Friday, February 12, 2010

Financial Report

I hate this time of year because I must do two reports about my parents' financial doings: one for Veterans and the other for Social Security. Like my blog sister, Lou, I have terrible anxiety surrounding such records and the need to put them right. My math skills are terrible; in fact, I am quite certain I have a learning disability in math. Even long division is hellish for me, and percentages are impossible. I failed geometry and algebra in high school and never took them in college. Luckily for me, in the 70s, there were no required courses in math in college, at least in the ones where I was, or I never would have made it out of undergraduate school. But somehow, I have managed to do these reports.
This year, I am avoiding them more than I have in the past. I don't know why. Maybe it is because I have been paying bills online and have made many mistakes, paying my parents' bills accidentally with Richard's and my joint account, which has only one number different. I have repaid us from his account, but I have to make sure I've done it for the absolute correct amount. There are several thousands involved here. Since I realized I was making this mistake, I have been careful not to make it again, but I have to clean up all the errors immediately, and I'm afraid what I will find. That's probably why I'm avoiding these reports.
In one way, it's interesting to see what we have spent money on. It seems that most of it, what is not going for medications, which cost a lot, and insurance, goes for silly little things at places like Costco and Target. If we cut back on that, we'd be spending much less. I suppose we will have to do that.

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