OMG!!!!! could dh have made MORE of a mess

[lizajane]

out of our checkbook??????????

i am TOTALLY taking over our accounting RIGHT NOW. scary. no wonder we are spending way too much money!!!! this checkbook is a SWAMP!!!

[deborah_r]

Sorry you're in a mess. I've never let DH go near the finances and he really doesn't want to anyway. When I met him he would keep an "approximate" running total in his checkbook - he didn't even list each item - egads!

I balance my checkbook about 3 times per week with online banking. And I don't have Quicken, but I do keep my checkbook on the computer (in Excel) and not on paper. I don't write checks outside the home much, so decided to stop using those little checkbook registers they give you.

Hope some of that might help you - although you didn't actually ask for help :)

[MartiesMom2B]

Liza:

I'm so sorry. I am in charge of our finances too. I just let DH know how much money we have in the bank to spend, if he needs to. Does your bank have online services? I use that to check everything that goes through. I guess that's how I balance our checkbook.

If you want to see a copy of our budget, let me know and I'll show you what I do. It's very detailed - probably too detailed.

Sonia
Proud Mommy to Martie 4/6/03

[amp]

I had to take this over since DH never balanced his checkbook. He just had a vague idea what was in there and never overdrafted. Now that we have one income, two of us and a baby, we can't live that way! So I pay all the bills, track our spending, and tell him what's available in the account. He checks with me before making withdrawls since we are currently living paycheck to paycheck!

[jec2]

Gosh, I commend all of you about balancing your checkbooks. I think your husband, me and my husband need a large doghouse to share! I am now totally embarrassed to admit it, but Yikes, we NEVER balance our checking accts (we do review our statements for errors and believe me I have found them!) If your husband wants a hug, he can get one from us. But, I totally do empathize w/ you and how frustrating it would be to share money with someone like me.

I have been thinking about getting ourselves together about this and buying Quicken. I used that program in college when I worked as a bookkeeper for a family business, it was so easy.

[lizajane]

well after about an hour from me, and two hours from him, we finally have a perfectly balanced checkbook.

the fact that he didn't enter things in order made a huge mess! he started using online banking, so he would just wait until he felt like it to enter e-bills and debits... annoying!

so now i am taking it back. but i HATE e-bills!! i had automatic bills of anykind. i want to know WHEN the money leaves my account and HOW MUCH it was BEFORE it leaves the account. yuck. sigh...

instead of living check to check, we have been devouring our savings. so we are moving to check to check now and leaving the savings account OUT of the equation from now on, darn it!

[ShayleighCarsensMom]

Your son was born the same day as mine!!!
Good luck with the finances, I agree, it sucks!

[Sarah1]

I'm TERRIBLE--I *never* balance the checkbook. I too am in charge of all the bills. If DH were in charge, we'd be up to our ears in late fees.