4 Software Programs I Use Most Often

1. Web browsers –Safari is hands down what I use most overall and for a web browser.  I check news and weather almost exclusively online.   If I remember, I use Firefox when I’m on Blackboard because “they” say I should use Firefox with Blackboard, but I often forget, and Safari seems to work just fine.

2. Microsoft Word – Now that I have it, I use Microsoft Word exclusively for word processing.  Communication is much easier now that I have it because it seems like any attachment anyone has ever sent me was a Word document.  My biggest Word projects have been job applications.

3. Quicken – I use Quicken to track personal finances.  I’ve been using the same version for 9 years, but it’s still working and it does everything I need, so I just keep using it.  Why do I bother with Quicken?  I suppose I’ve thought that if I carefully record all the money we spend that we will have more money, but that really doesn’t seem to be true. 

4. Excel – Now that I have Microsoft Office, I’ve begun to use Excel for household and personal use.  I’ve mostly used Excel for recording family medical and dental expenses and medical insurance payments.  I then use the data to make decisions regarding insurance plans and appropriate withholdings for health spending accounts.

There aren’t any really fun programs in this list.  I guess I haven’t taken the time to discover the world of fun apps and programs.  I’m pretty utilitarian when it comes to computer use, and I don’t have a smartphone or tablet device.  Now that I have a child of computer using age, I feel like any extra moments I have are spent either monitoring or restricting his screen use.  If I do get a tablet device, it will be top secret – lest I have another screen for which I must monitor use.