Comments on: Starting a Household Ledger – With Pen and Paper http://frugaldad.com/2010/06/14/starting-a-household-ledger-with-pen-and-paper/ Promotional Codes, Coupons & Deals + Money Saving Insights Sat, 26 May 2012 00:58:25 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: pasha http://frugaldad.com/2010/06/14/starting-a-household-ledger-with-pen-and-paper/#comment-101409 pasha Sat, 05 May 2012 23:18:53 +0000 http://frugaldad.com/?p=5610#comment-101409 HUZZAH! I've been working with people and their money for decades and have learned many things. One of them is -- if you like the pencil and paper, and it works for you, USE IT! :) Since your husband thinks the computer is so far superior let him key your handwritten data into it, heh? In my experience, many people who strenuously argue for the computer and against the pencil aren't actually doing either. Great point earlier about how it becomes a family meeting, not just a simple bookkeeping function. I've had many revelations while balancing my checkbook regarding the wisdom of certain purchases -- and been excited to find myself not making other purchases as I realized that in a month I'd be sitting there wondering why I made THIS purchase. When you download the BANK's record of YOUR transactions you are assuming that no mistakes have been made. I was reconciling a dentist's bank accounts and found that one day $1,000 (right, a THOUSAND BUCKS) had simply disappeared from the account without any explanation, just gone. Checks get paid for slightly wrong amounts all the time. It's not just a matter of having a list of transactions or efficiency, there's more to it than that. Keeping track of your money is much more than that. HUZZAH! I’ve been working with people and their money for decades and have learned many things. One of them is — if you like the pencil and paper, and it works for you, USE IT! :) Since your husband thinks the computer is so far superior let him key your handwritten data into it, heh?

In my experience, many people who strenuously argue for the computer and against the pencil aren’t actually doing either.

Great point earlier about how it becomes a family meeting, not just a simple bookkeeping function. I’ve had many revelations while balancing my checkbook regarding the wisdom of certain purchases — and been excited to find myself not making other purchases as I realized that in a month I’d be sitting there wondering why I made THIS purchase.

When you download the BANK’s record of YOUR transactions you are assuming that no mistakes have been made. I was reconciling a dentist’s bank accounts and found that one day $1,000 (right, a THOUSAND BUCKS) had simply disappeared from the account without any explanation, just gone. Checks get paid for slightly wrong amounts all the time.

It’s not just a matter of having a list of transactions or efficiency, there’s more to it than that. Keeping track of your money is much more than that.

]]> By: Kahala Ringgold http://frugaldad.com/2010/06/14/starting-a-household-ledger-with-pen-and-paper/#comment-90617 Kahala Ringgold Fri, 06 Apr 2012 05:08:18 +0000 http://frugaldad.com/?p=5610#comment-90617 Whoa! I'm all with you. The emotional satisfaction of writing it down (even with the occasional error that needs to be sorted out) is great. I feel a direct connection between the writing and my budget decisions. When I use electronic programs, it just feels like numbers. When I do it by hand, it has concrete images and reminders of what I am doing with my small budget. Thanks for the cool ideas. Whoa! I’m all with you. The emotional satisfaction of writing it down (even with the occasional error that needs to be sorted out) is great. I feel a direct connection between the writing and my budget decisions. When I use electronic programs, it just feels like numbers. When I do it by hand, it has concrete images and reminders of what I am doing with my small budget. Thanks for the cool ideas.

]]> By: Lorraine http://frugaldad.com/2010/06/14/starting-a-household-ledger-with-pen-and-paper/#comment-70172 Lorraine Fri, 06 Jan 2012 18:42:54 +0000 http://frugaldad.com/?p=5610#comment-70172 We are on a cash system. All the bills we pay with check so that money is the only money in the checking acct. Savings goes into our savings acct. including investing. We use cash for groceries/food, gas, clothing/shoes, blow $(activities, entertainment, etc.), personal (hair cuts, etc.). We are on a cash system. All the bills we pay with check so that money is the only money in the checking acct. Savings goes into our savings acct. including investing. We use cash for groceries/food, gas, clothing/shoes, blow $(activities, entertainment, etc.), personal (hair cuts, etc.).

