Just finished my bulbs today. Did not plant as much as usual this year because of some planned spring construction work - and still had trouble finding space for what I so glibly ordered in September! I planted mostly large tulips, but also a hundred each of ipheions and species tulips, a dozen Gladiolus communis ssp. byzantinus, and one lone Fritillaria imperialis, since it is of doubtful hardiness in my wet clay. My bulb planting was probably done a week or so late this year because of waiting around for contractor estimates - was not quite sure what I could get planted and where and got my order in late (lots of things were already sold out). Also it has rained incessantly here this fall!

Training helps... easier if your cat hates the spray bottle as mine does. They can be taught "no", just like a dog. Some are more stubborn than others though, so good luck. I make a loud "psst" noise, or clap my hands or stomp my foot as I say no firmly, the noise can help startle kitty into paying attention just like a spray bottle. I have glass shelves across most of my growing windows so plenty of space to keep plants out of reach... I also do not allow my cat on hard surfaces, like shelves and tables so that helps a great deal. It takes time, just be consistent. Eventually kitty should form the association of if I do this then that thing I dislike will happen. Dogs are easier, as praising them when you get home for not terrorizing your domicile goes a long way. One day when I have floor plants we may need a re-education session, but I often place my big ZZ plant on an end table near my couch and we havent had any trouble. I do also grow cat grass on occasion, and offer it to her next to her food dish so as to keep the message very clear that this one is ok.

I keep a photo-journal. I'm a Mac-addict so all the pics are in iPhoto along with brief descriptions. I like keeping things simple so with just a couple of clicks of the mouse I can find anything I need along with a visual. This is a great way to keep track of growth and seasonal changes in a plant. I have a web page too that I try to keep updated. I also have a small photo album with plastic photo sleeves in which I keep plant tags and seed packets until I take pics of the plants/seedlings and put them into iPhoto. I really lucked out with this album. I found it years ago at Michael's - it is about 8"x10" with two-sectioned plastic sleeves inside for the pics and the outside is covered in pretty flowers & butterflies with a small green check background - there's no mistaking it's for the garden. And the sectioned sleeves inside are the perfect size for tags and seed packets. As for plants I find interesting and may want to purchase at a later date, I usually find a website with info on it and bookmark it. These bookmarks are kept in a gardening "folder" so again just a click of the mouse to find it. I'm all about the KISS principle when it comes to gardening, which is one reason why I love cottage gardening. : )

For investments that are taxable (in other words, not tax deferred like IRAs) you need to make sure that you keep proof of the "cost basis", so that, when you sell, you can accurately calculate and prove the capital gain or loss to the IRS's statisfaction. Every brokerage firm's statement is different. Some are nice enough to record in each statement what the cost basis is (It changes if dividends are reinvested). But some statements are less user friendly, which means you need to keep them all in case the IRS wants to see proof of how you calculated the gain or loss when you sell. I do not see the need to keep utility bills. You might want to keep credit card statements for a year or two in case you need them to prove an expense. If you can spare the space, save all your tax returns. There is one aspect of the tax returns that many people overlook: If you are fortunate enough to earn enough money so that you do not qualify to deduct your annual IRA contributions, it is important to keep track of the TAXED contributions that you make. The reason: when you reach age 70 1/2 years and you start taking Minimum Required Distributions, you have to pay taxes on those distributions, but when you calculate the amount that's taxable, you should deduct those IRA contributions that you made over the years that were not tax deductible. After all, you don't want to be taxed twice. You need to keep track of these taxed IRA contributions using IRS form 8606. If you haven't done so yet, you should start. Monthly checking account bank statements are useful for calculating your cash flow -- how much you spend, on what you spend it, and how much you earn. Do this analysis once a year is useful because it gives you a good snapshot of what you do with your money. But most canceled checks and bank statements don't need to be kept after a year or two. Just keep the canceled checks that document your income tax deductions in case you're audited. Be careful with records that you discard. You do not want to give out your social security number or account numbers to anyone who might steal your identity. Get a good paper shredder -- one that shreds paper into confetti, not just long narrow strips, because paper shredded with those can be easily reconstructed.