While I'm obsessing here...

[mousme]

Despite the fact that I'm no longer hurting for money, I get the impression that I need to be more on top of my finances than I currently am. I mean, all my bills get paid on time now, and everything gets filed away neatly, but I don't keep a close record of where my money goes: I only have a general idea.

I'm thinking of getting myself a ledger, or something. That way I could, if properly disciplined, keep track of all the money that goes in and out. I'd have to keep receipts more carefully, but it would help me to see where my money goes and identify potential spending problems (at a guess: books and DVDs, since they're my primary "leisure" expenditures). Not that I know how to use a proper accounting ledger or anything, but I bet I could learn.

So, dear flist ('cause I haven't asked enough questions lately :P), how do you manage your household finances?

Comments

[griffen.livejournal.com]

I use the budget spreadsheet that comes with Microsoft Excel. Every week I go through my bank account online and add "spent" money to the "actuals" columns. Every month I under-budget something, usually money spent on dining out. But it helps me plan for bills and groceries and gasoline, even if there's never any money left at the end of the month.