A GOOD FINANCIAL RECORDS SET UP CAN HELP WITH OTHER ORGANZING ALSO - SUCH AS WHICH AIR CONDITIONER ARE THESE INSTRUCTIONS FOR AND DO WE STILL HAVE IT?

 Did you ever buy something because it seemed like a great idea to help with organizing, not use it right away and forget about it?  

Well, one of the places we go to in Pennsylvania is a farmer's market which is also a general merchandise/flea market.  Most of the vendors are out doors, but there are some buildings with indoor vendors.  For decades and decades there was an indoor vendor who sold tools and related items – he finally retired and sold his business to someone else.  The new owner has expanded the type of items he sells and sells household items and office supplies (and I am sure I have mentioned – I love office supplies, used to play with them as a child and still think of them as FUN).  He is buying at auctions and such so he has a big assortment of items.  I always make sure to go through his office supply aisle carefully.  

When going through his booth this past Friday I was suddenly reminded – a few years ago I had bought a package of tabs to put on hanging folders which one would print the name of the folders by running it the tabs through one's computer.  (These are made by a well known label company.)  I had completely forgotten about these labels.  When we came home I checked and the package was exactly where it belonged – in the plastic stacking trays file holder next to where our printer had been (and our latest printer is) – this holds assorted items to run through the former copier, now printer next to where they are located.  One problem I have been having with going through these hanging folders is that I could not keep track of which ones I have been through and which I have not – plus since the labels on them face forward and this is the bottom drawer of the file cabinet – and add that I wear eyeglasses so when I bend down to read the file labels – my eyeglasses swing out of line – if not off my face – I get confused and start going through folders I have finished with.  

I started printing these new tabs for folders that I have been through – easy to read as name points upwards on the file folder and easy to see which files I have been through.  

One of the folders I went through this past week held instruction manuals for large appliances in our house – air conditioners, refrigerator, dehumidifier, and similar.  I put several instruction books into the recycle pile to get rid of them and then across one which was confusing.  

It was a manual for an air conditioner (we have individual through the wall units in our house).  It was dated as a June 2008 purchase.  I looked up at the unit in the office – not that one.  I knew we had just purchased a new air conditioner for our bedroom last year – this was not that unit, but it could be the one which was there before and had been removed.  The air conditioner in the smallest bedroom (the one most of my teddy bears live in) dates back to the former owner, as does the one in our studio.  It was not for a portable air conditioner, so that left out the one we normally used in the living room or dining room which died last year. Before that we had window unit in the living room, but that had come from our old apartment – and would have been purchased in the 1980s.   Hmmm, There were pictures, but several different ones.  Old bedroom a/c made the most sense.  I asked husband if I was forgetting any air conditioners.  I was – the one in his wood shop (garage).  We were not sure what year we bought same.  We were trying to figure it out – keep as from old bedroom unit or keep as from current garage unit?  I suddenly had a flash of sense!  I use Quicken for our financial records.  I looked up 2008 and in July 2008 – I paid for the air conditioner we had replaced last year in our bedroom.  So it was the one from the old bedroom unit and it went into the recycle pile.  

It is amazing how much keeping good financial records (especially ones which can easily be searched) can help with general organization.  

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -  

Keeping good financial records is important to do for many reasons, including one's income tax – figuring out which major item was purchases when or how much it cost is part of that.  

How are YOUR financial records?  There are many programs which help with keeping track of where your money goes.  Using the computer to do so takes only seconds when you make a deposit or write a check.  It helps at the end of the year when you do your income taxes as well as making a valid budget to follow in future years – what you spent last year can be looked at to figure out what you can/should spend in this or future years.