# Check registry program?



## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

This is the last year TurboTax will load on my Vista OS computer. Which means I should do something befor April 15, 2018. 

My Son recommends going with a iMac. The Check writing and registry program I presently use is ancient and is not upgradedable to a iMac or WIN OS PC.

Daughter recommends going with Mint.com to keep track of my financials and budgets. I don't see a check registry option on Mint.com. Next time she's out this way she's going to give me instructions.

Any how I've said all of that to say this. Anyone know of a good old fashion check registry program that is compatible with a iMac?

Or am I too old fashion and balancing a checkbook every month is obsolete? With online bill pay, checkbooks (and registry) are no longer needed?

Tempted just to configure a spreadsheet for balancing the checkbook...but if I need to get into the modern age, I can bite the bullet to do so.


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## obg12 (Apr 9, 2016)

TheLazyL said:


> This is the last year TurboTax will load on my Vista OS computer. Which means I should do something befor April 15, 2018.
> 
> My Son recommends going with a iMac. The Check writing and registry program I presently use is ancient and is not upgradedable to a iMac or WIN OS PC.
> 
> ...


My banks online account does that for me and I can download and print if I want have you checked with yours ?


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## ZoomZoom (Dec 18, 2009)

TheLazyL said:


> Or am I too old fashion and balancing a checkbook every month is obsolete? With online bill pay, checkbooks (and registry) are no longer needed?


I'm going with this.

I enter my actual checks in the register but don't do anything with electronic payments. Haven't balanced the checkbook in many years. I just check online once in awhile to make sure the entries for electronic payments appear correct.

As for actual checks, the only ones I write anymore are for taxes _so I have a paper record I can stuff in the tax folder at the end of the year and retain for years in case of an audit._


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## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

obg12 said:


> My banks online account does that for me and I can download and print if I want have you checked with yours ?


You can import your bank statement into a spreadsheet (Excel and/or Numbers) ?


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## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

ZoomZoom said:


> I'm going with this.
> 
> I enter my actual checks in the register but don't do anything with electronic payments. Haven't balanced the checkbook in many years. I just check online once in awhile to make sure the entries for electronic payments appear correct.
> 
> As for actual checks, the only ones I write anymore are for taxes _so I have a paper record I can stuff in the tax folder at the end of the year and retain for years in case of an audit._


Basically eliminate the checkbook and the associated registry all together?


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## backlash (Nov 11, 2008)

I have been using Turbo Tax for years.
I have never downloaded any program to do that.
I go online, fill in the blanks, answer the questions and send my return to the IRS.
A few days later I get my small return deposited into my checking account.
It's small because I don't loan the government money all year long interest free.

My wife checks our bank account every morning, she is doing that as I type.
She balances the account and verifies it agrees with the bank daily.
She once found several fraudulent charges and was able to stop them immediately before the account was hit hard.
The bank took care of the charges and issued me a new card.


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## Guardian (Jan 17, 2012)

TheLazyL said:


> You can import your bank statement into a spreadsheet (Excel and/or Numbers) ?


My bank offers a number of formats for download. Some for excel and others for various financial programs. I dont have a Mac though but im sure there are options.


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

My wife and I each have a checking account but neither of us have had or written an actual paper check in well over a decade. She just logs in every day and checks deposits, payments and balances. She does use a money management software to keep everything balanced and to monitor interest and returns, but I am not sure which one. We also use TurboTax and just enter in the data.


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## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

backlash said:


> I have been using Turbo Tax for years....
> I go online, fill in the blanks, answer the questions and send my return to the IRS....


I don't like sending my DOB and SS over Al Bore's Internet. I buy the programed, do my tax return, the wife's business return, then I haul the PC to my mom's to do her taxes (mom doesn't have Al Bore's Internet).


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## obg12 (Apr 9, 2016)

TheLazyL said:


> You can import your bank statement into a spreadsheet (Excel and/or Numbers) ?


Don't think so but I can download in PDF and print it,I use a three hole punch and put them in a binder


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## cqp33 (Apr 2, 2012)

I use an excel spreadsheet as a register, it has a column for notes/check numbers. pretty easy to use, I duplicate it and rename it with the date I run out of the 100 lines that are coded. A guy made it for me because he was bored and a spreadsheet guru while we were on a deployment in my Navy days.

EDIT: PM me if you want it, I could email it to you if anyone would like it.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

It really isn't that hard to do:


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

This one is 7 years old:


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## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

Thank you LincTex. I never thought about a Youtube search...


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

Just make sure you get the right formulas plugged in, and away you go...


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## BillS (May 30, 2011)

Mac computers are very expensive for what you get. If you go on Craigslist I'm sure you can find a used desktop computer with an i5 processor and Windows 7 for $150 or less. If you get one running Windows 7 32-bit all your old programs that worked with Vista should work with Windows 7. That's the kind of computer that I have. 

You might be able to find one in your area at publicsurplus.com.


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## BillS (May 30, 2011)

This one looks like a good deal:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-Optipl...173150?hash=item282b00ee5e:g:NQQAAOSw4DJYmipr


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

BillS said:


> If you go on Craigslist I'm sure you can find a used desktop computer with an i5 processor and Windows 7 for $150 or less.


I buy all my computers from the "Dell refurbished" website. I have never paid more than $109, and always get a state-of-the-art machine.


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

LincTex said:


> I buy all my computers from the "Dell refurbished" website. I have never paid more than $109, and always get a state-of-the-art machine.


I bought my last couple PC's off of Woot.com, both were refurbished HP's that had been businesses leases. Prices were 20-25% of new and they have served me quite well.


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## SheepdogPRS (Oct 8, 2017)

I have a couple of refurbished units and one new one. They all operate using Linux except for my old DOS machine and it runs on FreeDOS. Yes DOS is a real thing that even gets on the web. I use it for the software that I wrote long ago for MS DOS 3.0 and it all runs just fine. I even have a printer that works with all my programs from a parallel port.

I really enjoy Open Source platforms and haven't run into anything that I need that is not available for them. I have an office program that can read or write to MS Word format and I can save my work in a number of platforms including MS Office and PDF. I use a great CAD program that works with DXF format but can import and export to other formats when I need. 

I recommend Open Source software for any OS because it is free and it is growing. You can find it at sourceforge.net for nearly all platforms and operating systems.


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## Flight1630 (Jan 4, 2017)

SheepdogPRS said:


> I recommend Open Source software for any OS because it is free and it is growing. You can find it at sourceforge.net for nearly all platforms and operating systems.


Shortened

Here is a website that tells us all about all different versions of linux. I myself like Fedora linux.
https://distrowatch.com

I have on my home computer a website that also has the open source counterparts of Windows software


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## BillS (May 30, 2011)

I'm not big on Linux machines. The software you can run is very limited. I prefer Windows 7. It still runs Office 2003 perfectly. If you have to buy Office 2003 stay away from the OEM version that's just a disk in a sleeve. It will only activate once. The retail versions of Office 2003 allow for up to 3 current users of the software. So you can buy one and it will still activate. If you have to reinstall it on the same machine it will activate again.

I also want to run iTunes to manage music on my computer and on my iPhone. 

My 32-bit version of Windows 7 still runs my ancient version of Quickverse 4.0 from over 20 years ago.


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## crabapple (Jan 1, 2012)

I do not bank on line & I still use DC, CC, & paper checks.


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