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FKM update, and new adventure with paper-based budgeting begins! As much as I love plain text, sometimes analog tools are the best ones for the job.
The one-file-per-task system I wrote about last week is still going very well. And by very well I mean it gets out the way and allows me to see what I have to do, with all the information I need to do it.
One thing with this system I haven’t yet been able to solve: how to view long file names on a small screen (iPhone) without them being cut off. I want to see file names handled in other apps the way Obsidian presents them: as multiple lines when more than one line is required to show the full name of each file.
It seems that every app that’s not Obsidian shows the names of files living inside iCloud in the default manner; one line per file. A big thank you to Obsidian for choosing to wrap them. Really though, can’t other iOS apps do the same? Is it a difficult thing to implement? Come on, iA Writer, Taio, Runestone, and the rest of you — please implement multi-line file name viewing of iCloud documents, or at least tell me why you’re not going to do it.
This lack is an annoyance, not a dealbreaker for this way of handling tasks. It’s not ideal, but I can get by with landscape mode on my phone.
Repeat after me (speaking to myself, here):
This week I’ve been taking another look at budgeting, and how I can find or make a simple system that ticks all of these boxes:
And I’ve come to the conclusion that in the battle between old-fashioned ledger books, the cash-based analog envelope system, plain text accounting, and apps like YNAB, there’s only one system left standing: paper!
As much as I want (oh, I really want) to become a plain text accounting aficionado, facts don’t lie: the other people in my life who either need to access our budget or who need my help with theirs, would not feel comfortable attempting that kind of geekery.
This quote lit up my brain yesterday:
For years, I attempted apps and computer software to track my spending. I risked my security and increased my chances of identity theft so I could plug my bank information into a program that would do the work for me.
What I found out is that even with electronic software, I still needed to make corrections to the data, correct categories it automatically assigned to certain transactions, and I always found myself wanting to go through every transaction to make sure the software was doing its job accurately.
I learned that as a perfectionist, manually tracking my spending was the only option I felt comfortable enough doing. I can make sure the data is accurate the first time, and it allowed me to create a visual system that makes the task much easier.
And so a new journey begins. One that ticks every single one of those nine boxes — especially number five: my husband/business partner and mother-in-law will have no problem understanding and feeling confident using a paper-based budgeting system.
I don’t know how it will play out, but for now I will simply concentrate on manually tracking and categorising our household spending, and observe the patterns.
You can expect to read updates in future PTPL editions as this journey progresses.
Rachel has a great guide on how to organise your financial life for $30
Budgets don’t care what your current situation is or how you got there. All that matters is writing down income minus expenses, and starting down a path where you decide where your money goes.
Mint Notion has a useful printable resource, with information on how to use them. It’s a paid product, but the preview images are clear enough to give inspiration for putting your own system together.
Money Bliss has some great info on sinking funds and other basic budgeting topics that I’ve found helpful, no need to buy their course/spreadsheet package.
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