TwitterApr 29 2010
Paperwork/Bills/Expenses/Organizing/Tracking it All and Me . . .
We are nearing the end of April and that means something to me. Now that I’m all about organizing my financial life anyways. I have spent the entire month religiously gathering every receipt and entering it onto my “tracking” document and now, at months end, the time is nearly here to take all this information and organize it into a manila envelope and file it away with APRIL written boldly across the top. At least that is what my tax/account friend tells me is the best course of action.
I have to say that I’m looking forward to this moment with unusual anticipation. To file my first ever envelope, with what I tracked all month, makes me feel very proud of myself. I started at this goal of getting it together with my financial life the end of last month and thus far I have stuck with it. This is truly a first for me in this area. Typically I would say I’m going to take diligent action in this area of my life only to not have the slightest thing change. Well, except for this…I can say that I’ve saved receipts on and off for the years since my divorce. Saved them till my wallet bulged and was unable to be properly snapped shut. Then when the bulge became annoyingly unbearable I would carefully remove the pile and insert them into a security envelope, mark the approximate dates on the front and deposit the envelope into a drawer. Anticipating the day when I would take proper care of those small slips of paper full of numbers and totals. I think I have about 7 of those envelopes all total. All safe and sound in my drawer.
Oddly enough as much as I have avoided paperwork, tracking expenses…all things accounting/tracking/bills/expenses I have always loved how paperwork looks when it’s all nice and tidy. All in a nice organized fashion. Like when I got my taxes back from my tax lady. Two piles of precision. Paper clipped and organized. I took one look at them and thought, that must be why she’s an accountant, she’s in love with the finished product. In love with the order that she just created.
However that has had no pull on me to improve in this area over the years. None whatsoever. Nor has countless overdraft charges, or the approaching April 15th date that draws ever nearer with every day that passes and I go nearly mad gathering all the necessary information together worried stiff that I might miss something. It has taken the monumentalness of having to stay on top of our businesses that has riveted me to the determination to press on to overcoming this troubled, confused area in my life…and I’m thankful because with each day I’m feeling more confident and less scattered. I’m feeling more…hummm…more responsible and together and more worthy of the goodness of life in the area of business and money.
I encourage everyone with the same scattered way of dealing with this area to finally take this bull by its horns and get it together. You’ll be so glad you did.
Night, love ya,
Theresa Jane
-whose thankful for the time I had at lunch with my daughter Blessing, for the broad smile from Grace when I intercepted her from getting on her bus after school and took her with me instead, the time I had at the park with Cal, Dan, Grace, and Blessing, for the sun that shone and made everything appear all crystal clear and fresh, the slight breeze that acts to dry the soil from the sogginess of winter, the report that my mother is doing very well today and things are improving, IV’s are coming out and her heart rate has stabilized and she’s moving out of the ICU into a progressive unit and should be home soon, for my health, for my life, for the day off, for the brisk walk and conversation I shared with my friend, for silly giggles from my children, for their hugs of love, for improved health with Zac, and for my truck that took me all over today, and for you and all your support, I thank you…
