October is a scary month, what with all of the ghosts and goblins running around…so, I figured that now is as good a time as any to get a handle on the frightening little monster that runs my life…my checkbook! (AHHHHH!!!!)
Especially now that Issa has graduated from law school and our monthly expenses have become more complicated, we simply can’t afford to lose track of what goes where when. The question is–”HOW does one keep track?”
Well, I suppose the logical answer is that you should learn to balance your checkbook…but really, what does that mean? Does anyone know? I mean, in real terms.
Alright, so recently I moved and I had to order new checks with my new address. When the checks came they included a little transaction register, and I stared at it for a moment…wondering why they still sent them out. Do people actually use these still? The online access does it for you, keeping track of all of your purchases and your balance, why would you waste your time?!
Then I got to thinking, you know, this probably is a good way to know how much money you will have left over after you pay all your bills and whatnot…keeping track of checks you have written and how much will be left when those checks have been cashed….but that is a huge task…handwriting things out, keeping everything calculated and in-line correctly…there has to be a more simple way…or a way that you can keep track and do other cool things at the same time.
So, then I got to wondering…is there an electronic program or a program online (aside from the good old spreadsheet or that gawd-awful quicken) that will keep track for you? I googled and googled and lo! there it was… www.clearcheckbook.com
Oh goodness boys and girls, I can’t even tell you how excited I am about this little program! It is so easy, and so friendly! You start out by registering and when you get through those hoops (choosing a user name and password), you are going to enter your starting balance. For me, we just got paid and I had a bunch of bills to take care of, so it was the perfect time to start.
Ok, so the way I usually handle my bills is by cutting a check from my bank account–so, after entering all of my account numbers into my online bill pay system, I entered the amount to be paid…and cut checks directly from my bank. I then took those amounts and entered them into my clearcheckbook.com account…to see how much would be left after those are cashed.
It’s a simple calculation, right? Right….well, kind of…let me take you for a spin around some of the cool things this website will do for you.
Categorize: You see, when you put an entry into your e-checkbook, it asks for an amount and a description of the purchase or payment…and then it allows you to categorize your payments. The categories I came up with today are: Auto, Housing, Credit Accounts…I know there are more but for now, for me, I was able to put them into one of those categories. Then, at the end of the month (or in the middle or the beginning), you can create reports to see how much you are spending on each category over time…or see how much your saving grows!
Reminders:You can set up reminders! Ok, so there are lots of programs that will do this but now all of your account management stuff can be in one place! Clearcheckbook.com will send you an e-mail or when you sign on, it will let you know you have a payment coming up–oh, so exciting!
Spending Limits: You can set spending limits on certain categories to remind yourself to stay within your budget. You can click on the “limits” tab, and it will show you your limit, how much you have spent so far, and what percentage of your limit you have spent…excellent way to manage a budget!
Google Gadget: Ok, this is perhaps one of the best features of this website…As an avid google user, I have to say that I am most excited about the gadget that you can add to your google homepage. It will give you a snapshot summary of your account balances when you sign on to your google homepage. Stay on top of stuff without having to obsess.
Well, that’s about it. I am off to watch the latest episode of TMYLM. Hope you sign up and join me in taking control of my financial future!
YAY!!! Good for YOU! I have no money, so keeping track is REALLY easy, but I do not recommend this particular program!
Kate
I am technologically resistant. Although I am on the computer now daily, I rarely go to new websites that I am not familiar with and I almost never search for things (except maybe directions or something like that). So, for that reason, and the fact that my parents required me to learn to keep a check register long before I ever had any checks as a condition of receiving my allowance–and it had to be spot on so they could see how I was spending my money etc. too, I have no problems doing it the old fashioned way. Although, now that we have debit cards and Josh and I debit from the same account I have kind of quit keeping track because I never know when he’s making transactions and I can check the bank account online. Still, I am glad to hear that you have found something that works for you! Keeping your finances in order keeps peace in the home.