I’m not going to lie, I’m obsessed with how to use Google Drive for your check register.

I love being able to create documents and spreadsheets that I can access anywhere with my laptop or phone.  My Google Drive is more organized than my closet with all of it’s sub-folders and color coding.  It’s beautiful!  Over the past few years I’ve learned how to leverage Google Drive to benefit me a little more.

One feature that I use is Google Spreadsheets and I use it as my check register.  If you’re familiar with Microsoft Excel then it won’t be hard to adjust to Sheets.  I can have it automatically add or subtract amounts.  I can label columns and color code using the highlight feature.  I can quickly add any charges while I’m out in town or sitting down at home.  It’s quick, which helps me stay on track with keeping it reconciled.

Here’s how to use Google Drive for your check register:

Create a new Sheet and label is check register (or whatever works for you).  I have ours labeled with the name of our bank, too.

Add headers to your columns.  Here are the ones I’m currently using and have been for almost a year now.

Date
Description
Debit
Credit
Total
Cleared
Check Number
Notes

Here’s what a blank check register looks like for me.

I also like to color code.  That way nothing slips through the cracks.

Yellow – a bill that isn’t due yet or a check that hasn’t been written.  We use the cash envelope system for a lot of our monthly spending, but not all.  We have auto-drafts setup for some bills, like – cell phone, DirectTV, gym membership, school loans.  I go ahead and enter them into the register on the 1st of the month, but they may not come out until the end.  I highlight them yellow so I know they aren’t coming out yet.

TIP: I highly recommend setting up auto-drafts whenever possible.  You’ll avoid mail delays, late payments and won’t have to remember to send it off!

Red – I use this color to highlight the “cleared” column.  That’s for any item that I’ve paid, but hasn’t hit the bank account yet.  That way I keep track of what’s come out and what hasn’t.

The notes section is for anything that’s out of the ordinary.  When we first moved we had to pay some deposits for our utilities.  So I marked those as deposits to remember down the road why it was an odd amount.

I love how Google Sheets (like Excel) has an auto-sum feature.  I can use the total column to add any debits and subtract any credits to automatically.  There are no mistakes by having it automatically do it for me.

I also love how easily accessible Google Spreadsheets is.  I downloaded the app to my phone, which is called Google Sheets and iPad so I can get to it anywhere, anytime.  Plus, it really helps keep us on track with our budget.

5 SECRETS TO WHY YOUR BUDGET ISN’T WORKING.

Sticking to a budget and paying down debt is hard.  It takes dedication and strength.  You must be willing to go without now so you can have more later.

You may go through phases with your budget.  One month you are strict with yourselves and your budget.  You know where every penny goes and you keep a watchful eye on your spending.  You even allocate every extra dollar to your bills.

In other months you slack off more. You go out to eat too much or you spend too much on groceries.  You don’t keep track like you should and you know it.

Those are the months that come back to bite you in the butt.

There’s a balance with paying down debt and budgeting that must be kept.  In order to be successful, you have to have order.

There are 5 secrets to why your budget isn’t working.  Over the years J and I have found what works for us.

SECRET 1: Don’t be too strict with yourselves.  Everyone needs to be able to spend money on something they want without worry. 

My mom told me this story right before I was married about a cup of coffee.  (I’m sure she read this or heard it somewhere, but it has stuck with me.)  A young boy and his brother were brought up by a single-mom.  The mom was struggling, but once a month she would make the boys a cup of coffee.  They could do whatever they wanted with that cup.  They could trash, drink it, give it away.  She never asked questions.  It was theirs.

Everyone needs a cup of coffee of their own.  You need some money that you’re able to do whatever you want with.  No questions asked.

You have to decide what that is between you and your spouse.  J can save his money to go the boat (casino) and I don’t care if he blows it all.  I can spend my money on shoes, getting my nails done.  Whatever.

We make it fair.  We each get a specific amount to spend.  Part of mine goes towards Crossfit so I end up with less cash than J does each month.  J spends some of his money on breakfast burritos.  It doesn’t matter.  We do not care what we spend it on.

SECRET 2: You’ve lost your motivation.  

Money is stressful.  Bills are stressful.  Sometimes you get overwhelmed and start to lose focus.  You need to be reminded why you are following a budget.

I recommend pulling out your debt snowball information or your budget.   Look it over and remember why you are doing this.

SECRET 3: You’re spending too much in one area.

You need to check your budget on a monthly basis (or more!).  Make sure you aren’t spending too much in one category and coming up short in another.  If you’re cable bill is over $100 and you struggle paying for gas to get to work then you have a problem.  Look at cutting your monthly expenses to free up money where you need it.

SECRET 4: Realize that media is affecting you.

Commercials, advertisements, social media are made to influence consumers.  Everyday people are bombarded with outside influences that scream “buy me!”  You have to realize this and think hard before purchasing.

