diff --git a/lib/app/helpers.js b/lib/app/helpers.js
index 9b81281493..9a40cb4e67 100644
--- a/lib/app/helpers.js
+++ b/lib/app/helpers.js
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ module.exports.daysBetween = function(a, b) {
   DAY = 1000 * 60 * 60 * 24;
   a = new Date((new Date(a)).toDateString());
   b = new Date((new Date(b)).toDateString());
-  return Math.floor((a.getTime() - b.getTime()) / DAY);
+  return Math.abs(Math.floor((a.getTime() - b.getTime()) / DAY));
 };
 
 module.exports.viewHelpers = function(view) {
diff --git a/lib/app/index.js b/lib/app/index.js
index 898cfecf03..2cba095196 100644
--- a/lib/app/index.js
+++ b/lib/app/index.js
@@ -290,12 +290,11 @@ ready(function(model) {
     return model.set('_items.weapon', content.items.weapon[1]);
   };
   exports.poormanscron = poormanscron = function() {
-    var DAY, daysPassed, lastCron, n, today, _k, _results;
-    model.setNull('_user.lastCron', new Date());
-    lastCron = new Date((new Date(model.get('_user.lastCron'))).toDateString());
-    today = new Date((new Date).toDateString());
-    DAY = 1000 * 60 * 60 * 24;
-    daysPassed = Math.floor((today.getTime() - lastCron.getTime()) / DAY);
+    var daysPassed, lastCron, n, today, _k, _results;
+    today = new Date();
+    model.setNull('_user.lastCron', today);
+    lastCron = model.get('_user.lastCron');
+    daysPassed = helpers.daysBetween(lastCron, today);
     if (daysPassed > 0) {
       model.set('_user.lastCron', today);
       _results = [];
diff --git a/src/app/helpers.coffee b/src/app/helpers.coffee
index 4d60728915..3be8964ec7 100644
--- a/src/app/helpers.coffee
+++ b/src/app/helpers.coffee
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ module.exports.daysBetween = (a, b) ->
   # calculate as midnight
   a = new Date( (new Date(a)).toDateString() ) 
   b = new Date( (new Date(b)).toDateString() )
-  return Math.floor((a.getTime() - b.getTime()) / DAY)
+  return Math.abs(Math.floor((a.getTime() - b.getTime()) / DAY))
 
 module.exports.viewHelpers = (view) ->
   view.fn 'taskClasses', (type, completed, value) ->
diff --git a/src/app/index.coffee b/src/app/index.coffee
index 0b989baa95..f196e1fd56 100644
--- a/src/app/index.coffee
+++ b/src/app/index.coffee
@@ -237,11 +237,10 @@ ready (model) ->
   
   #TODO: remove when cron implemented 
   exports.poormanscron = poormanscron = ->
-    model.setNull('_user.lastCron', new Date())
-    lastCron = new Date( (new Date(model.get('_user.lastCron'))).toDateString() ) # calculate as midnight
-    today = new Date((new Date).toDateString()) # calculate as midnight
-    DAY = 1000 * 60 * 60  * 24
-    daysPassed = Math.floor((today.getTime() - lastCron.getTime()) / DAY)
+    today = new Date()
+    model.setNull('_user.lastCron', today)
+    lastCron = model.get('_user.lastCron')
+    daysPassed = helpers.daysBetween(lastCron, today)
     if daysPassed > 0
       model.set('_user.lastCron', today) # reset cron
       for n in [1..daysPassed]