I got my credit card a couple months ago (don't worry, this isn't going where you think it is). And to ensure that I don't spend money that I don't have, I've been recording each credit card transaction in my checking register.

But this is causing me a big headache. Every time I check my checking balance online, the balances are always different and I have to go through each transaction to make sure my balances are correct. It gets more annoying when I've written checks and they don't clear right away.

There's nothing wrong with this method, it's just that it's starting to get annoying. I don't like spending 15 minutes every week going through my checkbook.

Do you have any tips on how I can simplify this? I'm very good with my credit card-I buy gas and groceries every week on my credit card and I always pay my bill the moment it arrives in the mail.

It's been a long time since I've been on here. And so much to update on!

First college is going well. I have a love-hate relationship with my Computer Science class. Love it when my programs work, hate it when they don't.

I'm experiencing some computer problems. Last week, my hard drive failed. Taking 3.5 of the 6 pages of my English essay that is due a week from today with it. Even worse, I have nothing, absolutely nothing, backed up. I know, I know! So I bought a 2 GB flash drive yesterday. If something happens to my flash drive, I will cry. I learned my lesson though- after spending $230 on the new hard drive, the service fee, and the flash drive.

There was a bad communication problem at work. Even though I was laid off, they still consider me an employee so I'm on call for the weekends. I'm happy that I get to stay there, I like where I work, but I don't really like being on call. The good news is that they said they would let me know by Wednesday of every week if they needed me on the weekend. So I'm still working, not as much, but the past few weeks I've been doing overtime so it's slightly making up for it. I'll also be serving a lot of banquets in December, which means I'll be making tips.

As for Christmas gifts... I have a few gifts already but I have no idea what to get my father, boyfriend, or grandma for Christmas. I'm hoping that the light bulb will suddenly go off and I'll know just what to get them.

I'm hoping I'll be able to come back and update more, but with limited access to a computer (I'm using my father's), I can't say when I'll be back next.

Happy Thanksgiving!