I did need to vent my frustrations last week, but I have since taken down the post about money. No need to dwell on the gory details, nor share them with the world. Plus, while Doing the Bills last night I got especially reflective and grateful. Every little penny that I was sending out convincted me, whether it was going to pay for the luxury of on-demand hot water, or the fun of 3-year-old ballet lessons, or the blessing of someone to come and take our garbage away every Friday. Even writing checks for medical expenses made me feel full with everything I need.
How does your household handle the bills? Does one person own the task or do you share it? We try to switch off, so that one person handles them one month, and then it's the other's turn. We pay most things online through our bank, but still write a check here or there and -- get this -- still keep a paper check register along WITH our Quicken file. I guess it makes us feel in control? Or gives us a backup in case of a computer apocalypse? It's a pain, really, but I can't imagine not keeping it. (My greatest challenge is to keep my handwriting neat enough that it can be read!) We both "turn in" our daily debit receipts to the central billing location, and then once a week the person who's managing bills that month sits down to enter everything in, and pay what's due. I think it's a good system because neither of us is in the dark, but I'm interested in hearing how other families do it. Last night I told myself I could have a glass of wine ONLY when I sat down at the computer. It worked. :)
In related news, do you think our generation will even get to retire? I have serious doubts.
Okay, moving on: The Hunger Games, people. Requisite disclaimer: I'm the last person on earth. But I can't believe how fast I read this book, and how the characters have infiltrated my mind. I find myself thinking "Katniss Everdeen" all the time -- just her name. It's so pretty, surprisingly so. All the names, really, intrigue me. And I picture her shooting something with her bow and arrow, and think of little Rue and how I imgined her... then yesterday Twitter was talking about the movie trailer, so I had to go watch it, and WOW. The mood is exactly how I've been feeling. Despondent, kind-of, that such Games could possibly exist (even just in the author's mind) and that the Capitol could DARE to wish those poor kids favorable odds. But utterly fascinated at the idea of Panem. It is CRAZY. I bought Catching Fire immediately.
4 comments:
I've done the bills in the past, but now, DH does them. It will switch back to me if our job/career/who-gets-to-stay-home situation ever changes. Everything except balancing the checkbook -- I do that. It's easy because DH almost never makes a mistake. I quite often made mistakes in addition in my day, interestingly. I'd just go too fast, I guess. We also keep a written ledger.
Three-year-old ballet lessons sound incredibly cute. It may be time to drag M to some sort of lessons. She strongly resists the idea, unless I will take, too.
Your "money woes" post was just fine, I thought. You weren't saying you didn't have the money -- just that it pained you to see it go.
Travis pays the bills. He fills me in on where we stand, any major expenditures, progress on debt and so on. We discuss cash together. That is, when we do our budget in the responsible way we are supposed to do it. Lately we have just been paying bills and buying stuff with no real focus, which is bad. We keep talking about keeping receipts for all those little incidental purchases, but so far have failed to do so. But really, we do have a plan and a goal and a general idea of where we are at all times, even if it doesn't seem like it.
Hunger Games--SO GOOD! Last book is a bit of a letdown, overall, but still very good. The trailer is excellent. It looks like they have done a very good job with the adaptation, so hopefully that plays out well. I can't wait.
Holy ... . I just looked up Hunger Games. Whoa. Not the kind of book I'd pick up for myself, but it has to be an entirely captivating read. I'm reading The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie at the moment -- a gift from DH. Not my favorite precocious young girl main character, but not bad.
Oh how I loved that series! So glad that you're reading it; I was consumed by it in the same way - in that I kept getting incredulous over the existence of Panem, as if it was real.
Bills - I'm the bill payer. Boo. I do not keep a check register anymore; I do all my bills online and only write checks for Maddie's tuition, daycare, and tithing. So it's basically one line item all going to our parish each week, even though it's across several checks.
I think that ballet lessons sound like an exceptionally fun way to spend some money... though I certainly commiserate on how hard it is to see it all going out just as quickly as it arrives. A blessing, to be sure, but still. STAY IN MY ACCOUNT!! ;)
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