Back in the Stone Age when I opened my first checking account, I took it very seriously. I wrote neatly, entered all my checks in the register, and made sure I balanced my account when the statement came in the mail. Not much has changed in the decades since.
Sure, now I get the statements online and I keep my register on the computer. But I still enter every transaction. Every few days, I pull up my checking account online and enter those transactions I haven't entered. I make sure all the bills that are paid automatically online get entered in my computer register. When the statement comes in, I print it out and make sure everything balances.
For the past month, due to a variety of reasons like travel, half-marathons, a grand-daughter, and general laziness, I had sort of gotten behind. The last time I had "gotten it all together" checkbook-wise, was the middle of February. But tonight, I'm current. Woo hoo!!
I realize that for many (or most) people, this may seem a little anal, and it may be. But I like knowing how much (or actually little) money I have in the bank - to the penny. I like knowing what's paid and what needs to be paid. I don't always like knowing how much money I've spent, but at least I know how much I have left to not spend.
Now, if I could only apply this attention to detail to other parts of my life, like calories consumed, or calories burned, or miles wogged. Maybe then I wouldn't have those overdraft saddle bags to carry around on my thighs!
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Things that make today great: Brunch with Sam, Lynnette, Lindley, and Maribeth; updating financial stuff; cleaning up a tiny bit; picking up Steve and Molly from the airport
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