G*nad Likes It

I was paying some bills and doing busywork this evening when I discovered that my checking account was missing a digit. Damn.

Andy and I bought a new condo that (knock on wood) we will be moving into next month.

 The above image (Minus the Heart) is from the developer's web site.

While I find that fun, exciting, and various other superlative words that accompany life events, I've never had a mortgage payment before, so I'm actually scared sh*tless about it. I realize that I'm not the first person to buy a place and that I need to get over it. And I will once we make a few payments and I see that I can still afford to ride the train and eat something more than 10 for $10 ramen noodles three meals a day. But, I think that today's experience was yet another reminder that I need change my habits BECAUSE IT'S NOT JUST ME ANYMORE. So, I will begin balancing my checkbook again.

Ironically, I fell out of habit of balancing everyday right around the time that it got easy to do so. Back in the day, my morning routine was:

1. Arrive at work.
2. Check my voicemail.
3. Call the bank to check my balance and cleared transactions.
   
4. Check e-mail.

But, now, "checking my balance" means accessing another Web site to distract me from starting my day. Or I just forget to do it until I need to pay bills. And sometimes that's bad. Like today. So, I've downloaded the PocketMoney application for my iPhone:

I love my iPhone and welcome all excuses to play with it.

PocketMoney images from iTunes

So far, PocketMoney looks pretty similiar to Microsoft Money. I like the budget graphs. I used to love Microsoft Money, but then got tired of carrying a phone, iPod, and a PalmPilot. And running MS Money off of my home computer was pointless as I'm never home. So, fingers crossed that I can reclaim POSITIVE habits. I seem to be searching for old habits quite a bit lately. I hope that I find them. I'm thinking that PocketMoney will get me on the right track, as something that received five stars from an iTunes user named "G*n*d the B*rbarian" has to be stellar. G the B^^ wouldn't lie to a girl, right?

P.S. In the spirit of changing my  habits for the good of the union, I cooked dinner tonight!

^^(I'm not typing the full name out so that my blog won't come up in p*rn and s*x toy searches like it did when I wrote about Martha Stewart and pussywillows. Not kidding)