Mix 'n Match

Here's a good way to confuse yourself: go to Canada frequently enough that you keep a stash of Canadian currency, and track it in its own Quicken account. While waiting in a Canadian airport for your flight back to the States, use your 'loonies,' and other coins to buy magazines and snacks. Doesn't sound all that confusing so far? OK, make sure you buy enough stuff that your Canadian money doesn't quite cover it. So then you pay with a mix of both currencies, one of which has its value being converted at a not-very-favorable exchange rate. Then, since it's almost impossible to figure out how to give anyone exact change this way, you get change back in more Canadian coins. Try to jot these transactions down in Pocket Quicken on your Palm, noting how much of each currency you just gave to the cashier and how much you got back. Oh, and then try to factor in how each purchase splits out between business expenses and personal. When you get home, try to reconcile everything in your desktop version of Quicken, which doesn't support foreign currencies since you're on a Mac, therefore forcing you to track foreign currencies as if they are stocks in an investment account. Please tell me you're confused by now. I am.