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[martinorson]

Speaking of Quicken --well, Quicken Online at least-- if I understand well it is usable only if your financial institution is listed among their choices.

    I've asked them to add my Credit Union (which has over 10,000 members) on a number of occasions, using the form they provide for this. This has been several months, and nothing came out of it. Does anyone of you know a way to speed up the process, or to navigate around this problem?

[arts4ever]

Like Spork, with Excel. Anyone want to know what we spent for food in November 1993?

[juvenal]

I'm Mr. Primitive (being a bachelor, there are no "unexpected" disbursements generated by another to worry about).

I carry a 3x5 lined index card in my pocket, new each day, and put on it all expenses for the day.  Also keep the bank balance on the card, with checks for the day noted, and income to date in the academic year minus expenses on the card.  If I use car for academic purposes, mileage goes on card.  I enter expenses weekly in a small notebook.

Only at tax time do I go through the cards and sort out the deductible expenses (I save the receipts for these).  Takes about an hour.  The computer and spread sheets enter nowhere into this simple system.

Thus, despite my only tools being a pencil a notebook, and index cards, I know to the penny what my "life costs."  (About $27.5K last year)

Point?  By seeing exactly how much you spend, day by day, week by week...it's hard not to know where one can cut back or where one can spread out if one wishes.

I can say, for example, that I clearly drink too much, but at least the wine is cheap red.