Mining Gems - Accounting and Memory

Amethyst

I am a procrastinator. I think I have come to terms with that over the years. So, this week, I am catching up massive amounts of accounting in order to do my taxes. Yes, unlike you organized folks, I spend a tremendous amount of time digging through messes to find my documents. Then begins the project of getting all the information input in my accounting program. It is not my favorite task. But surprisingly enough, this year I am enjoying re-discovering 2013.

Stonehenge

Tucked between payments for the mortgage, groceries, utilities, and doctors are little reminders of good things last year: travel swim meets to St. George and Logan, lunch with friends in Cedar City, and trips my children took to Arches National Park and England. There are also payments for the entrance fee to Zion National Park during spring break. We stayed with family and have great memories of that little trip. I can also see that our entertainment expenditures featured Redbox instead of a movie theater on several occasions. I wish my check register could tell me what movies we saw! And that is just the first few months of 2013. Who knows what else I may remember as I slave over these numbers?

Zion National Park

I am sporadic at best at keeping a journal, and sometimes I feel guilty about that, but this experience is teaching me I do have some records of past events. I never thought of my check register as an historical document, but as I mine it for tax information, I am finding many precious gems!

If you are digging through receipts for tax preparation, I wish you happy mining!