When it comes to finances, it seems like we could all use a little bit more. Bills to pay, far off places to visit, a couch without stains perhaps? What would you do with an extra $100 a month? How about $1,000? Suppose you won the lottery. What would you do with your winnings?

Really think about it. Make a list of at least ten wild and crazy things you would do if you suddenly had more money than you ever dreamed possible. Then, let it sit in a drawer for a day or two. Take it back out and attempt to construct a plan to do two things on your list. You might be surprised to find that some of the things are not out of your reach after all.

Below is a short story that was posted on the wall of a sandwich place. I hope you enjoy reading it and are having an excellent day!

How Much is Enough?

The American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large fin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

The Mexican replied, “only a little while.”

The American then asked why he didn’t stay out longer and catch more fish?

The Mexican said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs.

The American then asked, “but what do you do with the rest of your time?”

The Mexican fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos, I have a full and busy life.”

The American scoffed, “I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat, and with the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats. Eventually, you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually NYC where you will run your expanding enterprise.”

The Mexican fisherman asked, “But, how long will this take?”

To which the American replied, “15-20 years.”

“But what then?”

The American laughed and said that’s the best part. “When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions.”

“Millions?” asked the fisherman, “Then what?”

The American said, “Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evening, sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos!”

(Author Unknown)

Valentine’s Day is tomorrow (what? oh, no!). Hopefully, you’ve got a plan (or a plan not to have a plan).But just in case you are scrambling for some ideas to make this Valentine’s Day a special one, here are some ideas to help make it great.

1. Hug your loved ones.
2. Eat chocolate.
3. Put a nice note in your partner or kids lunch.
4. Light a candle.
5. Take a walk together.
6. Meet some friends out at a bowling alley.
7. Write down 3 things you are thankful about.
8. Take 5 minutes to just be still.
9. Look at old photos, enjoy your memories.
10. Have dinner together at home or out on the town.

Happy Valentine’s Day from all of us at Splasm Software!

Ps. Shameless plug for our SALE (starting at midnight). Use CheckBook Pro to stay on top of your finances and keep your mind free to enjoy the finer things in life (like friends and family). Get 20% off on Valentine’s Day!

Ten! Nine! Eight! 

Peeking out from a pile of wrapping paper is a brand new year. 2013 is on the way and its time to review this past year and revise our goals. As with any type of goal, financial goals are best created when you know your current situation. Finding out where you are with finances can be a bit unnerving like stepping on a scale before deciding to lose weight. Still, facing facts is the first step towards changing your habits. Setting unrealistic goals is sometimes worse than not creating any goals.

Seven! Six! Five!

In the spirit of the holiday, maybe enjoying a glass or two of champagne, its tempting to say, “This year, I’m going to exercise more.” or  “I’m ready to eat healthier.” or “I’m going to save more money.”

The trouble with these well intentioned resolutions is that they are incredibly vague. High quality goals can be broken down into pieces that can be accomplished monthly, weekly, even daily. Easier said than done, I know. Using a tool like this one can help. SMART goals are Specific Measurable Attainable Relevant and Timebound. Take the example: “This year, I’m going to exercise more.”

This goal could be changed to read: “This year, I will visit the gym once per week in January for 30 minutes and walk on the treadmill. In February, I will visit the gym twice a week for 30 minutes and walk on the treadmill. In March, I will visit the gym three times a week and walk on the run/walk on the treadmill.”

Four! Three! Two!

Remember, there are 52 weeks in a year. No more and no less. A friend once told me that the average adult has about 16 waking hours in each day. According to this article in the Wall Street Journal, “The temptation is to bite off more than you can chew, but baby steps are likely to work better.” Check in with yourself at the end of each day, at the end of each week, at the end of each month. If things are going well, reward yourself! C-E-L-E-B-R-A-T-E!!! If things aren’t going the way you hoped, ask yourself why. Ask yourself why in a logical way, like a scientist looking through a microscope. Do you need to find a different gym, one that is located on your way home from work? Have you told a friend about your goal, someone who could encourage you?

One!

In setting goals, financial or otherwise, be prepared for set backs. A goal to be at the gym twice a week could be derailed by a head cold, a goal to save $20 extra a week could be sidelined by a fender bender. One aspect of goal-setting, that doesn’t get nearly enough attention is how to get back up after a fall. If you have a tough day, try not to let it turn into a tough week, or month by getting caught up in all or nothing thinking. Its better to get to the gym one time this week than it is to give up all together. Saving $10 a week still amounts to $520 for the year. Enough for a flight, and a hotel room, and perhaps a relaxing time 🙂

Happy New Year from all of us at Splasm Software!

Ten years ago, in two separate cities, a pair of young creators got together to bring new products into the world. Looking for a way to keep track of cash that was simple (yet powerful) inspired them to create CheckBook.

In honor of CheckBook’s birthday, we are dropping the price of both CheckBook and CheckBook Pro for the next ten days. Today CheckBook Pro is under $10! CheckBook is just $4.99!

Each day you wait, both simply powerful financial managers will go up $1…

Today’s the day to CELEBRATE!

Dressing up for Halloween is the best, but it can also be frightening for those of us who are on a budget! Just remember that it’s all about having a good time, not about breaking the bank.

Here are some fun & cheap costume ideas:

1. Gypsy
2. Rosie the Riveter
3. The Flintstones
4. Pirate(s)
5. When in doubt, head to GoodWill

Halloween gives us a chance to be daring, creative, and just plain silly.

The Halloween parties will be starting soon.  To offer you some encouragement, Splasm Software is offering you a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card for the best Halloween costume picture.

Anytime between now and November 3rd, share your Halloween costume pictures with us on our Facebook page (keep it tasteful people, this is a family company) and you will be entered in a random drawing for a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card.

Being the makers of CheckBook Pro, we are especially interested in costumes that were created for under $20. Share a YouTube clip of yourself putting your costume together for under $20 and link it to the Splasm Software channel and your name will be entered twice (doubling your chances to win!).

The winner will be announced on our facebook page and here on Splasmata on Monday, November 5th.

This is not a trick! Treat yourself to a chance to win 🙂

Taking a new Mac out of its box is an experience like no other. Bringing that shiny machine home and setting it up brings a glow to faces young and old. Oh, the possibilities! Maybe a little bittersweet to let the old Mac go and to learn some new ways of doing things? One thing you don’t have to sweat about is how to move your CheckBook Pro data over.

Moving all of your CheckBook Pro data to a new computer requires a process of backing up from the older computer and then restoring.

• First, choose ‘Backup Accounts…’ from CheckBook Pro’s File menu on your old setup.
• Then, save the backup file to someplace accessible, like the Desktop, and use a thumb-drive or CD to copy the Backup file over to your new Mac.
• Next, open CheckBook Pro on there, choose ‘Preferences…’ from the CheckBook Pro menu, and go into the Advanced section.
• After that, hit Restore Accounts, navigate to the copied-over backup file, select it, and hit Restore.

As always, let us know if you have any questions!