Good Stuff from Rene: Volume 7 – Let’s talk about spreadsheets

Can you believe this is the seventh newsletter you’re getting from me?! Holy shnikeys!

In one of my previous newsletters, I told you that every month, on the first of the month, I have a reminder set to update my net worth and resolutions.

Because I HATE having to-do list items undone, it FORCES me to do these activities. (Must. Check. All. The. Boxes.)

Truthfully, though, I enjoy doing them. I like looking back at previous months and seeing how far I’ve come. It’s also big motivation to do things to have something to write down.

Case in point – the other day I read through my goals and noticed that one of them was to run two 5Ks this year. I ran one in May and planned on doing the Turkey Trot Thanksgiving Day. (Super fun if you’ve never done one. Plus you feel SO accomplished first thing in the morning!) 

So, I registered for the Turkey Trot, then got to write “Registered for Turkey Trot!” under my goals. Woo!

And along those same lines… in 2016 when I started to get my financial life together (or financial house in order as Dave Ramsey would say), I stumbled upon a little thing called financial independence. Or FIRE, which stands for financial independence, retire early.

Now before you think I’m all rice and beans and no vacations or new things or fun ever again, let me explain.

Basically FI is about saving some money so that you have FREEDOM beyond money. Freedom to quit that job you hate, freedom to take that leap or do that thing you want to do. Live that life you want to live. (I totally don’t care about the early retirement part, but some people are really into it.)

There was an advertisement back in the 60s from The First Federal Savings and Loan Association of St. Petersburg that makes this point. It’s called “The Pleasure of Walking Tall” and you can read it here on this Reddit post. (Click in the post to see the actual advertisement, too! I love Google newspapers.) 

Yadda, yadda, long story short – I keep track of what I have and what I’ve spent in a lovely little spreadsheet monthly.

I use the MadFIentists’s spreadsheet. But you can make your own, too! You spreadsheet geek, you. (I know you have this pencil holder on your desk!)

The MadFIentist likes Personal Capital and I think Mint as well. I don’t use either of those, but I’m a BIG (I mean BIG) fan of YNAB, which stands for You Need A Budget.

If I can gush on about one thing that has CHANGED MY LIFE, it would be YNAB. Totally out of this world.

So yeah, I use YNAB daily and then take a look at the big picture once a month. All good.

Just a word about to-do lists… I used to be a chronic lister. I’d make lists upon lists, adding everything I “had to” (this is relative, right?) or wanted to do ever. It was insane.

Now that I’m a parent and/or old enough to realize that I can’t. do. all. the. things, I’m VERY careful on the lists I make and what I add to those lists. Just like this pretty motivational print says, “You can do anything but not everything.”

YMMV on these topics, but this is what works for me.

Oh yeah, maybe you want to hear how the freelancing thing is going. It’s a big adjustment, but so far so good. I just launched my first full site for the Blackridge Civic Association. Read about what we did and get the link to the sexy new site!

Also, I need your help! I need to create an LLC but with what NAME?! Anyone have any ideas? The only criteria is that is has to be 1) awesome and 2) something that’s not already being used. Thank you!

As always, thanks for reading! I’m so happy you’re here.

P.S. Like this newsletter? Forward to a friend or tweet me some love!

P.P.S. New here? Curl up with my past newsletters.