Author Archive
Organizing your Monthly Bills [Idea]
Posted by Rachel Welland in Financial, Home on March 23rd, 2009
When my now-husband and I moved in together, I felt as though our monthly bills magically multiplied by thousands!! Dramatic, I know, but I truly felt like bills were arriving everyday and I couldn’t even keep track of them, much less remember what was due when, and if certain bills had been paid. It was madness, and something had to be done to get the madness under control.
So I spent some quality time with my favorite software program… good ol’ Excel. I made a fantastic spreadsheet that I consult each and every time I pay bills – and I mark off what is paid! That way if we overlook a monthly bill, or it never arrives in the mail, I can nip it in the bud before it becomes past-due.
Very simple instructions for creating the spreadsheet: Down the left side in column A (starting with row 2), type the name of each bill in order of it’s due day. Next, type in column B the approximate amount of the monthly bill (some bills are more predictable - like cell phone, cable, water… other bills vary - like credit cards). Type in column C the due day each month. Then on row 1, starting in column D through column O, write each month, January through December. Print it and store it at your desk or wherever you typically pay bills. Ta-da! Now you have a beautiful spreadsheet on which you can proudly and confidently mark a “X” each month as you pay each bill.
Say “goodbye” to past-due bills forever!!
Wedding Organization from an Expert
Posted by Rachel Welland in Ideas, Opinions, Personal on March 10th, 2009
Hello Cyberspace, welcome to My First Blog Post Ever. I am honored to have been invited to participate in the “On Organization” blog and consider it quite a compliment to be asked to contribute to a blog with the theme of Organization. I consider myself a natural organizer… I am addicted to my dayplanner, wireless device, and routines! I am lucky to have a career that I absolutely love — I am Owner and Wedding & Event Coordinator for Bliss Events in San Diego, California (www.blissevent.com). My job requires a very high level of organization and attention to detail.
I thought my first blog post should be about what I do each and every day…. wedding planning! Here are the first few steps in wedding planning. Once a Bride & Groom get these major tasks done, they are ready to move on to the more detailed parts of wedding planning:
- Create, revise, and finalize Guest List. Get input from both of your parents in order to get an accurate count.
- Set an overall wedding budget. What exactly does this include or not include? (i.e. does it not include your rings, honeymoon, rehearsal dinner, etc.?)
- Pick some date options…. ideally you can be open-minded about the date, having 3-5 options… this will make your “venue hunt” much easier if you are flexible with your wedding date.
- Determine what your priorities are - this will help you allot your overall budget. Make an actual list so you can see what is #1, #2,#3, etc. (Is photography the most important thing to you? Do you have to have live music, a large band with all the bells & whistles? Is decor and florals top on your list?) This “priorities list” is the order in which you should start to book your vendors. That way, if you splurge on #1 and #2, you can take money away from the lower-ranked priorities and still stay on-budget.
…. And that is all the wisdom I am going to share for now! Look for future posts from me on weddings and other life-organization subjects.
~ Rachel Welland, Bliss Events
