Well, that’s convenient

I got a nice long letter back from the folks who make Budget, another financial record-keeping program I’m considering to replace Quicken (now that Intuit has jumped the Mac shark*), and am giving it a second try. It has a very different mental model than Quicken so it’s a tough transition, but I like the style of it a little better than the business ledger flavor of Liquid Ledger. If I had lots of investments and bought stocks and such, Liquid Ledger would be better for me, but I’m starting to think the friendly simplicity of Budget might do the trick.

By the way, in the course of trying this all out this evening I noticed it was about the day when my bank statement usually cuts off. I went to my bank’s website to at least get the balance if possible and found I can now sign up to receive electronic instead of paper copies of my statements. Even better, the moment I signed up, there were my last 3 statements – including the one that cut off yesterday which hasn’t arrived in the mail yet – ready for me to view. They’re PDF files so I can easily save copies on my PC if I desire. So handy! and environmentally sound. Maybe your bank has this feature too?

I’m listening to the soundtrack to Triplets of Belleville and toodling around with budgeting, happy as the proverbial clam. It’s a bit silly, in a way, when I know full well that my friends have now finished their dinner and are out having drinks somewhere in this fair city and I could be out on the town. I am such a funny mix of extrovert and introvert. Earlier in the week I was eager to go out and chat and flirt and drink – and it’s not that I wouldn’t enjoy that tonight – but I’m having such a jolly time with my accountancy. Guess I’ll make a cocktail and carry on!

*You are encouraged to read the interesting origin of the phrase jump the shark and, optionally, hum ‘Mac the Knife’ which may now be running in the back of your mind thanks to the juxtaposition of the words Mac and shark.