  |
SelfHelpInfoNow.com |
 |
| |||
| Personal Finance Information |
|
|
 |
Organizing Your Finances - Thinking Outside the (Shoe) Box
If you're like most people, your personal financial records are most probably kept in less than "Good Accounting Practices" standards. For example, stashing old ATM receipts and hanging on to a stub showing what you paid for a pack of mints two years ago (cash, of course), might be filed with your paycheck stubs, credit card statements - paid and unpaid alike - as well as a few tax forms, a stray paper clip and a penny. Anything from an old shoebox to a toolbox would do you for this method of personal financial tracking but you can do better than that. Not to worry. Here's how: 1) Plan for a few hours of "alone time" with your financial records. This is a dandy time to pack the kids off to the mall, put up a pot of excellent coffee and a little snack (preferably chocolate), as a treat when you're done. 2) Supply yourself with ample space, such as a large dining room table. Make sure you have enough organizing supplies close at hand: sticky notes, file folders, a tub to hold them with hanging file folders, large envelopes, a check file, ring binder/s and a three-hole punch if you like, an open stacking file, and an organizer/sorter. A trash can by your side is a must. 3) Get everything from everyplace - shoe boxes, check files, file folders, etc. 4) While enjoying your cup of coffee, make a game plan. Decide what you're going to put where: e.g., checks and statements go in a specific file for checks and statements, credit card statements can be unfolded and placed in a file folder, etc. 5) Start sorting on the table. Checks go here, ATM receipts go there, paycheck stubs go over there, paid bills go on the other side, etc. until all the "stuff" is divided into neatly organized piles. Use sticky notes to mark what-goes-where on the table to avoid confusion. 6) Put all the "paid" items away first. Be ruthless - it's perfectly okay to toss the receipt for those mints from two years ago. 7) Put the rest of the inactive items in the envelopes, file folders, check files or other storage devices as are interesting, functional, and readily available from your local office supply store. 8) Have another cup of coffee and tackle the active, or open, items. Decide what you're going to pay and when. If you have an open stacking file, you will find one with four compartments (one for each week of the month), very handy for this purpose. 9) Balance your checkbook. Now. 10) Enjoy your chocolate after putting everything away where it belongs and, oh, by the way, check the calendar for when you'll be doing this again next month. Of course, next month this will all be done much faster. I highly recommend using technology to make this much easier and faster. Programs like Quicken and Microsoft Money will help. Really any spreadsheet program will do. Have a category for each life area you spend money. Once a week or month take your receipts, checkbook records and scribbled notes and record where you spent ALL your money....every penny. One of my students was shocked to find out he was spending $75 per month on orange juice! Legend has it that the Rockefeller boys did this and they turned out alright. This time next year you'll wish you started today. Leo J. Quinn, Jr. owner of http://www.LeoQuinn.com is a financial educator from the Albany, NY area. For over eight years he has been helping thousands of people get control of their finances and get out of debt in a fraction of the normal time. He has a special offer for readers of this newsletter at http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/adtrack.asp?AdID=132551
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Money Matters - Really! One of the biggest challenges facing black RELATIONSHIPS today are finances. Many people mistakenly feel that money does NOT matter. 10 Tips to Make Sure Your Financial Budget Will Succeed You've analyzed your past expenses, put them into spreadsheets, loaded Quicken with all of your data and come up with a budget. Now what? The tough part! You actually have to stick to your budget and put your plans into action. Reporting Identity Theft Would you know what to do if you suspect that your personal information had been stolen and used by thieves to open new accounts? It's important that you take the right actions to clear your name as quickly as possible.In 2005, the laws were changed to allow anyone to review their credit report yearly without having to pay a fee. Personal Checks - Extreme Benefits Millions of people have a checking account and many people have two of three. They have the choice of choosing a variety of check designs to compliment the checking account. How Electronic Checks Work - Will Paper Checks Eventually Go Away? Traditional checks probably won't disappear anytime soon, but processing checks electronically is sure to continue! Have you ever been asked to fill out your account and routing number when paying for something online or over the phone - or have you provided a paper check to pay for something and it is given back to you after it is run through a machine? Did you scratch your head like I did the first time that happened?Here is how electronic check conversion works. Instead of writing out a check the old-fashioned way, the new way of using checks use digital signatures for signing and endorsing and have digital certificates to authenticate the bank account. Whats The Truth Behind Your Finances? Between 15 - 20% of people in our country (UK) own there own businesses. This statistic is on the rise thanks to the incredible invention of the Internet. Tips To Save Money At The Supermarket Are you interested in saving money off your grocery bills? If so, then a few "Smart Shopper" tips are all you need to start saving hundreds off your grocery bills!However you must make a few changes in the manner you shop for groceries. If you are willing to do so, just follow these shopping tips and you'll be well on your way to saving a pocketful. Check Facts and Figures Are you a check fanatic? Don't worry, you aren't alone. Millions of consumers write checks every year. What Are We Teaching our 2005 Graduates about Money? Now that we are in the month of June I can't help but wonder if we have prepared our new graduates for the responsibility of managing and budgeting their money.I had a very interesting conversation with my God-son, a recent graduate from a local Los Angeles high school. I Want to Buy a Home - Now What? If you were to ask 100 women "What would you like to achieve financially?" Buying a home or apartment is usually one of the answers. Some women think that they can never own a home - which is not true! In fact, there are so many success stories of home buyers who never thought they would get there. The Joys of Address Labels Address labels are many things to many different people. If you are a huge fan of address labels, you aren't alone. Stretching Your Grocery Dollars Shopping for groceries is an inevitable fact of our ever busy lives. We may imagine that we are saving time by dashing in, roaming the aisles and throwing whatever looks good into the cart. Save Money on Groceries: Part I One universal of humanity, no matter who you are or where you come from, you have to eat. Unless you grow your own food, you will have to go to the grocery store to get it. Im Broke, How Can I Afford... I'm still amazed every time someone comes to me complaining that they don't have any money to put into their business and that they're broke.I mean what have you been doing with your money man?!?Plain Truth: If you don't have any money you won't make it my friend? it's that simple. Single Mother Resources Directs You Towards Success As a parent you are bound to face a few challenges but as a single mother you are bound to face challenges almost everyday. Raising a child is not meant to be done alone however today it is occurring more often then traditional value holders would like to see. Save On Food - Ten Tips To save on food, be an opportunist. Buy what you like, but buy on sale. Saving Money On Gasoline For Your Automobile The gas that we fill our tanks with every week adds up to be quite an expensive bill over the months and years. Thirty dollars a week in gas adds up to over $1500 a year. Save Your Money, Dont Give to Charity Scammers **If it's Spam, it's a Scam!- If it sounds too good, if it shows up in your bulk folder or your spam folder - don't touch it, just delete it**Check out the charity- You can find some charity info at the BBB site www.give. Five Secrets for Long-term Financial Success Future financial success is not a guarantee that any one of us can rely upon, no matter how wealthy we are now or intend to become.There are however five future proofing financial steps that we can take to protect our current financial status, improve our future financial prospects and secure our long-term financial success. What's New in Checking - From Designs to Photos Just about everyone has a checking account. Checks present easy ways to make payments and they have simply become a way of life.
|
|
Home | Blog | Improvement | Motivation | Health & Fitness | Relationships | Family | Parenting | Women Issues | Legal Matters Personal Finance Home | Site Map |
| Copywrite © 2006 www.SelfHelpInfoNow.com All rights reserved. |
