May, 2000
Vol. 1, Issue 5
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Table of Contents:
1. Welcome Message
2. OverHalling and Balance
3. Guest Article
4. D-BUST Your Computer-Part 4-a
5. Jokes, Quotes, and Anecdotes
6. Products, Books, and Web Site Reviews
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1. Welcome Message
If you remember from the last issue I was off to California for
the first time and to attend the National Association of Professional
Organizers annual conference. I have fallen in love with Northern
California and I brought back a wealth of information and new
friendships from the conference.
I hope you were able to complete and * survive * your net worth
calculations and that you didn't forget to do the same for your business
if you're a business owner.
This month we continue to look at the financial area of your life
regarding your cash flow. Don't forget to also do a cash flow for
your business if you own one.
Our guest article, * Do You Find It Hard To Stop Spending
More Than You Make?*, is by Paula Languet Ryan. Paula
is the bankruptcy and prosperity guru for TheWhiz.com
For those of you that have been following, we bring you part
four of D-BUST Your Computer, * S stands for Save *.
Thanks to all that forwarded this newsletter (please feel free to
do so) and to all that subscribed this past month.
Okay, ready to start "OverHalling"?
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2. OverHalling and Balance
- I Wasn't Paying Attention: Where Does My Money Go and
How Can I Get Some Back? - Part 1
by: Janet L. Hall
Tracking, planning, and * overhalling * your hard earned money
can help you reach any financial goals that you have, help you in
getting out of debt, and help you gain back control of your money,
your future, and your life.
Dawn Rivers Baker of WAHM & Mompreneur has a great series,
* Financial Management 101 * (
http://www.wahm-mompreneur.com/finmanage.html)
in which she writes: * Managing cash flow is the simple matter of
projecting cash receipts and needed cash outlays within a certain
period of time - a week, a month, a quarter, a year - ... Good cash
management consists very basically of three things: knowing when
you need money, knowing where that money is going to come from
and knowing where you can get money from if you fall short. With
good cash management, you may find yourself with a bit of money
left over when you have paid your bills. *
To assist you, in this often overlooked area of one's life, I have found
several generic cash flow/budget worksheets on the Internet, one in
which you can enter your figures and it will calculate everything for you.
I have listed those links under Reviews, but please keep reading before
bouncing over to them! Just remember that these worksheets are generic
and it is up to you to customize them to your lifestyle and habits.
Listed below are the percentages (based on net spendable income, after
tithing and taxes), according to Larry Burkett (
http://www.cfcministry.org
),
that you should ONLY be spending in each category of your budget:
Housing - 38%
Food - 12%
Automobile(s) - 15%
Insurance - 5%
Debts - 5%
Entertainment & Recreation - 5%
Clothing - 5%
Savings - 5%
Medical Expenses - 5%
Miscellaneous - 5%
To meet the 8% that you should allocate for school/child care, if
needed, you will have to make adjustments of the above categories
by an equal amount.
To have a true sense of where you're spending your money daily,
keep a daily expense log for at least one month. Enter in everything
that you purchase DAILY! Even that .25 cent pack of gum or mints.
Get a little notebook that you keep with you and just do IT!
This will allow you to see where you can cut back and/or start saving.
For instance, if you buy a newspaper everyday at .50 cents a pop,
and a $1 for the Sunday paper, you've just spent $208 for a year
of reading what? DO you read the whole paper or just the home
or sports section?
If you read the paper at home, does it start to pile up causing more
clutter and more of your time to dispose of it?
Where else can you get this SAME information? Maybe on the Internet
(if you're reading this, you are probably already paying for Internet
service). At the library? Can you read your co-workers? Do you
also watch the television news?
How important is it for you to read the newspaper everyday and see
$208 go out of YOUR pocket every year?
How much * bad * news do you really want to read and listen to everyday?
Be selective! Remember how much your time is worth!
This and your other daily habits are what I want you to take a STRONG
look at and see what you can * OverHall and Balance *, see what you
are willing to give up, what you don't really need, or what costly habit
you can change or cut back.
As Deborah Fowles, financial writer of about.com, stated in her article
* Financial Planning *: * To those of you who think you know where
your money goes without keeping detailed records, I issue this challenge:
keep track of every cent you spend for one month. I promise you'll be
surprised and perhaps shocked by how much some of your "small"
expenditures add up to. For an eye-opening illustration, try the American
Express * Savings or Spending Big Calculator at
http://www6.americanexpress.com/401k/scripts/saveBig.asp
Enter the cost and frequency of a habit or
indulgence and how many
years you expect it to continue. Click a button and see not only how
much you'll spend over the specified time period, but also how much that
same amount would grow to if you invested it at various rates of return.
