts and other financial records in order. How awesome it would be to come upon a series of such photos from the same photo shoot. Those are the thoughts that plague a dorky art director.
    ~)

  47. carmen
    December 27th, 2010 @ 10:46 am

    Wow, I wish I had half the inner dork that you possess. Reading your post makes me want to try harder in the coming year.

    Thank you for the inspiration!

  48. Roxanne
    December 27th, 2010 @ 10:55 am

    Wow, you ARE a dork! *LOL* *jealous*
    I’m horribly unorganized when it comes to these types of things. This is…well, beautiful!

  49. Aleta
    December 27th, 2010 @ 11:23 am

    Ah, glad to see I’m not the only one who likes doing the tax paperwork because, as you say, it puts the financial life in focus. “I spent that much on this in Feb? Rats. Never doing that again.” I hadn’t thought of the monthly accordion file though. Thanks for the idea!

  50. Gina
    December 27th, 2010 @ 11:44 am

    Embrace the dork! My friends gave me the gladiator name Dorkus Superious.

  51. Deanna
    December 27th, 2010 @ 11:44 am

    Cool!

    I love to hear about other people’s systems for dealing with this very necessary part of our lives. My concept is much the same as yours but my method is very different. Mine is all in a spreadsheet, actually a multi-sheet Excel file with a worksheet for each of several categories, Home, Discretionary, Animals, Car, etc. and then a Summary sheet that reads from each of the background sheets. My check register is on one of the worksheets and it always ties out to the bi-monthly (twice a month) totals.

    Since my income and expenses are more “regular” than yours, I start the year with a whole 12 months worth of budgeted amounts. Then as the weeks go by, the budgeted amounts become the actual amounts. And, as is the case in your record keeping, Shreve, I can tell you at the end of the year exactly what I spent on the car, on the animals, on gifts blah blah. Sometimes it’s surprising, but it’s always enlightening.

    I haven’t read through all the comments yet. I hope others have described their systems too.

  52. Andrea
    December 27th, 2010 @ 11:47 am

    As an accountant, all I can say is “Thank you!” with a great big hug. The only flaw I can see with your current system is that you limit your highlighter color to blue. I like to use as many colors as possible, but you can’t just use them willy nilly. One color per category, please. :)

  53. Emily
    December 27th, 2010 @ 1:25 pm

    Thanks so much for posting this. It reminds me that I really should be more mindful of what I do with my money. I think, however, instead of saving all the paper (and since I do so much online anyway) I will scan and save everything digitally…

  54. WendyAA
    December 27th, 2010 @ 3:04 pm

    I can only dream of being this organized! I’m impressed and envious of your dorkiness.

  55. Heather
    December 27th, 2010 @ 6:10 pm

    I have to confess that I stopped reading midway through this post, but I’m impressed you can take such lovely photos of things that are so mundane. For that reason, I loved this post.

  56. Colleen G
    December 27th, 2010 @ 9:25 pm

    *SIGH* If only I could be so organized :( I’m jealous. I’m glad to know that you have your s*#& together :)

  57. Sarah L
    December 27th, 2010 @ 10:54 pm

    Shreve, could you maybe have a chat with my husband? ;-)

  58. TomT
    December 28th, 2010 @ 9:07 am

    You have inspired me to ask my wife if I can work with her as she prepares our taxes. I’ve always wanted to be in control like you are but deferred to my wife because she is so good at it.

    It’s time I know what’s happening financially. It’s disempowering to NOT know for sure.

  59. Rachel
    December 28th, 2010 @ 9:58 am

    Ever thought of using Quicken? It can do all this for you, and allows for the safe storage of an electronic copy of your finances.

    My family swears by electronic backups of this stuff after several close calls with San Diego fires…

  60. shreve
    December 28th, 2010 @ 10:17 am

    Rachel (and I think this was mentioned above as well) ~ I prefer to do it by hand. I wrote both my books by hand, not on the computer – I just prefer to work with pen and paper for a zillion reasons. Photocopies could be made for off-site backup, or scans for electronic storage.

    BUT, for those who enjoy the computer and the tidiness it provides, Quicken – or the other financial management programs out there – can easily be swapped in for the sheets of paper that I use to tally – whatever works best for the individual!

