Does this NG get more traffic in January?

Beverly wrote:

I've never been a big New Year's resolution maker. I guess the nearest
thing to this would be my promise to spend less money each year when I setup
the spreadsheets to track bill payingg

Forget spreadsheets, use Quicken! It's so easy to use, it's essentially
the exact same thing as your checkbook register with one extra item: the
category for the expense. It makes reporting on where your money went
an absolute dream. (Reconciling your bank account was never so fast,
either.)

You can use Quicken as easy or complex as you like: it's something you
can grow into, too. I track my credit card purchases in their own
registers just like I track my checking account. I also track my
investments with Quicken (I keep my brokerage account balance on there
just like another checkbook register.) Last, but not least, I keep my
entire business on Quicken - there's a Home & Business version that
allows me to do invoicing and print statements as well as a few other
business functions.

Obviously, keeping track of my finances is my strength - I'm a CPA.
Dealing with huge piles of papers is my weakness: I'm currently
rearranging my office (getting ready for tax season) and I've already
thrown out two entire recycle bins full of paper. Unfortunately, I've
got something like four more boxes to wade through. I am terrible at
dealing with mail! If you've got any ideas for how to handle a constant
stream of offers and catalogs and magazines I *might* get around to
reading, please tell me!

Dally

"Dally" wrote in message
...
Beverly wrote:

I've never been a big New Year's resolution maker. I guess the nearest
thing to this would be my promise to spend less money each year when I
setup
the spreadsheets to track bill payingg

Forget spreadsheets, use Quicken! It's so easy to use, it's essentially
the exact same thing as your checkbook register with one extra item: the
category for the expense. It makes reporting on where your money went
an absolute dream. (Reconciling your bank account was never so fast,
either.)

You can use Quicken as easy or complex as you like: it's something you
can grow into, too. I track my credit card purchases in their own
registers just like I track my checking account. I also track my
investments with Quicken (I keep my brokerage account balance on there
just like another checkbook register.) Last, but not least, I keep my
entire business on Quicken - there's a Home & Business version that
allows me to do invoicing and print statements as well as a few other
business functions.

I tried Quicken and Money but always go back to my spreadsheets. I use to
track the bill paying on 12 column paper kept in a notebook. I have these
things from the 1980's g.

I have two checking accounts. The main account is for paying bills and I
use their free online bill payment system. It has features to track
payments by category, etc. This bank also has my mortgage, equity line and
daughter's SS account. This makes it easy to track everything. I make it a
habit to reconcile the balance weekly.

The other checking account is for spending money - vacations, grandkids
birthdays, etc. It has an online bill paying feature also but I don't use
it.


Obviously, keeping track of my finances is my strength - I'm a CPA.
Dealing with huge piles of papers is my weakness: I'm currently
rearranging my office (getting ready for tax season) and I've already
thrown out two entire recycle bins full of paper. Unfortunately, I've
got something like four more boxes to wade through. I am terrible at
dealing with mail! If you've got any ideas for how to handle a constant
stream of offers and catalogs and magazines I *might* get around to
reading, please tell me!

Dally

I sort through the mail daily. Bills are marked with their due date and
filed in a small organizer on my kitchen bar. I also have a couple of slots
for things that need to be filed, offers I want to checkout, etc. Tickets
for upcoming events ( hockey games, concerts,etc ) are kept on the fridge
next to the calendar. I also print a map or any other information needed
for the event and keep it with the tickets. I hate to see penciled
information on the calendar so I keep it in Power Point. I can update and
reprint any month when new appointments are needed.

Magazines and catalogs are stacked on an ottoman next to my reading chair in
the family room. I normally go through this stack weekly and keep it down
to a foot high pile. Most of those catalogs have websites and I bookmark
them if I'm interested and pitch the paper. If you find a magazine article
you want to keep cut it out, file it and throw the rest away. I have a
hanging file holder tucked beneath the computer desk where I keep items I
might use in the future - bicycle trail maps and info, vacation ideas,
decorating info, etc. I find the paper piles have really decreased since I
started using the computer to organize this type of information.

Beverly

Beverly wrote:

"Dally" wrote in message
...

Dealing with huge piles of papers is my weakness: I'm currently
rearranging my office (getting ready for tax season) and I've already
thrown out two entire recycle bins full of paper. Unfortunately, I've
got something like four more boxes to wade through. I am terrible at
dealing with mail! If you've got any ideas for how to handle a constant
stream of offers and catalogs and magazines I *might* get around to
reading, please tell me!


I sort through the mail daily.

One of my pet peeves is that my mail doesn't arrive until after 4 pm, at
which point I'm out driving children. I rarely get my mail in time to
take checks to the bank that day, for example. It also means that the
mail comes AFTER I've finished working at my desk for the day and gone
to the kitchen to do family things. I only process it enough to put
bills in the bill drawer and open letters with first class stamps.
Everything else gets put in a pile to be gone through "later". I end up
spending a full day once every 6 months hoeing it out.

Another pet peeve is that the other four members of my household all
consider the mail to be MY domain. No one even looks at it unless I
drop it on their dinner plate. I'm arguably the WORST person in the
world to be in charge of mail. I beg and plead (and ignore it for
months) and still can't get anyone else to help.

