Thursday, June 14, 2007

Budgeting My Time

I use Quicken to balance my checkbook. I place the check number, the amount, the payer and even the category of expense. I use it to keep track of my plastic purchases as well. You know, you can add categories so that you can keep track of what you are spending money on. Well, I guess it would be good for budgeting, to track one's expenses. And we occasionally run reports to see where we spend our money.

Well, if you are categorizing expenses, you can sort of decide the categories. I, for instance, put makeup, haircuts and other things under the heading "healthcare." I really did not know how this impacts our budget numbers until recently. Hubbie was putting together a report the other day, and the healthcare number sort of popped out. When you spend $60 on makeup every once in a while, you don't realize that it adds up quickly. Oh, and I had no idea I was spending so much on creams, on my hair, on a lot of things. Once you annualize things, it puts some things into perspective.

Well, I wish there was a Quicken program that kept tract of time. I would love to see that. To see where I spend my time. To know if I spend my time doing the things important to me. Important to my values.

Oh, for the want of a good day planner.

9 comments:

Pittchick said...

I love quicken. There is time tracking software available. A lot of companies use it to determine how much time employees spend on various projects. i guess you would always have to be near a computer to input everything though. Or a PDA. I'm not sure I would want to know just how much time I waste everyday.

Dwardisimo Rex said...

You should hire someone to budget your time for you. I think I'm going to hire someone to read to me. A reader. And maybe someone to drive me around. Maybe they can be the same person. You know, a reader/driver. That'd be neat.

Prata said...

You really should not put Quicken on a machine that is internet connected. You do not have a secure connection to the net. No,it doesn't matter if you run quicken only when you are offline. That's just not wise. As easy as it is for someone to trojan your machine and siphon data off of it, and people actually use their net connected machines to track expenses with account numbers and such? Wow.

Oh, and why exactly do you put (serious question!) make up and hair stuff under health care? I thought health care was related to one's health. As in, sick or well?

Prata said...

MS (shudders) has time management software. It's called Project. Of course, it helps to actually have a project going unless your life is your project.

You can also use several linux apps that are designed. The only thing you have to keep track of personally if you are not near a PC is when you stop whatever it is your started.

Jenny said...

I need a planner to plan my planner. So I avoid it all, using a zillion yellow post-its. Now THAT'S the way to organize. :-(

LarryLilly said...

Whats this quicken you speak of?

I have my wife do all that. She knows that if she does, it gauarntees that money will be available when she needs to get that stuff, or her hair cuts, I have no idea what they cost, but she drives some 20 miles in Dallas for it, so i bet it aint cheap. And well, thats the deal. I make the money, she does the books, I havent written a check in over 2 years, and when I start to head out, she tells me the same thing, Dont spend too much.

Besides, spend all your time seeing where your money goes only makes you have less time to really spend it.

LOL

(Are you a bookie?)

Prata said...

You've been kind of off and on with your tags too. Are you forgetting?

Southern (in)Sanity said...

I don't use Quicken for keeping up with my spending - but I would be lost without my day planner, for sure.

Leesa said...

pitt: I love Quicken, too.

d rex: Interesting thoughts.

prata: okay, now I am scared.

boxer: I use scaps of paper, too.

larry: sometimes knowing where you are spending time focuses you on where you really need to be spending your time.

prata: sometimes I forget, sometimes I think the entries don't deserve tags.

rwa: I wish I could use a day planner. I have started and stopped again and again.