Welcome Home: A happy byproduct of the recession

Do tight economic times have you spending more time at home with your kids? If so, you’re not alone. And it can be a good thing. Check out this article: Tough times mean family time at home.

My question: Will we keep this up even after the recessions passes? I hope so.

Zen money management

Ahhh. I love my new bills/receipt organizer. It truly makes me feel more peaceful when I use it.

I PAY most bills online, but I still accumulate a bit of financial paper. So I’ve used this simple collection method for many years. My old accordion file had seen better days so I was thrilled when I found this cool one (by Real Simple) at Target. This one is quite similar.

When I get bills in the mail, I plop them into either the “15th” or “30th” category since I pay bills twice a month. I also have a tab for household receipts (HH Receipts), which are ATM and debit receipts I keep until I balance my computerized checkbook–I use Quicken. And I have categories for my personal receipts (Teri Rec.), my elderly dad’s receipts since I handle his money (George Rec.), Statements (to balance) and Discuss (talk over with my hubby).

That’s it. Everything I need to pay bills is in this portable little folder. Once I’ve balanced our accounts or paid bills, I shred. I don’t save much, other than receipts for big purchases or tax-related items, since I can get copies of almost everything else online. Plus, have you EVER gone back to look at an old electric bill? Not me. The less paper, the more zen-like I feel. Ommmm.