7.30.2011

Google Calendar is A-MAZING!

As I've mentioned before, I use a calendar to write down all of my bill due dates and dog meds that need given each month.  I've slowly been transitioning over to paperless.  Now that I've been using Google Calendar, I'm learning tons of different things I can do with it.

Did you know that you can share calendars between yourself and other people AND sync those shared calendars with your phone?  NO?  Oh, you can!!  My husband and I each have our own personal "event" calendar for appointments, meetings, hanging out with friends etc.  I even set myself reminders on the calendar for "to do" stuff.  Since it pops up, its much more noticable and easier to remember than the Notepad on my iPhone. 

Until recently, I've been using my PAPER calendar for bills.  I put them on the calendar on the due date, in addition to putting (most of) them on my google "bills" calendar.  I'm moving even more in the paperless direction (not 100% because I have a couple of things that require check payments because I refurse to pay a fee to pay online).  I love finding new and more efficient ways of organizing, cutting costs, clutter and going green.  I'm not going to have a crutch anymore, which is what my paper calendar has been... and clutter in my office, too! ;)

My goal is to put the following in my Google "Bills" Calendar for each bill due:
Date Due on Calendar
Date Paid (in notes)
How much paid (in notes)
How paid - check and check #, or online (in notes)

I already have all of this info listed either on my paper calendar or previously on my old paper bills.  The electronic bills that I've saved have a date due and a date paid on it, so really the benefit is cutting the paper out of my life, plus being able to pay my bills wherever because I have my calendar on my phone and online (synced, of course, too).

Additonal Goals:
Get rid of the existing paper clutter in the apartment - this will be an ongoing task as I go through old documents and shred the ones we no longer need.  It's merge and purge time! :)  Maybe I'll get a super organized office out of the whole deal!!! Wahoo!!
Below is a screenshot of what all monthly calendars look like together.  Looks HECTIC right?  Nahh... it's not too bad!  See, they're all color coded.  My personal calendar is pink; Josh's is light green; Unpaid bills are red, while paid bills are green; Paydays and dog meds are purple, which are located on the Bill calendar;  the yellow was miscellaneous (aka our AC broke and I want to be able to track what we said/did/told our landlord and vice versa.  This was the best way to do it so hubbs and I could each see without having to put it all on paper).



 
I will say the one downfall is that if I INVITE Josh to something, like say a Wedding, it will put it on here twice since I'm also viewing his calendar.  Minor detail.  Not a big deal, just take up space and seems a bit annoying.  But oh well... I can get over it because of how AMAAAZING Google Calendar is :)

If you just want to view a specific calendar, you can view just one.  For example if I just wanted to view my bills and paydays, I could unclick all the other calendars and it would appear like this:

See how much easier that is to see JUST bills???  **LOVE***

So who else uses Google Calendar?  And how much do you LOVE it?!  Anyone need help?  I'm a pro at this point! lol!

7.05.2011

Carefree Living

"TODAY IS A NEW DAY!  LIVE IN THE PRESENT, HOPE FOR THE FUTURE, FORGET THE PAST AND LIVE WITH NO REGRETS."
 
This is a quote I came up with myself one day after a streak of really bad days.  I've decided that there is no reason to continue to be down in the dumps about everything.  Yes, life sucks sometimes, but why dwell on it?  Everyone has bad days.  Everyone goes through bad hair days.  Everyone has a lack of money at some point in their life.  Everyone hates their job at some point.  I came to this realization and it was like a huge epiphany. 
 
And off went a LIGHT BULB....
 
I want to continue to live my life the way I USED to when I was younger.  I used to not care what other people thought about me.  I have always been a carefree person that's always done what I wanted, when I wanted and not cared about what others thought.  I've even told any guys that I started dating that's how I was and wouldn't answer to anyone.... and if they had a problem with it, we shouldn't be dating.  And most people haven't had a problem with such an independent person.  My husband has never minded... I think :).  Right, honey?  RIGHT? ;) 
 
So here I am.... not caring what others think about me anymore, doing what I want, and just living in the moment.  I've realized if I want to get where I want in my life, I can't do it by sitting by and letting others get the job, or walk on me.  I've got to stand up and BE in the MOMENT and not look back.  No regrets.  Everything happens for a reason, and the reason I'm here is so we could get married (and a lack of jobs back in Tennessee).  It's time to toughen up and move on to bigger and better things.
 
World, I hope you're ready for me, because I'm ready for the world!!!!  Now, WHO IS WITH ME?!
 
Again, "...Live in the present, hope for the future, forget the past and live with no regrets"