  61. Penny in CO
    December 28th, 2010 @ 11:50 am

    Love it Shreve. It fits you, in my opinion. Doing things by hand…just like you seem to do everything else :). I have my files labeled very similarly to yours…vehicle ins/health ins/animals med bills/tax info etc. I also have an accounting ledger that I use a very sharp PENCIL to enter every bill into(I never use a pen with my accounting.) I also balance my check book EVERY day. I go online to my Schwab accts and make sure I haven’t missed anything. Now its the end of the year…like you I will take out all of 2010 and put each category into its own manilla folder and take to the basement to stash. As for taxes, I just throw all that into a file and take it to my accountant :)

  62. Penny in CO
    December 28th, 2010 @ 11:55 am

    PS Since I balance my checkbook on a daily basis I only keep receipts long enough to know that the transaction was processed properly and then I toss them. I used to keep every one, but found many of them (incidentals/gas/groceries etc) were a big clutter and were, for me, unnecssary.

  63. Maia
    December 28th, 2010 @ 12:34 pm

    You are an inspiration and I’m going to try this method next year.

    Oh yes, I’ve smacked my evil twin, Madge, and locked her back in the closet. Sorry.

  64. Bill Binns
    December 28th, 2010 @ 2:24 pm

    I do not have whatever gene causes this behavior. I read the post but most of it sounded like Charlie Brown’s schoolteacher inside my head.

    I recently discovered that I had been paying $14.00 a month for a Real Networks account for over 5 years without once logging in to the service. That kind of thing probably doesn’t happen to you.

  65. Farmer John
    December 28th, 2010 @ 5:25 pm

    Shreve:

    I can only dream to be that organized, how do you find time for all your daily activities with all that paper work and the fantastic photography that you do. … I am always amazed when I see the quality of your work as a photographer.

  66. Felicia Foland
    December 29th, 2010 @ 7:39 am

    I’m sure there is a 12 step program for this somewhere!

  67. Janet in Cambridge
    December 29th, 2010 @ 8:46 am

    My comment has nothing to do with “dorkiness.”

    I just had to comment on how handsome Charlie is. You must have been hearing my thoughts, Shreve, when you commented “Sometimes Charlie’s cuteness just makes me almost pop!”

  68. Deb
    December 29th, 2010 @ 9:45 am

    I love your system and that you shared it with us! The last couple of years, for various reasons, I’ve started my taxes in February and not finished them until well after the deadline.
    I didn’t owe anything, but that just defers any GST/ HST cheques I’d be getting back (in Canada), so it’s silly.
    This year while compiling my numbers for the previous year – late again – I also did them for the current year. So, now they’re done. It was a great way for me to have peace of mind before a 2-week rest over the Christmas break, which is very much needed.

    I’m looking forward to using some of your ideas with someone very near and dear to me, who drags their heels even more than I do!
    I showed him your post and delighted in your enthusiasm.
    I agree with Angela S that organized and disciplined is a recipe for success.

    This is also one of my favorite posts on your sites. It’s elicited some great comments.

  69. Jenny
    December 29th, 2010 @ 12:55 pm

    I loved reading this and I love knowing I am not the only person who gets great satisfaction from organizing like this. Your approach is more comprehensive than mine, so I hope you don’t mind if I adopt some of your ideas. Many, many thanks!

  70. christy
    December 29th, 2010 @ 2:33 pm

    omg, I would pay you to come do this for me.

  71. The Equestrian Vagabond
    December 29th, 2010 @ 7:06 pm

    I can’t seem to get my stuff together till about April 1. Then it’s scramble time! Nothing like a little bit of panic to get the ball rolling.

  72. Kathie Fifer
    December 30th, 2010 @ 9:26 am

    Hi Shreve,

    This has nothing to do with taxes, but I saw your answer to the question of what artist’s works you would like to own. You might also like Sulamith Wulfing.

    Take care,

  73. Jerry Johnson
    December 30th, 2010 @ 9:37 am

    One thing I would never call Shreve is a dork!! I envy the lifestyle you lead. It is not for everyone, but it is one I could live. And your organizational skills are superb!!

  74. shreve
    December 30th, 2010 @ 9:53 am

    Kathie ~ LOVE Sulamith Wulfing! I have one of her cards framed by my door :)

  75. Sherri
    December 30th, 2010 @ 10:15 am

    As an accountant by trade, it’s actually a little exciting to see someone else as OCD as me….LOL

  76. Katie
    December 30th, 2010 @ 12:12 pm

    Oh my gosh! I got exhausted just READING this!

