Track Your Money

A boss of mine years ago explained to me that if you want to effect change in some way the most powerful way to do that is to track whatever it is. That is an incredibly powerful idea and I wholeheartedly believe in it. I attempt to use it in many aspects of my life but by far the most powerful is in the realm of personal finance. I’ve been tracking my money for years now and it has been a huge help and advantage.

I believe that everyone intuitively knows that having a budget is very helpful and would help them. However, most people shy away from a budget because it can feel overwhelming initially the future is unclear. I get that. For that reason I advocate that you simply start by looking backwards and simply track expenses with a basic spreadsheet. I also advocate making it yourself rather than using something that someone else created as that will never completely fit you and your needs. Also, break out your categories however you want. The major reoccurring bills are easy but amount of pop-up nonrecurring costs can be frustrating. I have a miscellaneous column for all those things that don’t fit into nice rows. The overall point is that, contrary to some personal finance folks, not every dollar needs a name. The important thing is to just get started tracking your money.

Once that happens, then it will grow. You will gain insights are what is happening to your money and at some point you will start projecting into the future. That is very powerful and give you a much fuller sense of control. It will also help you plan for the future and help you execute that plan. You will not be disappointed with the time spent doing this.

As always, if you are looking for a gift for the young reader in your life, you can find some great children’s books on Amazon. Just go to these links The Desert Fairies of Oylara, The Rainforest Fairies of Oylara, and The Artic Fairies of Oylara and order them.

Additionally, check out this very cool podcast on Spotify called Gen X Dad and his Gen Z Teens. Entertaining!

Finally, check out some pretty cool music on YouTube if you have a few minutes: Introduction , Mosh, Smoke, Watch Out , and First Day Out. Enjoy!