]]> By: Kate http://frugaldad.com/2010/06/14/starting-a-household-ledger-with-pen-and-paper/#comment-43597 Kate Wed, 21 Jul 2010 16:46:13 +0000 http://frugaldad.com/?p=5610#comment-43597 What columns go in your ledger? What columns go in your ledger?

]]> By: R_W_G http://frugaldad.com/2010/06/14/starting-a-household-ledger-with-pen-and-paper/#comment-43058 R_W_G Fri, 02 Jul 2010 13:22:14 +0000 http://frugaldad.com/?p=5610#comment-43058 I carry a spiral memo notebook in my purse (2 x 3 inches) and write down every expense in this notebook as soon as I make it. Right there in the store! I learned this from Debtors Anonymous and from a book they use by Jerry Mundis. Some weeks I total my expenses and others I don't. I have found that it is the act of writing it down every time, the mindfulness of it, that is as much the advantage as the tracking where my money goes. Even just flipping through the pages of the past few days can show me if I am getting off track-"Gee, i had a so-called inexpensive lunch out today, and yesterday, and the day before--even at $8 each time that's $24 that would have gone a lot farther at the grocery store.." etc. And I also write down debit expenses at the same time in my -gasp- checkbook register that I carry with me in my purse. I double check my checking acct online every morning which takes about three minutes. This works for me! It seems like the most important thing is to do what is most helpful for each person. There is no right or wrong. We all have the same about of time--24 hours in each day! Whether we use those hours on the computer or writing in a spiral notebook is entirely up to each of us. I carry a spiral memo notebook in my purse (2 x 3 inches) and write down every expense in this notebook as soon as I make it. Right there in the store! I learned this from Debtors Anonymous and from a book they use by Jerry Mundis. Some weeks I total my expenses and others I don’t. I have found that it is the act of writing it down every time, the mindfulness of it, that is as much the advantage as the tracking where my money goes. Even just flipping through the pages of the past few days can show me if I am getting off track-”Gee, i had a so-called inexpensive lunch out today, and yesterday, and the day before–even at $8 each time that’s $24 that would have gone a lot farther at the grocery store..” etc. And I also write down debit expenses at the same time in my -gasp- checkbook register that I carry with me in my purse. I double check my checking acct online every morning which takes about three minutes. This works for me! It seems like the most important thing is to do what is most helpful for each person. There is no right or wrong. We all have the same about of time–24 hours in each day! Whether we use those hours on the computer or writing in a spiral notebook is entirely up to each of us.

]]> By: The Simple Dollar » Wesabe Shuts Down: What Are the Alternatives? http://frugaldad.com/2010/06/14/starting-a-household-ledger-with-pen-and-paper/#comment-43038 The Simple Dollar » Wesabe Shuts Down: What Are the Alternatives? Thu, 01 Jul 2010 20:02:07 +0000 http://frugaldad.com/?p=5610#comment-43038 [...] It simply works and it maintains as much privacy as you wish. Frugal Dad has a great article on starting a paper household ledger – it really does [...] [...] It simply works and it maintains as much privacy as you wish. Frugal Dad has a great article on starting a paper household ledger – it really does [...]

