That day is coming. Microsoft has officially discontinued the Money program and I figure I have a few years before I can no longer install the version of Money that I own onto another computer.

When I do finally switch to another home finance program, it’ll be Quicken. I believe it is always better to have my files stored on my computer and not on a server far, far away, except as a backup. I won’t be using internet based software to keep my home finances up to date. I prefer to manage my money right here where my computer resides.

All that said brings me to my point. I can’t go back to using pen and paper for my checkbook, nor any of my other financial records, such as my home inventory, my budget, or my cash flow forecast.

Quicken Deluxe is an easy to use, reliable software solution for managing your household finances. It will allow me to continue to manage my home finances in the way I’m used to managing them (or micro-managing them if you want to be honest).

If you’re ready to save time and money by taking better care of your home finance issues, give Quicken a try.

Right now there’s a $20 discount available. I hope it’s still around when I need it. :)

Quicken also has a Premier edition, but unless you have special tax planning issues or investments you’d like to track, Quicken Deluxe should work fine for you. I know it will work well for me.

Post from: Home Management Tips

Manage Your Finances With Software

If you have a checking account, then you know what it’s like to struggle with your monthly bank reconciliations. Debit cards have turned checkbooks into minefields of unrecorded transactions and missing withdrawals. One way around this problem is to use your computer for your home finances, because if you don’t know what your cash balances are, you can’t make sound financial decisions for your spending.

About ten years ago, I started keeping my checkbook register in a software program. I kept my paper checkbook register too, but I used Microsoft Money as my main checkbook. I had to record transactions twice but I kept this up for years before I threw in the towel on the paper register.

I still use Money today. The main reason I haven’t tried another service is because I have so much data in the program and in archives that I’m afraid it will be too much trouble to switch. That’s not to say I’m not happy with Money, but there are other quality personal finance software programs available these days that are completely free.

Keeping your checkbook on your computer has several great advantages over a paper checkbook. Here are a few of the most critical benefits.

1. Budgeting is easier, because most computerized checkbooks are part of feature rich software programs that let you view and create detailed spending reports. You can track where your money has gone in previous months and keep up with where it’s going this month.
2. Reconciling your balances is easier. Unless you make a data entry mistake, you’re not going to run into problems of bad math.
3. Planning your spending is as easy as writing a check and seeing where your balance will be when you’re done. It’s easy to change transaction dates and re-organize expenses without messing up a paper check register.
4. Paying overdraft fees will be a thing of the past because you won’t leave out important transactions, if you take advantage of the capability of most home finance software to download and import transactions directly from your bank accounts. This step can save you plenty of bank fees if you have a habit of forgetting to write down your ATM withdrawals or debit card transactions. Before we married, this happened to my husband. His checking ended up overdrawn when he forgot to put down two cash withdrawals in his checkbook. He paid some hefty NSF fees before he got the mess straightened up.

Each of these items are essential steps in maintaining your money. Budgeting, planning, and accurate record keeping make life better for the home manager.

Time is as important to me as my money, and the time I save by having my checkbook on my computer makes up for the additional cost I pay to keep my version of Money up to date. Even if you can’t bring yourself to pay for software, there are plenty of options out there. Quicken is a respected name in the personal finance software market and they recently started offering their online product as a completely free option. You might want to give them a try if you think you’d like to start keeping better financial records.

And seriously, keeping great financial records for your household really can be as easy as writing a check.

Post from: Home Management Tips

Keeping your household’s financial records can be as easy as writing a check