I've spent all week-end processing piles. I've filled FOUR recycling
bins with paper, and shredded a huge amount, too. I'm thoroughly sick
of paper and know that it will just start to mount up again!

Magazines and catalogs are stacked on an ottoman next to my reading chair in
the family room. I normally go through this stack weekly and keep it down
to a foot high pile. Most of those catalogs have websites and I bookmark
them if I'm interested and pitch the paper.

I like this idea. I even bought a magazine rack for the livingroom. It
gets filled past bursting and no one ever takes a magazine out. (In
case you're wondering, nearly every magazine we get is a gift subscription.)

If you find a magazine article
you want to keep cut it out, file it and throw the rest away.

I used to do that, except the cut-out article never got filed. The
internet has relieved me a lot of that: now whenever I want to research
a subject I google it. I don't have to keep the old Kiplingers Personal
Finance magazines from the 80's in case I want to read an article anymore!

I have a
hanging file holder tucked beneath the computer desk where I keep items I
might use in the future - bicycle trail maps and info, vacation ideas,
decorating info, etc.

I have one of those. I also have two huge lateral file cabinets, four
filing cabinet drawers in my desk and credenza, and a stand-alone
three-drawer filing cabinet all in my office. That's 17 file drawers.
And I never put anything in them! Seriously, that's where the FLAW
comes in. I hire my daughter to file my client files (and they're kept
specially careful, not mixed in with mail or personal papers) and the
rest of the stuff goes in piles, then into boxes, then into storage...
last year I hired an office organizer to sort through my papers but she
DIDN'T FILE THEM! She just made big piles of like-kind things.
Eventually I needed my diningroom table back so I put the piles back
into boxes.

This week-end I've been finally, finally, putting them in files. Most
of it still haven't made it into the file cabinet drawers, but they're
getting closer (in manilla folders.). I did get some stuff filed -
including some things from the early 80's. (But I tossed my voter
registration sheet from when I turned 18 over 20 years ago.)

I find the paper piles have really decreased since I
started using the computer to organize this type of information.

I did find that using a PIM (personal information manager) reduced the
number of sticky notes all over my desk. Now I keep things like my eye
glass prescription and contact info and appts all in one computer
program. God help me if it ever fails. (Yes, I back up the data, but
the software I use hasn't been supported since 1995 and eventually it'll
die - it has Y2K bugs, for example.)

My victimization in the face of avalanches of paper has parallels to my
previous hopelessness in the face of unrestrained weight gain. The
weight just kept coming on and I didn't know how to handle it because I
thought I was doing stuff to address it and it wasn't working. I feel
like I need to gain new competencies where paper processing goes the
same way I've gained new competencies where weight management is concerned.

I couldn't make it a New Year's Resolution, though, because my
resolutions are all specific, measurable and achievable. I don't even
know how to phrase, "become less victimized by paper piles" into a
specific, measurable, achievable goal.

Dally

"Jayjay" wrote in message
...

I've been wanting to go back to my early morning workouts, but
hesitate to start now because of the rush on the gym. I hate to be
tagged as "one of them"... especially since I will have a forced 4
week break from the gym coming up here soon.

Nah, we know you're not one of those January exercisers!

You're one of those "4 weeks until my wedding" exercisers. :-) :-)

Dally

Dally wrote

snip Dally's paper problem

My victimization in the face of avalanches of paper has parallels to
my previous hopelessness in the face of unrestrained weight gain. The
weight just kept coming on and I didn't know how to handle it because
I thought I was doing stuff to address it and it wasn't working. I
feel like I need to gain new competencies where paper processing goes
the same way I've gained new competencies where weight management is
concerned.

I couldn't make it a New Year's Resolution, though, because my
resolutions are all specific, measurable and achievable. I don't even
know how to phrase, "become less victimized by paper piles" into a
specific, measurable, achievable goal.

Dally

You have now totally depressed me about the piles of eBay stuff I need to
get to . . . But the boxes for Christmas decorations are in the way!

Scarlett-mode I'll worry about that tomorrow!/Scarlett-mode
(think I'll take a walk lol)



--
Walking on . . .
Laurie in Maine
207/110 60 inches of attitude!
Start: 2/02 Maintained since 2/03

"SnugBear" wrote in message
.4...

You have now totally depressed me about the piles of eBay stuff I need to
get to . . . But the boxes for Christmas decorations are in the way!

I've thought about selling a few items on eBay but just haven't taken the
time to check it out. Is it time consuming? Is it worth it? I have
several Charles Wysocki and Thomas Kincade collectiables currently packed
away and would like to get rid of them.

Beverly

2/03

"Jayjay" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 5 Jan 2004 12:58:34 -0500, "Beverly"
wrote:


"SnugBear" wrote in message
. 1.4...

You have now totally depressed me about the piles of eBay stuff I need
to
get to . . . But the boxes for Christmas decorations are in the way!

