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Thread ID: 95901	2008-12-20 22:54:00	Costing Decorating	Thomas01 (317)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
731256	2008-12-20 22:54:00	A friend is considering going into business doing decorating. I suggested using a spreadsheet or similar for costing purposes but despite googling etc have not been able to find one. I could produce one myself but feel that the exercise must have been done already thousands of times. Better than I could do it. Can anybody recommend one - must be very simple and cheap (pref free).	Thomas01 (317)
731257	2008-12-20 23:02:00	Cash book has quotes invoices based on MS Access acclaim.co.nz. Free for a month then 150 to stop pop ups well worth it	prefect (6291)
731258	2008-12-21 01:33:00	Come on. DIY. Its not hard. I use Excel for everything.	pctek (84)
731259	2008-12-21 03:42:00	Off the top of my head the IRD website has an example of a cashbook- linked to their "smart tax" guide and their GST guide. Otherwise any excel spreadsheet can be constructed. Which reminds me, they should also employ a decent bookkeeper/ accountant to do their tax returns unless they know enough to do it themselves...	Sick Puppy (6959)
731260	2008-12-21 22:01:00	I agree that DIY is the obvious way to go. But I'm too lazy - I just reckoned it must have been done literally thousands of times already so why should I reinvent the wheel? The idea is a SS that when input with room sizes - labour costs etc could give a good estimate of the final cost. I will use MSWORKS 1997 as I find this is so much faster than office - much easier to understand and much easier to use. It also does some things Office cannot. But then my old DOS spreadsheet - still in use does things none of MS products can do. Such is life.	Thomas01 (317)
731261	2008-12-21 22:38:00	My father has been in the decorating business for over 25yrs, I spent a good couple as a brush hand with him. I would advise against time sucking costing exercises as most jobs are different....and need an expericenced paint to gauged how much time is required for cleaning\surface prep\number of coats required etc..... Frankly, for a one man band I fail to see the sense in an automated process unless you are looking at 1 painter going around costings for a large group of painters....	SolMiester (139)
731262	2008-12-22 02:17:00	My father has been in the decorating business for over 25yrs, I spent a good couple as a brush hand with him. I would advise against time sucking costing exercises as most jobs are different....and need an expericenced paint to gauged how much time is required for cleaning\surface prep\number of coats required etc..... Frankly, for a one man band I fail to see the sense in an automated process unless you are looking at 1 painter going around costings for a large group of painters.... That looks like damn good advice and in fact I was already wondering if a computer would be more of a hindrance under these circumstances. It does mean that I can let the matter rest and have an easy conscience. Thanks Solmeister	Thomas01 (317)
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