Money, Money how does it Flow?...
Money, Dear Money just
where did you Go? 💸
Tracking money, where it’s coming from,
where it's going is just the first step
to finding out where it went.
What is the first step and
why do you need to know it?
Awareness.
Is my first Why: Step 1.
Because if I am not aware of what’s going on
I def cannot do anything about
any challenges I am having around it.
There are many ways one can
successfully
become aware of Money and where it’s going.
I have found, that thinking I can do it by
remembering in my head, isn't one of them.
Uhmm, not my natural gift.
For some people it’s not a problem.
But I don't naturally remember numbers well.
Words, yes, colors and images more often.
So I need tools to help me.
They can be as simple as writing down
what was spent or received with pen and paper.
Technically simple and practically free.
That works for a lot of people.
I wish it worked for me.
Until I have to go find the notebook,
lose it and then have to use another one.
Little pieces of paper? Lost.
So keeping a long term tracking system so that I could see what happened overall throughout a month was a challenge.
You know what I don’t lose?
My computer. My iPhone.
I keep track of that thing.
And if it is lost or stolen the data is backed up.
It’s almost always nearby.
I’m using it for so many different reasons, texting, calls, recipes, research, info, movies, music --the list is endless--so why not use it for tracking or budgeting?
As it turns out it’s more practical for me to use my computer or phone.
Also remember that I don't do math or recall numbers easily thing?
Well, the mini computer that is the iPhone (or Android- whatever your flavor)
it does all that for me. Insta calculator!
Insta tracking of what happened throughout the day week or month.
So besides pen and paper and
if one chooses to go digital
there are a bunch of choices:
Excel spreadsheets, software offline,
online, Quicken, Quickbooks, Mint, YNAB
All of them can work. Some are good mainly for tracking.
Some are better for tracking and planning.
Some better at visualizing the information for people.
The best one will depend on what type of person one is.
So I’m curious, what do you use? Just in your head? Pen and paper?
Excel spreadsheet?
If software which one?
Maybe Just Wingin it?
Whatever, either would love to know which one are you? :)