I've thought about selling a few items on eBay but just haven't taken
the
time to check it out. Is it time consuming? Is it worth it? I have
several Charles Wysocki and Thomas Kincade collectiables currently
packed
away and would like to get rid of them.

Beverly

2/03


Oh, my mom LOVES thomas kincade stuff. What do you have?

Plates. I gave the hanging pictures to my kids. I had them hanging at
the other house but since I've downsized I just don't have the wall space I
had before. I still have them packed in their original packing containers.
I save the boxes for everything - watches, pedometer, kitchen appliances,
etc. Soon I'm going to need a storage unit just for boxes g

Beverly

"Jayjay" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 04 Jan 2004 23:49:07 -0500, Dally wrote:

"Jayjay" wrote in message
...

I've been wanting to go back to my early morning workouts, but
hesitate to start now because of the rush on the gym. I hate to be
tagged as "one of them"... especially since I will have a forced 4
week break from the gym coming up here soon.

Nah, we know you're not one of those January exercisers!

You're one of those "4 weeks until my wedding" exercisers. :-) :-)

Dally


Right now I'm a "how can I lose 10lbs in 2 weeks" people.

The closer it gets, the more I freak. The more I freak, the more I
turn to junk food (sweets) and of course the more I SHOULDN"T do that.


AAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH

Oh, not to mention the workload at work/home to prepare for the last
minute stuff. Which means exercise time is limited. Also, stress
means sleep problems for me (wake middle of the night with the mind
racing, can't get back to sleep) which also leads to energy problems.

Oh, its a downward spiral of troubles that are just too much!
People tell me not to worry - BUT - my jeans are uncomfortably tight
instead of lose/baggy, and I certainly can't afford to go buy a new
wardrobe right now.

Is the sleep problem related to the reduction in exercise time? I have the
same problem when I'm really stressed, I can't sleep and when I can I have
bizarre dreams. Sometimes taking a tylenol PM will help knock me out enough
to sleep. Lately, I've been getting up about 4 hours after going to sleep
because of night sweats so after I change clothes I do some yoga and
meditation out of bed and then go to bed and do some focused breathing. I'm
still exhausted in the morning, but not as high strung.

I wish I could help you with the stress eating, but I am no expert in that
field. Sometimes I just have more resolve than other times. I think about
how my clothes feel and it helps and then at times I could care less. I try
to distract myself and find other things to do, but with a job and stuff
it's sometimes not convenient to go take a walk or a shower. This is why I
keep my fridge (home and work) stocked with my favorite fruits and
vegetables so I can stress eat with less damage, but then I also know who
has the junk food on their desks . I've been sucking on chocolate mint
flavored velamints lately. All of these tactics reduce the damage for me
while I work on the issues at hand. Not the best behavior, but 30 years of
habits don't change in just 1 year.

I feel for you! Just try to enjoy some of the preparations because unless
you're Liz Taylor (or my dad) you only do this once or twice in your life

Jenn

Jayjay wrote:

Right now I'm a "how can I lose 10lbs in 2 weeks" people.

The closer it gets, the more I freak. The more I freak, the more I
turn to junk food (sweets) and of course the more I SHOULDN"T do that.

You need a dose of perspective. What's important? BF has to be there.
You've got to be there. The minister/JP has to be there. Anything else?

I recall my parents bitching endlessly about stuff about my wedding. My
Dad didn't like the week-end - something about travel congestion. My
mother was a Jehovah's Witness and didn't want me to have it in a
heretical church (she wasn't a JW when I was growing up - I was married
in the religion she raised me with.) I finally just threw a conniption
fit and said, "Look, [fill in the blank], BEN has got to be there. You
can come if you want." They shut up, and showed up.

One of the best things I did was let my bridesmaids pick their own
dresses. I asked for floral prints in whatever style and color looked
good on them. Everyone looked lovely - not over-choreographed.

The cameras on the table were a nice touch, too, but an absurd
proportion of the pictures were of a statuesque blonde that someone had
brought as a date - I didn't even know her name and never saw her again
but something like 30% of my wedding candid pictures feature her! But
still, I enjoyed seeing what OTHERS saw at my wedding.

Dally

"Beverly" wrote

I've thought about selling a few items on eBay but just haven't taken
the time to check it out. Is it time consuming? Is it worth it? I
have several Charles Wysocki and Thomas Kincade collectiables
currently packed away and would like to get rid of them.

Beverly

It's always more lucrative to sell your own stuff than for others - I do
both. It's also better than you can expect from a yard sale. I buy
things all summer at yard sales. You wouldn't believe the things I took
off Free piles that sold for over $60. I also sold all but 2 of my 20
year old Coach Bags for more than I paid for them.

Collectibles can do very well. I sold a set of little Wade houses before
the holidays for over $300. It's a bit slow right after the holidays,
but this is a link for completed auctions of Kincade Plate* in the past 2
weeks:
http://search-completed.ebay.com/sea...=kincade+plate

It doesn't have to be time consuming. I have a template I just plug
information and images into to make them look nice but if you have what
at least 2 people want that week, it doesn't really matter. s

--
Walking on . . .
Laurie in Maine
207/110 60 inches of attitude!
Start: 2/02 Maintained since 2/03