    Jason and I do our taxes ourselves, but we own very little and don’t have a ton of assets, so it’s not difficult at all. I am considering starting up essentially a small on-the-side sort of business (selling prints of some of my better photos) and am looking into a business license and what I’d have to keep for taxes…

    This whole adventure is something I know almost nothing about, but I’m starting to really like some of the photos I’ve taken and I’m interested in seeing what I can do!

  77. Kara
    January 1st, 2011 @ 10:41 am

    Ooooo… I’m so inspired. I’m organized in most ways but my financial paperwork usually goes into a big pile so that I’ll file it “later,” and later generally never comes. I do love data, and would love to see patterns in my spending/saving. Maybe financial organization needs to be my 2011 resolution!

  78. Stephanie
    January 1st, 2011 @ 3:34 pm

    Holy smokes you are so much more disciplined at that than I am. Sometimes I think people (like me) lean on computers too much. They make somethings so easy, that we get LAZY with the rest.

  79. Raf
    January 1st, 2011 @ 7:48 pm

    Wow, this is scary organized. Though I admit it’s something I need to aspire to since I started freelancing.

  80. Joanne Miller
    January 2nd, 2011 @ 2:01 pm

    Sigh. Now I really hate you. Beauty, passion AND you are organized too? For Gads Sack.

    Joanne

  81. Alicia
    January 2nd, 2011 @ 9:38 pm

    This is AWESOME!! I know that word is so overly used, but really. You’ve totally inspired me! I finally just finished ‘finishing’ my home office, after almost a year of being in this house, and NOW.. the crowning jewel will be to go through all of our receipts and file everything where it should go!

    We have one of those neat receipts things.. maybe I’ll fire that bad boy up and see how well it works..?

    Oh.. and thank god my mom takes care of all of our Dali finances!! She gets mad when stuff doesn’t balance to the dollar. Seriously, I don’t know what we’d do without her!

    Thanks for posting this.. I love your style! :)

  82. angie
    January 5th, 2011 @ 10:44 pm

    holy crap! i need you! i used to do the first part with receipts and cc statements, but now i’m lucky to get them somewhere in the vicinity of my desk.

  83. Diane Evans
    January 7th, 2012 @ 1:11 am

    I buy a simple, (“Dome”, Home Budget book) every year.
    All the categories ,(ie food, electricity, clothes, etc.) are typed in, and I enter all the bills, and save the daily receipts for things I buy, and enter them in the evening.
    I cross check them on my credit card statement and in my check book. Everything is totaled at the end of each month, with the grand total at the bottom.
    It’s relatively simple–I save the books for a couple of years so I can check back and compare.–Relatively easy and works well.
    Diane

  84. Barbara
    January 10th, 2012 @ 6:19 pm

    I received great advice from 2 uncles many years ago. One said that you must control your money or it will control you, and that knowledge was power; his idea was to keep an account of all expenditures in a spiral notebook…it was very eye-opening the first times I did that. But it helped me get to where I am today.
    The other uncle’s idea was to sit down and develop 3 goals: one for NOW, one for FIVE years from now, and one for distant future. It really was great interesting to set your focus.

    I can lay out a budget for a whole year, and factor in some ‘what ifs’ too. However life throws a wild curveball when you least expect it, and we must all learn to just go with the flow when that happens.

  85. sue c
    January 12th, 2012 @ 11:56 am

    Just read this. Fascinated by how many of you there are.
    Rather appalled,to be honest, at the whitewater tide of enthusiasm. So many of you, wow.
    It must be absolutely lovely to be like that, accounts etc. easy and enjoyable to you……… here I represent the exact opposite, a dyspraxic, dyscalulic professional artist to whom a pencil holds a different kind of(equally welcome)promise.
    My accountant’s friend until tax return time, and then his own little nightmare.

    I wish we could change places for just a few hours, I would SO love to know how it feels to be that way.

    And on a different subject entirely: my wolfhound has been chewing Daily Coyote deer antlers for over a year, now – they hold his munchy attention, all bones abandoned on receipt of antlers. Not cheap to get them through the customs here( can’t get them in UK) but lasting even in his crocodile jaws and totally worth it. Thank you.

  86. Jason
    March 29th, 2012 @ 10:57 pm

    I’m always losing my receipts, so I started taking a picture of it with my iPhone. It can be backed up to the Cloud, or to my computer. It’s can be arranged by date in Aperture, and arranged in folders.
    Btw, I discovered you when I was researching scooters. I wish you’d post more photos from your trip.

