Making Accounting Fun
Creating abundance starts with a spreadsheet
Yesterday I did something of my own accord. It was something that I never thought would excite me. I sat down at my laptop and got all of my business accounting up to date, and I found myself having fun! How did this happen to me? Yet, there I was, giddy over deciding what color to assign to any expenses related to education.
Over the last two weeks, I took tiny steps towards becoming more comfortable with taking care of my money. On the surface, it seems like something that I should have done long ago. I have a beautiful example of my husband, who taught me the value of living below our means, and we always have extra to share. However, I had to take a journey on my own to discover how to manage my business finances. On my 100-day journey of abundance each day, I learn something new to share so that we all may become abundant.
It is only in your thriving that you have anything to offer anyone. — Abraham-Hicks
I believe that this is true. If we create abundance through our creativity in business or our jobs, we can offer more to everyone else. In these two weeks of working with my money and being grateful for it, I have finally learned why I want to thrive. I want to succeed not to have the ability to purchase lots of things, but to help others be uplifted along with me. This circulation of abundance is only possible if I use my creativity to create the overflow I need to help others do the same.
I know for sure that I need to do this work every day. I have some old programs running in my brain. Those say to me that I must remain small, that the system is against me, and that thriving is not for me. To install a new program into my consciousness, I must work with and appreciate my money each and every day.
If you have old programming like me, you know that you need to upgrade your system. To do that, I encourage you to work with your money in some small way every day.
Here is the simple way that I created my spreadsheets and made a contract with myself to take good care of my money.
- Print out or collect your receipts and any documents showing money coming in like paystubs or a printed paper. Put expenses in one pile and incoming in another.
- Create a Google sheet. I love all of the google documents you can create for free. You can even share them with family members if you are working towards money goals.
- I simply created one row of income and one row of expenses.
- For both income and expenses, I have three columns: Name, Date, and Amount.
- Each time you record an expense or income, on the receipt, or document, write: “Thank you.” I also added a smiley face. I am grateful for money coming in and going out. It is circulating.
- For each type of expense or income, you can fill in the rectangle on the Google sheet with a different color. It’s so much fun!
- For the final step, add up each type of expense or income below each category. If you have a business, you can subtract your expenses from your income to find your profit. Congratulations!
- Now that you have a spreadsheet set up: print out your documents and receipts, and enter them in at the end of each week.
I also encourage you to create a contract that you sign about how you will treat your money. At first, this seems a bit silly, but when you promise yourself something, it becomes something real.
Here is an example of a personal money contract:
“I promise to take good care of and be grateful for my money. Each week I will print out my receipts and documents and enter them into my spreadsheet. Five days a week, I will log on to my online bank account and thank my money. I can say a prayer or intention to my money silently or out loud. I will transfer $_____ to savings every week/month. I will donate $____ to _________________ every month that I have extra money once my expenses are paid, so that I may continue to circulate my abundance.”
Signed: _____________________ Date: _______________________
My prayer and my intention for you today is for you to come up with a system to thank, appreciate, and take care of your money regularly. This will not only bring you peace of mind, but it will also help you and others thrive together. We can all use our creativity to help everyone on the Earth be uplifted and grow as one human family.
Day #23: How do you promise to take care of your money?
I am tagging some amazing fellow writers on this journey. They joined me on my 100-day spiritual journey and it is an honor to have them here on this journey. I ask that you read their beautiful work here on Medium. Thank you for your generosity! Bob Jasper, Charlotte Zobeir Ali, Rasheed Hooda, Jenine Bsharah Baines, Amy Marley, Gurpreet Dhariwal, Aurora Eliam, CMP, Chowa Sekai, Michele Thill, Terry Mansfield, Tony Young, Jr., Dr John Rose, Vishnu*s Virtues, Noma Dek, Neha Sandhir S, Isha Tewari Srivastava, Art Bram, Joe Luca, Tree Langdon, Sherry S, Melissa Bee, Annelise Lords, Suntonu Bhadra, Henery X, Lanu Pitan, Selma, Annick Batamuliza, Taha Abbas, and many more! Thank you Illumination, Genius in a Bottle, Paper Poetry, and Medium Family!
Trista Signe Ainsworth is a Professional Organizer at Joyful Minimalism. She guides clients on a personal growth journey through their homes.
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