Mind-boggling! *
You might think all of this is too much work, am I right? Well let me
ask you, how much work will it be or take when you are retired and
have no savings, no investments, no assets, no money, no NOTHING
because you didn't control your cash flow?
If you're already retired, how hard might you be struggling because you
aren't paying attention to your money?
As Dr. Lair Ribeiro, author of * Success Is No ACCIDENT * wrote,
* If you go on doing what you've always done, you'll go on getting what
you've always got. *
STOP procrastinating! Get your priorities in line! Get focused!
OverHall your cash flow so you can stop worrying about money, stop living
from pay check to pay check, stop being late on your bills.
Work on balancing your cash flow so you won't have problems or
troubles NOW or in your later years.
TIP: The best time to work on this is when you are paying your bills.
Business Owners-The Small Business Development Center in your
neighborhood will be happy to help you for FREE with your business cash
flow!
Next month, in Part 2, we'll see how you can get some of your money
back, stop wasting, and areas you can save in.
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Do you have a housesitter or caregiver in your life? Record all your
important WHO's, WHEN's and WHERE's in the * The little WHO,
WHEN, and WHERE Booklet * to save you time and make their
life easier! http://www.overhall.com/wwwh1.htm
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3. Guest Article
Do You Find It Hard To Stop Spending More Than You Make?
(excerpted from Bounce Back From Bankruptcy )
by: Paula Langguth Ryan
Getting out of debt is an incredibly empowering thing to do. But it
won't
do you any good at all if you still find yourself spending more than you
make. You'll find yourself caught in the same vicious circle eventually.
If this
happens to you, I urge you to pick up a copy of How to Get Out of Debt,
Stay Out of Debt and Live Prosperously, by Jerrold Mundis and then
contact a local chapter of Debtor's Anonymous.
If habitual overspending stops you from digging your way out of debt,
you may be a compulsive spender and Debtors Anonymous can help.
Debtors Anonymous is a 12-step program that can offer you support and
guidance in overcoming a barrier to your financial recovery. You do not
need to actually be in debt to be a member of DA. The only requirement
for membership in DA is a willingness to stop incurring unsecured debt.
There are many reasons people are drawn to Debtors Anonymous.
Business failures, a pattern of bouncing checks, excessive student loans,
unpaid taxes, gambling, real estate losses and even messy divorces are
good reasons to attend DA meetings.
Debtors Anonymous groups can often be supportive, but be forewarned,
if you've ever gone bankrupt, that there are factions of DA that frown
on
bankruptcy. Mostly this attitude comes from all the people they see come
through the doors several years after bankruptcy, in debt up to their
eyeballs. Don't let that deter you from getting the support you need. In
fact, if
you're newly bankrupt, why not start a new trend of DA members who join up
right after bankruptcy and remain solvent for the rest of your life! Check
your
local newspapers and community center listings for meetings in your area.
You can also find out about meetings in your area by sending a
self-addressed, stamped business-sized envelope to: The General Service
Board of Debtors Anonymous, P.O. Box 888, Needham,
MA 02492; 781-453-2743.
Also, Debtors Anonymous has a great website that you might want to visit:
http://www.solvency.org
You're not alone if you spend money to make
yourself feel better. But there
are other, more constructive ways you can deal with personal problems
besides running to the nearest store and buying something, or buying gifts as
a way of expressing your love, or buying gifts in order to be "accepted"
by others.
Today, you can start to change your habits a little at a time. When you
get
the urge to buy something to make yourself feel better, slow down and take a
deep breath. Go for a walk, garden, putter around the house, take a hot bath,
or even clean out some clutter in your life - you may just find something you'd
forgotten you owned, which is almost as good as going out and buying
something new to begin with!
Prosperity advisor and motivational speaker Paula Langguth Ryan is the
author of BOUNCE BACK FROM BANKRUPTCY and the forthcoming
BREAK THE DEBT CYCLE--FOR GOOD!. Ryan is the bankruptcy and
prosperity guru for TheWhiz.com personal finance forum and resides in
Baltimore, Maryland. Call 800-507-9244 for a schedule of prosperity
seminars!
Her book, Bounce Back From Bankruptcy can be ordered for $19.95
(incld. s/h) from Pellingham Casper Communications, P.O. Box 65088,
Baltimore, MD 21209, or 800-507-9244 or as an E-book at:
http://www.booklocker.com/bookpages/plryan.html
For a free copy of her Ten Tips to Break the Debt
Cycle,
send a business-sized SASE to the above address.