]]> By: Jodi D. http://frugaldad.com/2010/06/14/starting-a-household-ledger-with-pen-and-paper/#comment-42785 Jodi D. Tue, 22 Jun 2010 18:19:34 +0000 http://frugaldad.com/?p=5610#comment-42785 I think this is a great idea. I may have to share this blog post with my husband. He has tried the Quicken method before. I think it would be useful for us to do it on BOTH! Keep the ledger with us at all times and write in it when we spend money and make sure to mark if it was cash or card.Then when we have time we could input it into Quicken to double check our math and also sort them into categories to see what we spend too much on and then cut that spending out. My only problem is I would have to have my husband text me whenever he spent money so I could put it in the ledger. I am not certain he would do that every time. Might have to have seperate ledgers and then that would be another reason to have quicken so that we could combine the two into one on occasion. thanks for this post. it has given me some good ideas to start on! I think this is a great idea. I may have to share this blog post with my husband. He has tried the Quicken method before. I think it would be useful for us to do it on BOTH! Keep the ledger with us at all times and write in it when we spend money and make sure to mark if it was cash or card.Then when we have time we could input it into Quicken to double check our math and also sort them into categories to see what we spend too much on and then cut that spending out. My only problem is I would have to have my husband text me whenever he spent money so I could put it in the ledger. I am not certain he would do that every time. Might have to have seperate ledgers and then that would be another reason to have quicken so that we could combine the two into one on occasion. thanks for this post. it has given me some good ideas to start on!

]]> By: Victoria http://frugaldad.com/2010/06/14/starting-a-household-ledger-with-pen-and-paper/#comment-42672 Victoria Fri, 18 Jun 2010 22:29:09 +0000 http://frugaldad.com/?p=5610#comment-42672 Oh, and I just have to add that writing down my earnings takes a few seconds. If I had to pull up a spreadsheet, enter the figures and save it, it would take me 5 to 10 times longer! Oh, and I just have to add that writing down my earnings takes a few seconds. If I had to pull up a spreadsheet, enter the figures and save it, it would take me 5 to 10 times longer!

]]> By: Victoria http://frugaldad.com/2010/06/14/starting-a-household-ledger-with-pen-and-paper/#comment-42671 Victoria Fri, 18 Jun 2010 22:03:30 +0000 http://frugaldad.com/?p=5610#comment-42671 I still use this old-fashioned method for tracking my income. I work at home for a place where I can control how much I make. So to make sure I know I'm getting paid right, every night I write down my earnings for the day, my earnings for the pay period (I get paid twice a week) and my earnings for the month in a colorful notebook. It's so handy. There's a lot to be said about keeping it simple. I'm just not a fan of spreadsheets. They just look so boring to me and I don't feel as close to the process as I do with pen and paper. And then, since I get paid through PayPal, I keep another notebook (a Commonplace Journal) to track my deposits and spending. I make transfers from PayPal into my ING Direct savings and I make note of those deposits too. I have another check that goes into my checking for my few bills and that account is so simplified that I know what I can spend, so no need to track it at all. I honestly don't do much on the computer when it comes to money. I have some notes I keep in FoxPad, a Firefox add-on, about how the money is divided, but that's it. I just can't be converted to the computerized system of spending. It's too impersonal for me. I still use this old-fashioned method for tracking my income. I work at home for a place where I can control how much I make. So to make sure I know I’m getting paid right, every night I write down my earnings for the day, my earnings for the pay period (I get paid twice a week) and my earnings for the month in a colorful notebook. It’s so handy. There’s a lot to be said about keeping it simple. I’m just not a fan of spreadsheets. They just look so boring to me and I don’t feel as close to the process as I do with pen and paper. And then, since I get paid through PayPal, I keep another notebook (a Commonplace Journal) to track my deposits and spending. I make transfers from PayPal into my ING Direct savings and I make note of those deposits too. I have another check that goes into my checking for my few bills and that account is so simplified that I know what I can spend, so no need to track it at all. I honestly don’t do much on the computer when it comes to money. I have some notes I keep in FoxPad, a Firefox add-on, about how the money is divided, but that’s it. I just can’t be converted to the computerized system of spending. It’s too impersonal for me.

]]> By: Friday Links: Arkansas Edition http://frugaldad.com/2010/06/14/starting-a-household-ledger-with-pen-and-paper/#comment-42638 Friday Links: Arkansas Edition Fri, 18 Jun 2010 11:01:53 +0000 http://frugaldad.com/?p=5610#comment-42638 [...] Starting a Household Ledger – With Pen and Paper – Frugal Dad via The Legacy of Home [...] [...] Starting a Household Ledger – With Pen and Paper – Frugal Dad via The Legacy of Home [...]

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