Wednesday 10 July 2013

The Dreaded Day

Today has been 'the day of the accountant'.   Of course farms, as with all other businesses, have to keep books and employ an accountant to verify them at the end of the financial year.   I suppose it would be possible to work out things like income tax if you were a financial wizard - the farmer leaves it to the accountant - he firmly believes in 'horses for courses' approach.

I keep all out financial ins and outs in a ledger after my own fashion - no book-keeping on the computer, I prefer the thick red ledger in my hand and a pen and ink to fill it in.
   
The column that always defeats me is the 'contra' column - I pretend that I understand it but in reality I don't if it gets complicated (like it does with the buying of a new tractor and exchanging it for the old one).   So I am always relieved when the accountant comes, sits down at the table with her list of queries and I find that by and large I have done everything correctly.
 
Now she has gone, I have started the new ledger for the new financial year and I have caught up on the entries, totalled page one (and got it to balance) and filed everything away.   I am left with two feelings - elation that it was all OK and exhaustion over a morning spent going through figures about which I have a bit of a mental block. Isn't it strange how some of us take to numbers like a horse wandering over to drink from the trough, whilst others (among which I count myself in spite of being a teacher) can be led over to the trough but drinking requires a major effort.

All's well for another year so let's celebrate big time.

14 comments:

Pamela Terry and Edward said...

Being dreadful with numbers myself, I understand your
exhaustion. Honestly, I don't think I have any hint of a left brain. Happy for you that it's all done!
xo

Barbara said...

I'm glad that your day of accounting ended well. Celebrate away!
I must confess, I like doing the farm books...all those little columns arranged so neatly (when they total correctly, that is) I gave up my ledger paper and pencil method a number of years ago. It's not quite so fun now that I do it on the computer. But, I do feel ever so successful when I can finally hit "print" and generate reports.

Twiglet said...

Well done you!! I always used a pen and paper method for school fund - not something I enjoyed doing either but satisfying when the auditor agreed with all my figures - a big relief too. xJo

Gwil W said...

You know what the do they do in Salzburg? Nobody audits the council's books for 5 years and then the Mayoress resigns following defeat at the local elections following a financial scandal involving the proverbial missing millions. The police are called in or maybe they are not. It seems to be the latter case.

Local farmers are honest salt of the earth folk. And I love them for it. And that's why I go out of my way to buy their stuff.

Heather said...

I am impressed Pat, it would be quite beyond me. I'm no good with figures either and hated Book-keeping lessons which went with the shorthand and typing course I did many years ago. You have every right to feel elated and exhausted!

MorningAJ said...

Don't ask me to do anything with numbers! They hate me - I swear it. I'm impressed that you got things to balance. You deserve a treat.

Arija said...

You are ahead of me, our's is due and even more complicated because we also have to do a quarterly GST statement, so now i have to do the quarterly and annual tax9separately0 for the farm and two personal tax assessments. I do them on a speed sheet on the computer and hand them over to our accountant.
When it comes to GST and stamp duty on insurance, I give up and get angry, how dare the government charge GST on a tax!
I really must stop procrastinating and get down to it.

JoAnn ( Scene Through My Eyes) said...

Having owned a bookkeeping business for 18 years, people presume that I'm great at numbers - oh not so - I was tense all the time I was balancing and figuring - but I also had good workers and knew the basics so it was a good job - while it lasted. When we moved from California to Washington state I decided to "retire" and it was the best thing I ever did - now I leave that sort of thing to the other professionals and am much happier. I made my living with numbers - and now I make my ease without them - I say - let us do celebrate!!!

Hildred said...

I have finished my silk rag mats and taken the warp from the loom so now I am into the mathematics of a new warp, and all the pleasure of planning it, - how wide will it be, and what will be the length, - how many ends per inch and what size reed shall I use, - when all that is decided I can figure out the yardage needed for the warp and the weft and I love it all!

Bookkeeping not so much. I don't find it creative and perhaps that makes the difference.

Cloudia said...

Glad you are done for another year.



ALOHA from Honolulu
Comfort Spiral
~ > < } } ( ° >

The Weaver of Grass said...

Seems most of us feel the same. I do agree there is a certain satisfaction to be gained from getting the balance right.

I am pleased that Gwil thinks farmers are 'honest folk' I hope he is right - there was a slight guffaw from the farmer when I read this out to him - he felt that the phrase should be preceded by 'most'

Thanks for calling.

Em Parkinson said...

I'm afraid I went over to excel spreadsheets for accounts but I did love those red books. As far as I remember, they're incredibly expensive and, in the early days of being self employed, wiped out half a day's wages!

mrsnesbitt said...

We had our annual meeting with the accountant on Monday - all went well and Jon apparently did 50% better than last year - all in all a good one.

Dave King said...

Superb feeling - hope you had a wee drop of something for celebration!