Sunday - Paradise by the Dashboard Light

[Elizabeth]

Good evening everyone! Because I put my car back together yesterday, I was able to make church today. Everything still works, so it looks like I did not break anything while replacing the lights. DD12 got double the usual swinging time, as a reward for a good decision. (She is allowed on the playground as long as an adult we know is there. The adult had to leave and she chose to find me and see if I could come out, which I did.) After that, we went to lunch. We at Chinese Tuesday and Thursday, and I requested a change! Once home, she wrote thank you notes, and I took care of other tasks until the parent/youth meeting (for the church youth group). She wants to do the mid-high camp and the summer mission trip. Not sure if the X will approve of any of this, especially the latter, which is a week long and in another state. The former, I am going to see if I can go as an adult chaperone, but I don't know if I will have enough leave time built up. If I go, it is much more likely that the X won't object. There is no way on earth I will be able to make the week long trip.

I left DD at the youth group meeting, and ran some errands, set some laundry to going along with the dishwasher, and updated Quicken. On my errands, I got to enjoy my newly lit dashboard, it is quite lovely, and very practical to know how much gas I have. My total expenditure was $23.56, which includes the bulbs and the tools to get to them. Compare that to two hours of mechanic's time (yes, it took me longer) + one, possibly two, days of rental car.

My goal for tonight is finish the kitchen, which will have the side effect of getting me organized and getting the filing done.

The desk question: Desk? What desk? This computer is sitting on a repurposed night stand. Mailing supplies are kept in a kitchen drawer. I have a filebox on a bookshelf in the kitchen. (I have two filing cabinets in the sewing room, but they are filled with patterns and sewing stuff). Quicken keeps track of budgeting and billing for me. Mail and bills go on a shelf in the entry way. All bill envelopes have the amount and due date written on the envelope, so I don't forget them.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Ok, to answer the desk question:

how is it set up?: I'm ADD, I work all over the apartment. But my main desk is the roll top desk in the living room (so I can shut it and the mess disappears.)

do you have a place for mail, bills, stamps etc.?

Stamps are on dh's desk in the office in a little stamp/envelop box from Bombay Company that belonged to my mom. Bills come in and go into a 'to be paid' folder that tends to be on the top of the junk on my desk but is a bright colour so I can find it when it gets buried. Mail is dumped on the chest in the front hall or on the counter in the kitchen. I'm trying to get used to opening it at my desk as there is a recycle bin, garbage bin, and folders for to-do items there. That's a work in process...

How about your files? They are kept in the filing cabinets. Current to-do files are in a hanging file frame on a table next to the desk. The finished work is filed in one of 4 filing drawers in the office. One for my preaching stuff, one for the business, two for household files.

There are assorted archive boxes around as well with all sorts of older stuff. We purged a lot over the move but still have more to purge. I'm just always worried I'll need something (for instance, although my Dad has been dead 11 years now, I have all those files and they may come in handy as my sister separates from her wife. They will offer proof of the starting value of her inheritance.

how about your budgets etc.. how do you keep track of the money you spent and on what This part I do have a system for. Everything is in Quicken. I really don't like the new Quicken budget tools but since all my records are in Q I'm dealing with it (they used to be more intuitive and actually offered more options than they do now.) All sales receipts end up on my desk. I enter them into Q and then file them in envelops according to the card/account that was used. When bills come in, I reconcile (eventually) both to the Q entries but I also pull all the receipts and then shred them.

If the receipt is for something that has a warranty, I don't shred it but file it in a binder that has categories for things: Small kitchen appliances, large appliances, electronics, luggage (I realize most people wouldn't need a sub-category for that but we do because our suitcases have lifetime warranties.) The binder has page protector pockets and I just toss the receipt in the appropriate pocket. Once a decade or so, I sort through and toss the receipts for items we no longer have.

If the receipt is for a business expense, it gets put in with the business receipts for the year. I deal with that accounting about once a year (there isn't much.)

Using Quicken for so long, I have lots of data to pull as to how much we spend on things and it made our retirement budget planning quite easy. I'm just working out a new budget now that we've moved and have different expenses.

My desk is such a mess and I'm so bad at doing paperwork, I hate to offer what I do as an example, but you did ask. In general, I can find things reasonably quickly so there's some method to the chaos.

[blessedw2]

thank you d kathryn..too!!!

I have copied and put all of the ideas here on word - dh thought their were lots of great ways and ideas so tomorrow we are going to discuss how to create a stream line system for us.

papers purged yesterday and today has been amazing.
it's a pain but I know it will help us in the long run.

we had our "adopted" son stop by which was lots of fun.

[Ramblinrose]

My shstem is simple... I take caremof my bills and sweetie his and the house.

We have separate offices but in the past shared one and the system remained the same. My desk is V shaped and fits in a corner. I have a computer and 18 month blotter calendar where I write important dates including when bills are due and when my pension and ss checks are deposited. I have a multi holder for pens and the like next to my computer. To the left of that is my dictionary and a set of bookends that hold my ancestry binders. My printer is to the right of my computer. I also have two lamps on my desk so I can see. My desk has two sets of hanging drawers for my files. One side holds business and personal stuff, the other side is where I keep my creative stuff.

I don't keep bills after they are paid, you can always look them up on line, which is as soon as I get them. I pay all my bills on line and have done so for years. I keep manuals for appliances in my kitchen drawer. My stamps, thank you notes and such are in my desk drawer. I keep every thing I need at arms length so I don't waste time looking for things by having to get up.

Basically everything is set up the same way as my school or business desk. I learned to do that a long time ago and haven't strayed from it. When I first started teaching I was single and only paid once a month and that was a challenge, but I learned to budget my money. Now that I am retired I am back to the once a month way of living.

I worked for an accounting dept for a bank for years. I don't keep paper records for more than a years time except for my taxes. I have a file marked taxes/medical or taxes/ charities or taxes/school supplies and as I get deceits for something I drop them into the appropriate file. The exception is my g will stuff. I always list what I am donating on an index card.. ie 8 pairs of pants, 10 short sleeve t-shirts... So I can calculate what my donation amounts to.

I believe in keeping every thing as simple as possible and I've never run into any problems.



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[Elizabeth]

Wanna know what my 'computer chair' looks like? Drag one sofa cushion to the floor in front of the repurposed night stand. I should improve my setup, but where would I put it?

DVDs have been returned. I need to finish kitchen, get setup for tomorrow, organize my to do lists, cat care, and me care. I guess I should also eat something.

[Ramblinrose]

Elizabeth... Forgot to tell you how impressed I am with your auto skills. As Mae west would say... If you want something done right ask a broad to do it... Kudos to you gf. I pick you to be with me if I get stuck on a deserted island.

[Nancy]

Back from the holiday bday dinner up river we took the jeep.
I have not exercised today yet next I will get on the ex. Bike while I watch D. Abby.

I did get journaling done today.

[CathyS]

re: desk.

I don't currently have one. I had a very small and absolutely useless one for the past 20 years. Had an industrial sized desk when I was in my 20's. Wayne and I have discussed getting a desk, but it won't be until we move out of here. I want a filing cabinet at that time as well. I currently have 4 filing boxes that need to be gone through and numerous files will need to be shredded.