Comments on: Overcoming Financial Procrastination

By: James

James — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 02:57:29 +0000

For a lot of people, once you start savings, it can get addictive. You start to challenge yourself to see how much money you can save or by how much you can juice your return.

By: Weekly Personal Finance Blog RoundUp – 12/7/2012 | Early December Edition

Weekly Personal Finance Blog RoundUp – 12/7/2012 | Early December Edition — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 14:31:43 +0000

[...] Overcoming Financial Procrastination – Saving Advice [...]

By: jay

jay — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 03:23:13 +0000

I’ve done a lot of structuring to make our money management easy. I have a “budget” that’s basically a “fill in the blanks” which I do as soon as I know the paycheck numbers. Bills are all on autopilot, except a few occasional, local ones which I -definitely- procrastinate on paying. Luckily those are just a phone call, so still only one step instead of several. Investments are all automatic, solid, long term, so better to ignore anyway (our choice). Finally, my financial software automatically takes care of downloading, reconciling, etc. I briefly check the numbers nightly, before shutting down the computer, and am aware enough of what we spend, that there are seldom surprises.
I have to say, though, that my most dreaded task is preparing and filing for FSA reimbursement. There’s just something about the forms and the overall bureaucracy that makes it dreadfully dull, and just a pain. If I had to file for all insurance payments, I’d be sunk for sure!

Oh, and tax time. ARGH!!!!

By: Gailete

Gailete — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 15:46:54 +0000

Part of handling finances is making it a habit. I think they say that most habits take 3-6 weeks to stick. When I first had health problems, I literally would forget to do anything. I had to leave myself post-it notes to remind me that I had laundry in the washing machine otherwise I would find it days later and we all know what kind of joy that is. Anyhow if I was forgetting laundry I was also having trouble remembering balancing checkbooks and paying bills, so I picked the day that my disability check would come on and Thursdays became my finance day every week. I would leave myself a post-it and would then do all paperwork necessary that day before errands and grocery shopping was done. I don’t need the Post-its anymore, but my habit is doing my financial paperwork every Wednesday now. It is an ingrained habit. I know before going grocery shopping how much money I have in my account and I know what big bills are coming up in a few weeks, like our estimated taxes that I pay on December 31 so I can get credit for having paid them in 2012. Other than finding a way to have enough money, I know I’m not forgetting things and no late bills.

By: DC @ Young Adult Money

DC @ Young Adult Money — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 14:11:23 +0000

A lot of personal finance is about habits. It was hard to initially get around to setting up and recording all our spending in an Excel spreadsheet, but now that we do I have been fairly diligent about getting it all entered, and even find enjoyment doing it. Listing out a finance “to do” list can be very helpful as well so that you know what you COULD be doing in relation to your personal finances. I find career-related/money-making activities as essential to personal finance as well, so setting aside time to network, update your resume, research opportunities, etc. is also a good thing to regularly set aside time for.

By: DC21

DC21 — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 12:51:36 +0000

I’m working to get like you Gen!

By: Gen Y Finance Journey

Gen Y Finance Journey — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 17:19:43 +0000

Maybe I’m weird, but I procrastinate on other things by managing my finances instead! I love looking through my investments, bank statements, credit card statements, you name it.