Everyone needs a cooling off period when mad or overwhelmed.  So why not do the same when buying something?  Don’t let the cute little kid pushing Halos on TV influence you to buy them.  Especially when no one in your family will eat them!  You have to be smarter than Marketers.  It’s hard, they are good.  So good.

I recommend taking cash with you when shopping.  They way you spend what you have and nothing more.

SECRET 5: You’re not prepared.

You need to think like a boy scout – always be prepared.  That’s why having an emergency fund is critical when paying down debt.

I remember when J and I were on a roll with paying down debt, we woke up to our fridge going out.  I worried about paying our bills and not being able to buy food.  At that point, J  reminded me about our emergency  fund.  We had a little over $1,000 in that account.

We went to a discount appliance store, you know the kind – scratch and dent.  We found a great fridge for a fraction of what the other stores were charging.  It had a few scraps down the side, but the way our kitchen is, you can’t even see them.

There was no struggle.  Every bill was still paid.  We were still able to eat.

You must be prepared for the unexpected.

There you have 5 secrets to why your budget isn’t working for you.  Now you have the ins and outs of making a budget work for you.  

 

The Debt Snowball is a tool to help families and individuals pay down their debt.

The end goal is to be debt free.  If you’ve heard of Dave Ramsey then you’ve probably heard of the debt snowball before.  I wrote a post on it before, but it’s been a long time.  I think it’s time to go over it again.

It’s a simple concept.  Start with one debt, work your way to paying it off by putting any extra money towards the debt each month.  When that debt is paid in full, you take the money you were applying towards it and roll it into another debt.  You continue this snowball effect until all bills are paid off.

It’s important to continue paying the minimum payments on your other bills while building your snowball.  

It sounds simple, right?  But there is much more to it.  First you need to decide which bills to pay off.  Second you need to decide on an order.  Third you need to find extra money each month to allocate towards the bill.  Fourth you need to actually put the money towards the bill.

Before you start on your debt snowball it’s important to build your emergency fund.  It’s not going to help you if you get hit with an unexpected bill.  You will be working hard towards getting out of debt just to put yourself right back in the thick of it.

Let’s start with the first step: knowing which bills to put in the debt snowball.

The snowball effect is open to ANY debt.  I mean it.  Any debt you have can be paid using this tool.

Here’s a list of what we currently have:

1) credit card
2) personal loan
3) truck loan
4) school loans
5) furniture store credit card

You could also have:

1) loan from a family member
2) health care expenses
3) anything

Next is step two: decide on the order of your bills.

This step is a bit more complicated.  You could follow Dave Ramsey’s advice and start with the lowest balance debt first.  Then work your way through your debts.  I do it a little different.  I also take into consideration the interest rate.

Here’s an example:  J has a furniture store credit card debt.  He got a promotion of 0% interest for the life of the debt as long as he doesn’t miss a payment.  Pretty sweet deal, huh?  I have a credit card with a little higher balance (less than $2,000).  I have an interest rate of 18%.  It makes more sense to me to pay down the credit card first.  I will be hit with interest charges each month I carry a balance.  The furniture store debt has zero interest.

I think it’s best to look at interest rates.  If it’s complicated or you just don’t want to think about it.  Then follow Dave’s plan.  Start with your lowest balance debt and work your way forward.

Step three: find extra money to allocate each month.

You should have created your budget and started using the cash envelope system already.  If you are then you should have no problems finding extra money each month.  It doesn’t have to be a lot.  An extra $50 will make a huge difference.

For instance, your credit card’s minimum payment is $75 each month.  You were able to find an extra $75 a month to put towards your bill.  Now you’re able to pay $150 per month.  Your debt will start to decrease quickly!

The fourth step: actually putting the money towards the bill.

If you make a plan and don’t stick to it then you won’t get out of debt.  I like to immediately put the extra money to our debt the moment it hits our account.  That way we can’t accidentally spend it on something we don’t need.  By having an emergency fund built, if something comes up then we are covered.

Once a bill is paid off, keep that extra money allocated to bills.  Don’t relax and start pulling money away.

Let’s use the example above.  Your credit card is paid off because you’ve been putting $150 towards each month.  Now it’s time to move on to your personal loan.  Your monthly payment is $130.  Now you take the $130 and add the $150 to it.  Now each month you’ll pay $280.  Boom!  You’ve more than doubled the minimum payment.

These bills will be paid off in no time!

Does the debt snowball actually work?  Yes.  You have to be dedicated to it.  You have to be honest with how much debt you’re in.  You have to want to be debt free.

Here’s the workbook I personally use, soon to be debt free.  It’s from One Beautiful Home Blog.  Yes, I could have created my own workbook, but why?  This one is great!  It has all the benefits I was looking for.  Now I didn’t need all of it.  I didn’t print every page.  I only printed the paycheck schedule, payment tracker, debt priority list, and enough snowball calculators for each one of our debts.

Dave Ramsey has a pretty nice debt snowball tool on his site.  If you need more information, then I suggest checking it out.