The Quicken the Dead

I'll just come right out and say it. I've never been able to stay on the Quicken wagon. Numerous times, I've gone through the following cycle:

1. Look at most recent bank statement, become horrified about how much has been spent, and say to self: "This is ridiculous. It's time to get organized."

2. Setup accounts for checking, savings, credit cards.

3. Struggle to find and download transaction history and load into Quicken.

4. Painstakingly categorize all the transactions.

5. Feel good about having everything up-to-date.

6. Forget to upload the latest statements at month's end.

7. Fall behind and give up hope of keeping current.

Why the struggle? Not sure exactly, but I think the biggest roadblock for me has been the cumbersome process of downloading and categorizing transactions. The user-interface is clunky, and I look forward to keeping my accounts current about as much as a trip to the dentist. Plus, what I really need is a way to see how I'm doing in the middle of the month, while there is still time to meet the budget. With Quicken I would update everything after I got my statement, which was too late to have an impact on my spending.

Anyone else have the same Quicken experience? I'm ready to try something new. I'll let you know how it goes.

Wisdom for Dads

In lieu of actually posting something original, I’m succumbing (once again) to the maneuver I try to avoid on this blog: posting a “Link to Something Good That Someone Else Wrote.” But what the “Krusty Sage” (aka Brant Hansen) has to say is great advice for new dads.

Every stage has been a better stage. No stage lasts very long. Savor them, man. Having a kid is not an 18-year long haul. It's a series of little hauls. That kid you have now? Goodbye. She won't be the same kid six months from now.

Enjoy your children at whatever stage they are at, because he's right--it goes super fast. Our little girl is toddling around like a pro now, and speaking fluently in some unknown dialect. A year ago, I was patting her on the back just so she could burp. Now she is scarfing down pizza, and eating cookies for desert.