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PRIVATE one-on-one teleclasses are now being offered!
Within the US Only. For a list of teleclasses click
http://www.overhall.com/teleclasses.htm
or EMAIL ME At
mailto:janet@overhall.com
FOR MORE DETAILS!
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4. D-BUST Your Computer - Part 4-a
by: Janet L. Hall
S stands for SAVE
Do you save everything on your hard drive?
Do you know how to save/file your computer documents properly,
efficiently, and effectively?
Do you have a hard time locating documents after you've saved/filed them?
Most likely whenever you *create * something on your computer you'll
want to save it.
So before * SAVING * anything, ask yourself the following questions:
WHO needs it?
WHAT use is it?
WHEN will I use it?
WHERE will I find it?
WHY do I want or need it?
HOW long do I need to *SAVE * it?
Just like your * paper * files, you should save/file your computer
documents into folders. Your folders on your computer SHOULD
mirror your * paper * file folders, thus causing less names to remember,
and less confusion on where you saved/filed something.
Microsoft automatically sets up a folder for you titled * MY DOCUMENTS *
where you can save/file your documents. It isn't very efficient if you
save/file ALL your documents in this folder UNLESS you create YOUR
own folders within the * MY DOCUMENTS * folder.
Look at it this way; say you have a file drawer where you keep all your
* paper * files and you call the drawer * MY DOCUMENTS *.
If you open the drawer and have no folders, subfolders, or systems in
place, how on earth are you going to locate the document you need?
You stand there staring at a drawer full of documents, scratching your head
wondering if you can locate the document before lunch! How will you know
where to put the NEW document you just created or received that you MUST
keep?
HOW TO CREATE NEW FOLDERS
~~ Click Start (Usually located on the left bottom of your
screen)
~~ Place Pointer on Programs
~~ Place Pointer on Windows Explorer and Click
You have now entered/opened your electronic file cabinet.
Here you can "see" every document, file, and program
that is on your computer.
We're going to create subfolders (or interior folders) in
MY DOCUMENTS folder...not really mine but yours :-)
~~ Locate and move POINTER to MY DOCUMENTS
~~ Double Click on MY DOCUMENTS
You will be presented with a list of all the folders you
have saved/filed in MY DOCUMENTS and/or any folders
that you may have already created INSIDE MY DOCUMENTS folder.
Notice MY DOCUMENTS folder is highlighted, which means
ANY folders you create during this exercise will be located
* INSIDE * MY DOCUMENTS folder.
~~ Move POINTER to File and CLICK
~~ Move POINTER to NEW
~~ Move POINTER to FOLDER and CLICK
~~ Type in the name of your new folder and Press Return/Enter
WA LA!! You have a new folder!
To continue making new folders, move your pointer back to
MY DOCUMENTS, CLICK to highlight and follow the above steps.
You can even create new folders within the ones you just made.
Why would you do that? Let me give you an example:
Let's say you created a folder * CLIENTS *. You have three clients,
Larry, Moe, and Curly, that you send/receive email and correspondence
from that you need to save/file, and be able to access when needed
WITHOUT LOOKING through all the *CLIENTS * files. Highlight
* CLIENTS * folder and follow the above process for each SUBFOLDER
(Larry, Moe, and Curly) you need to make.
HOW TO SAVE A NEW DOCUMENT
You've just created a new document to Larry and now you need to
* SAVE * it. Your computer will need to get some information from you
in order to save your document and know where to save (file) it to on your
hard drive.
Larry is a client and you have already made him a folder. You have
completed the document and it is STILL OPEN (on your screen).
~~ Move POINTER to FILE
~~ CLICK on FILE
~~ Move POINTER to SAVE and CLICK
A SAVE AS Box will appear. Notice the three sections:
Save in:, File name:, and Save as type:.
The Save in: section should have the last folder name that you saved
a document to. In this case you want to save your document in your *
Larry
*
folder, which is located in the Clients folder, which is located in MY
DOCUMENTS folder.
~~ CLICK the small black down arrow next to the folder name in Save in:
~~ CLICK on MY DOCUMENTS
~~ Locate the CLIENTS Folder in the box and DOUBLE CLICK on it
~~ The CLIENTS folder should now be in the Save in: section
~~ Locate and move your POINTER to the * Larry * folder and DOUBLE CLICK on
it
~~ The * Larry * folder is now in the Save in: section
Now you have to give your document a name.
~~ PRESS Your TAB Key to move to File name: or move POINTER
to File name: and CLICK.
~~ Something will already be there BUT you want to give the document a
name you will remember and can easily locate when needed.
