I’ve finally received my copy of Microsoft Money 2004 Small Business from eBay. I got it for a great bargain price of USD $31.00! I’ve been using Microsoft Money 2003 since 2002. It has been a great tool for me to budget my expenses. Prior to using this software, I have never kept a budget. I didn’t know where my money was coming from and where my money was going to. I realised I had to put a stop to my "ignorance" when my bank account balance went almost ZERO!

With Microsoft Money, I actually got my finances in order. I’ve kept every single receipt for every purchase I made. The spending limits in the budget tool has a "spending thermometer" that looks like a bar chart. If you decide to set a budget of $30 for food expenses per month, it will show you what you’ve spent so far with a bar chart. Take a look at the picture on the right to see what it looks like. This is just one of the visual representations of Microsoft Money.

You can also synchronize your money files on your PDA if you own a Pocket PC or Palm Pilot. There is a free Pocket PC software included in the software package. I’ve seen how my sister use the Ultrasoft Money for Palm Pilot (this one’s not free!) and keep track of her expenses. She’s getting married very soon and she uses this software to keep track of her money wherever she goes.

I just printed out the user guide today. It was a whopping 150+ pages! I haven’t really mastered the new features of the small business edition. The inventory and customer list features would be great boost to my eBay business till I can afford better tools. Now I’ll be able to create a customer database and keep track of my inventory. No more crappy Excel spreadsheets!

This is hands down one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself money wise. My mum’s an accountant and she questions why I count my own money. Its very ironic that my mum spends most of her life counting other people’s money but none of her own!

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