What do you do to keep your financial life organized and on track? What tools do you use? What helps the most?

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I have a binder that I use to write out specific logs of balances/withdrawals/transfers/purchases, and so forth.
Every sheet of paper serves a purpose and has a tile on top.
As the checks/credits clear, I mark them out with a highlighter.
I also do a by-month sheet of our payperiods and what will be covered (bills) on those dates.
I do this for every month and for every occassion. I've got a Christmas Shopping List 2007 sheet where I outline my gift receivers and so forth.
It's worked thus far

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You must be the change you want to see in the world ~ Gandhi

In my day planner, I have a notecard paperclipped to every week there is a pay check, dictating which bills from the month will be accounted for and paid with said check. I also have each bill written on it's particular due date and how much it is. When I pay a particular bill I highlight the bill on both the notecard and the calendar. When the notecard is completely highlight it, I move it to the front pocket of the planner. At the end of the year, I'll probably put them in our files, and start again, and at the end of next year, compare the two years.
I also have a spreadsheet with all of our monthly bills listed and an approximate cost of each. When I find out the exact amount for the bill, I fix it's spot on the spreadsheet. When the month is over, and all bills have been paid, I "highlight" the month title itself and move on to the next.
It's the only thing that keeps me in line. Works for me.

I use Quicken and record and reconcile daily. Each time we get paid, I insert the scheduled transactions for the next two weeks. I do a simple long term budget in Excel.

Quicken helps the most bc I can get reports on how much we are spedning in each category over different periods of time. also great to watch the net worth go up rather than down since we became savers.

We use Bank of America online and you can put in all the information from all of your other bank accounts(at other banks) and it gives you a net worth statement. Also, this is so cool, it categorizes all your purchases(which you can change if they're not correct), and makes a pie chart to show you what percentage you're spending in each category. I love this because I can check all 7 accounts at once!!! I just started, so I'm not sure if you can link your credit cards or not. I don't think so though. That would be really nice.

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Debbie 3 years
Sadie 23 months

Baby #3 due in July!

Just a few weeks away from signing contracts to become foster parents!

Microsoft Money helps me stay up on everything. I try to look at it everyday, with the exception of Sunday, and match it to my online bank record and what my check recorder says as well. I suspect it is a little overkill - comparing three different ways but it keeps me focused and I don't forget anything, usually!

I don't use any of the online features but I do enjoy the charts of where my money is going!

How in the world do you make it categorize your purchases and give you pie charts, etc?? I guess I need to log in again and mess with it more...!

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Boy I wish that I could get organized....

All you ladies have some wonderful tips!! And I need to do something I am so disorganized with my bills, becuase it feels like it is up and down every month URGH*!*

Thank you for the great ideas and inspiring me to get organized

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I do the same thing and it works great for me also.