Let's say the document is about the meeting you had with Larry regarding
his hair stylist on June 12, 2000. You might name the document something
like this:
Hair Meeting 61200
~~ Type in the name you want to give your document
~~ Press ENTER/RETURN
OR
~~ Move POINTER to SAVE and CLICK
WARNING WARNING!! DO NOT do the above if you need to SAVE
the document in a DIFFERENT FILE FORMAT, such as TEXT or HTML Code.
Save as type: the default is usually Word Document but notice the small
black arrow next to this and CLICK on it. Here is where you are
presented
with a list of file types that you might need to save your document into.
Your document is still open (on your screen) after you have named it and
SAVED it. To close the document:
~~ Move POINTER to File and CLICK
~~ Move POINTER to Close and CLICK
TIP: If you make any changes inside the document BEFORE you CLOSE
it you will get a prompt asking if you want to save changes, click YES.
If you click NO, your changes WILL NOT be SAVED in the document.
Next month - I'll be back with Part 4-b of SAVE in D-BUST YOUR
COMPUTER where I'll discuss the SAVE AS function, AUTOSAVE, and
saving to a floppy and a zip disk. In July I'll finish up SAVE in Part
4-c
with saving your sent/received email, and saving your favorite website locations.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Organizing Audio Tapes - Three to choose from for your office
or home at http://www.overhall.com/Tapes.htm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5. Jokes, Quotes, and Anecdotes
~~ Yesterday is a canceled check. Today is cash on the line.
Tomorrow
is a promissory note.
--Hank Strarn
~~ From birth to 18 a girl needs good parents. From 18 to 35, she needs
good looks. From 35 to 55, good personality. From 55 on, she needs
good cash. I'm saving my money.
-- Sophie Tucker
~~ Never base your budget requests on realistic assumptions, as this could
lead to a decrease in your funding.
-- Scott Adams
~~ The trouble with a budget is that it's hard to fill up one hole without
digging another.
-- Dan Bennett
~~ If American women would increase their voting turnout by ten percent, I
think
we would see an end to all the budget cuts in programs benefiting women and
children.
-- Coretta Scott King
~~ The average family exists only on paper and its average budget is a
fiction,
invented by statisticians for the convenience of statisticians.
-- Sylvia Porter
~~ In the business world, everyone is paid in two coins: cash and
experience.
Take the experience first; the cash will come later.
-- Harold S. Geneen
~~ Education is a wonderful thing. If you couldn't sign your name you'd
have to pay cash.
-- Rita Mae Brown
~~ Normal is getting dressed in clothes that you buy for work, driving
through
traffic in a car that you are still paying for, in order to get to the job
that you
need so you can pay for the clothes, car, and the house that you leave empty
all day in order to afford to live in it.
-- Ellen Goodman
~~ I owe, I owe, so off to work I go.
-- Anonymous
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Get a Tickler File so you can help keep track of all your dated materials
and more! Get rid of your in/out box, get rid of that * special place *
you forget where you put stuff! Get a Tickler File at
http://www.overhall.com/tickler_file.htm
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6. Products, Books, and Web Site Reviews
Websites of interest:
~~ Basic Budget Worksheet
http://financialplan.about.com/finance/financialplan/library/blbudget.htm
~~ Budget Worksheet
http://www.moneyminded.com/incomego/start/a7budw15.htm
~~ List of Small Business Development Centers
http://www.nttc.edu/assist/sbdc.html
~~ Cash Flow Worksheet
http://www.e-analytics.com/fpa2.htm
~~ Managing your Business Cash Flow Worksheet
http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/
~~ FREE Exl-Plan Business Shareware to prepare
comprehensive financial projections, budgets, and business plans
http://www.planware.org/exldown.htm
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That's it for this month! See you back here next month!
Don't forget, please pass this on to someone that can use it!
Smiles, not Piles,
Janet L. Hall
Professional Organizer, Author, and Speaker
http://www.overhall.com
"If your current systems aren't working for
you...
get an "OverHall"!"
Janet L. Hall is the owner of OverHall Consulting.
Janet is based out of Southern Maryland and can be
reached at 410-586-9440, 800-687-3040, or e-mail her
at mailto:janet@overhall.com.
Janet can "OverHall" your
office, home, and computer clutter.
Copyright (c) 2000 by OverHall Consulting
P.O. Box 263, Port Republic, MD 20676
All Rights Reserved. Permission is granted to
reproduce, copy, or distribute OverHall IT! or any articles
by Janet L. Hall so long as article(s) is kept intact, this
copyright notice, and full information about the author is
attached.
