posted by flyingroc on 02/10/09
I filed my taxes early this year, using Turbo Tax (after swearing not to use them again because I ended up owing the state of Virginia $46; what is man if not his contradictions). They were advertising a sister product Quicken Online, which is kind of a way to track all your money online. Since it's free, I gave it a whirl. You enter all your bank accounts, credit cards, and investment accounts, and voila, it gives you a good summary of the money you have, the amounts that you are spending, etc. Pretty neat, here's a chart--the red thing is rent.
I think I have a good handle on how my money is earnt and spent, but they've never been gathered all in one place like this before. Kinda fascinating to see where all your money goes in all its gory details. So fascinating in fact, that I've been staring at it the whole night. I knew I was spending a ridiculous amount of money on rent, but here it was irrefutable on the pie chart. I thought I was spending more on dining out than the software was showing though. And among all that profligate spending, where am I going to fit a car payment?
So I stare and stare, as if by looking at it more intently, the numbers will change.
