Overcoming the Overwhelm

What is most overwhelming in your life right now? What seems out of control?

I'm not exercising. I need to exercise or I not only gain weight, but I get moody. No one in my life has used the B word yet, but it's coming. I'm just moody enough to scare them away from saying it OUT LOUD.

Also, I cannot keep my island in my kitchen clear of mess. I don't have a laundry room. My island is where I fold laundry, chop veggies, and bring in groceries. It needs to be clean or I end up with all sorts of messes in other places. like piles of unfolded laundry and spoils of entire pots of food on my floor near the stove. If the island is clear and wiped down, I keep my entire kitchen clean, with no effort. Laundry gets done and put away. It's like magic. And right now, it's cluttered again.

Maybe it's your health. Maybe it's your kids being home for the summer. Maybe it's your marriage.

But something is overwhelming you right now. Something needs fixing.

Something needs a plan.

So open up your planner.

Oh, sure, your planner is for scheduling appointments and remembering to mail your taxes in by April 15th.

But it's also a place to deal with the overwhelming stuff.

Just make a simple plan to deal with it.

I'm scheduling a yoga workout for tomorrow. Also, I'm going to add cleaning the island off to my daily tasks (a system already in place that is working - an app called Daily Tasks by Microsoft - but doesn't include the island right now).

Whatever is overwhelming for you right now, take a minute and write a plan. It doesn't need to be a vast, overwhelming plan. It can be a plan to do the first step. But get it written down and do it.

You will feel better.

And maybe you won't deserve to be called the B word, either.

Etcetera.

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The Best Budgeting Tools

Most people don't have the proper tools for budgeting. Having less-than-superior tools can make it hard to keep track of what is spent every month. What are the proper tools?

Mason Jar

I like this big mason jar for receipts. It's clear, so I cannot ignore that I haven't processed them yet.

Budget Application

I have an app that works well for me (Spending Tracker) on my Surface Pro 3. The key, for me, is very simple-to-use budgeting programs (or I don't use them) and a fun, portable laptop.

Laptop

Now, if you are a Loyal Reader, you know that I used to use pen and paper to budget and that I almost always prefer writing. So why the technological solution?

Well, first, math.

I like the computer to do the math for me. Ironically, I'm excellent at algebra and trig, and horrible at arithmetic.

Second, I prefer the graphs that computers can do over the thousand pieces of paper for discerning how I am spending my money.

Third, I don't have to file thousands of pieces of paper! My Surface keeps track of the numbers for me.

The most important reason that I don't write my budget in my planner, though, is because I don't need to make decisions on the front end (those are made at a meeting with my husband) and I don't need to remember the information. If I did, I would use paper. I only need the running tally of the number, which the computer communicates quite well.

I am a big fan of a paper planner. But, sometimes, another tool is better. 

For budgets, try a glass jar and a great laptop.

Etcetera.

5 Simple Ways to Conquer Receipts

Receipts are a constant problem in the fight against clutter. 

On one hand, these tiny pieces of paper are important for budgeting, tax preparation, and store returns. 

On the other hand, some are useless and they don't fit in your planner, letter-sized (standard) folders, or boxes in an easy-to-organize way.

There are five simple things that work for me to conquer the receipt piles.

1. Assign Designated Place for Receipts

On the go, I have a special place in my wallet for receipts. It's even labeled.

At home, those receipts go from my wallet to a large Mason jar on my desk for processing.

I've made transferring receipts from my wallet to my jar a routine habit at the end of the work day, but if I forget, I at least do it when I unload groceries, about once a week.

TIP: Associate transferring receipts with something you do anyway. For me, I plug in my cell phone and clean out my receipt wallet. I unload groceries and clean out my receipt wallet. Through repetition, those things are so well associated with each other that I do them automatically.

2. Track the Budget

Either download an application (I use Spending Tracker, a free application), create a checkbook register page in your planner, or create a simple Excel spreadsheet to track your spending.

I like Spending Tracker because it is so easy to use. (No, they are not paying me to say this, though I would not say no if they sent me money.)

TIP: Too lazy or overwhelmed to create a checkbook register? Pick up an extra register from your bank and use it to track all income and expenses!

3. Record Spending at Least Once per Week

In my planner, there is a task scheduled to go through receipts at least weekly.

I like to do it on Friday mornings over coffee.

4. Sort the Receipts

As I record, I sort the receipts into three stacks.

*TRASH

Trash gets crumbled into a ball after I enter them in the budget software. Most receipts are trash.

*LONG TERM

Long term receipts are special and you definitely know them when you see them. They are generally receipts that are being saved for a tax deduction (in any amount) or receipts for expensive products, usually over $100, with a lifespan longer than a year (like my refrigerator).

*SHORT TERM

Short term receipts, in my home, are receipts for over $100 (like my weekly Target shopping) and receipts for individual items worth over $10 (like a receipt with a $30 sweater on it).

For some examples of how I decide which receipts to keep, hop over to this You Tube video.

5. File Receipts

I file receipts in a large index card box.

Each month, I empty out the short term receipts from last year and put the new ones behind the current month. 

This method means that I never have a backlog of old receipts from many years in the past.

Etcetera.

Best E-Planning Apps for the Surface Pro 3

I am a paper planning person. It's my nature and that's not ever going to change.

That said, I am adopting a few apps on my Microsoft Surface Pro 3 that can help with planning.

NOTE: I do not duplicate information. Either it is in my planner, in OneNote (things like work research projects), or in an app.

The apps that I am currently loving (all free at the Microsoft app store) include all the ones in the picture below in the Planner section.

TIP: Scroll from the middle of the top of the Start screen down with your finger to customize your app layout.

Calendar (purple)

The default calendar that comes with the Surface is good enough for me, since I won't use it to input information. Instead, it just reminds me of the date, built-in holidays, and Facebook birthdays.

Daily Tasks (green)

Daily Tasks is a simple calendar that allows the user to check off tasks each day. Blogging, laundry, dishes, straightening the house, and prepping for the next day all do here. The live tile tells me what still needs to be done today, so it is right in my face whenever I log on.

to-dos (dark yellow)

I rarely use this app, but it shows a live tile of whatever is entered on this one-time task list, so I can use it to remind me to do something on my computer that is not time sensitive.

Spending Tracker (beige)

This may be my favorite free app. It's a simple checkbook format and shows me a live tile of my current budget balance.

TIP: If you have more than one budget number or account to track, this is not the app for you. 

This only works for me because my husband does the budget, subtracting out all the regular stuff, like mortgage and electricity bill, from our expected income. Then he gives me a number, which is the amount left to spend this month on other expenses. 

NiftyList (light yellow)

NiftyList allows repeating tasks on a monthly or weekly basis. 

It is perfect for the twelve household tasks that I regularly try to do each month: cleaning three bedrooms, two baths, a kitchen, and a living room; doing one organizing and one outside project; and straightening three areas that regularly collect clutter.

TIP: Do not put anything critical in the apps. Reserve your planner for the truly important stuff. 

Notice that I use apps for stuff that I can recreate (like budget numbers, by calling my bank) or stuff that is routine (like housework) or can be skipped (like blogging, which I only do when I have time and if I feel like it).

NOTE: All of my app choices are simple-to-use apps. I don't have time to bother with anything complicated!

Which apps (not just Microsoft) are your favorites for planning?

Etcetera.