  87. Igoone
    December 17th, 2012 @ 7:02 am

    pheelyks Jun 29, 11, 07:18AM | #19

    3dinfo:

    pwerer limited not scamming

    With such a lucid, confident, and well-supported statement, who could possibly disagree?

    Oh, yeah…anyone that’s had any real world experience with company. Damn. If only the facts didn’t get in the way of your blithe assertion.

    Twig Jun 30, 11, 02:07PM | #20
    Joined: May 10, 11
    Threads: 2
    Posts: 141
    3dinfo:

    pwerer limited not scamming

    Ha ha ha..

    pheelyks Jun 30, 11, 03:03PM | #21

    Twig:

    3dinfo:
    pwerer limited not scamming

    Ha ha ha..

    You add absolutely nothing of value to this forum. Unless you can change that, please leave.

    Twig Jun 30, 11, 10:11PM | #22
    Joined: May 10, 11
    Threads: 2
    Posts: 141
    pheelyks:

    please leave.

    Keep on dreaming.

    pheelyks Jun 30, 11, 11:00PM | #23

    Twig:

    Keep on dreaming.

    You do realize this doesn’t actually make sense in context, right?

    Twig Edited by: Twig Jul 1, 11, 04:45AM | #24
    Joined: May 10, 11
    Threads: 2
    Posts: 141
    pheelyks:

    ou do realize this doesn’t actually make sense in context, right

    I am sick of your constant attacks. They are seemingly insane. But you know what? You have no right to persist with them since you confessed you are not the Modulator.

    pheelyks Jul 1, 11, 09:19AM | #25

    Twig:

    I am sick of your constant attacks.

    Stop making useless posts here and I’ll stop “attacking.”
    Twig:

    You have no right to persist with them since you confessed you are not the Modulator.

    This sentence is ridiculous on several levels. Anyone has a right to post anything they want here that isn’t in conflict with the TOS. The site also doesn’t have Modulators, to my knowledge. Try looking up words when you don’t know what they mean–there’s no shame n trying to learn a new language, and the sense of accomplishment you’ll have when you’ve actually mastered English will be worth the effort.

    Twig Jul 1, 11, 09:25AM | #26
    Joined: May 10, 11
    Threads: 2
    Posts: 141
    pheelyks:

    This sentence is ridiculous on several levels. Anyone has a right to post anything they want here that isn’t in conflict with the TOS. The site also doesn’t have Modulators, to my knowledge. Try looking up words when you don’t know what they mean–there’s no shame n trying to learn a new language, and the sense of accomplishment you’ll have when you’ve actually mastered English will be worth the effort.

    Shut the hell up, housefly.

    pheelyks Jul 1, 11, 09:34AM | #27

    Twig:

    Shut the hell up, housefly.

    Is housefly a big insult in Kenya?

    WritersBeware Edited by: WritersBeware Jul 1, 11, 10:31AM | #28

    Twig:

    you are not the Modulator

    modulator

    Illudium PU-36 Explosive Space Modulator

    craftywriter Jul 2, 11, 01:50AM | #29
    Joined: Jun 25, 11
    Posts: 3 Pheelyks, what happened here

    MeoKhan Writer Jul 2, 11, 01:01PM | #30
    Joined: Jan 9, 11
    Threads: 5
    Posts: 1,410
    craftywriter:

    First, page 3 is full of posts made by numerous visitors. Secondly, I wonder why you are discussing a different forum here. It has different rules from those of EssayScam. Hope you get my point.

    dunno214 Writer Dec 3, 11, 07:24PM | #31
    Joined: Dec 3, 11
    Posts: 2 I think with every company it depends. The customer’s need to give specific instructions to the writer. I currently write for them and what I have noticed (revisions and sometimes customer’s reassign the writer) is that some are really good and some are really bad. However, they use quite a few ESL writers and that is something that you may need to be careful with. It’s technically ‘hot season’ (meaning that students are submitting orders like crazy). Being someone who only speaks English you would think business would be booming. Yet on the login screen it shows close to 200 orders but once you log in (if you are an English speaker) it gets cut down to like 15. From that I can understand why there are so many negative reviews on this company. But like I said its a two way street. From a writers perspective (who only speaks English) I wouldn’t recommend other any native speakers to work for this company at this point.

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