Other the past several years I have been using an online spreadsheet to manage my finances. It started with a monthly template which was added to, modified and refined into a yearly running check register that I find quite useful today. I have made a sample template to share with interested family and friends (that is you now)!

If you do a search for 'google sheets personal finance templates' you will discover 100's or even 1000's of free templates offered up. Many are more complicated. Some are more colorful. I don't know if my new offering will be of much interest, but it is what I use and I like it. Simple and effective. 

The link to this sample template is found at:  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets (view only)
where you can simply 'save as copy' and start customizing it to fit your needs.

Pros:

• Using it as a google sheet allows me to access and update from any computer/device/phone in the world, although a desktop computer is most convenient.
• Entering details as soon as possible allows me to remember and document the what and why .. not as much 'honey, what did we spend $xxx on three months ago?'. 
• Recurring transactions are easily copied and reused .. just insert new line, copy, paste, update dates and info.
• Split transactions are fairly simple .. just add one line for each part of the split. eg 20 of 100 to Grocery and 80 of 100 to Merchandise ..
• Completely customizable - if you want 1000 expense categories, you can. If you have 100 bank accounts, you can have those tracked as well.

Cons:

• Completely customizable - if you mess up .. oops. However, Google Sheets does have a nice undo/history feature that can help you un-mess-up ..
• No auto offsite backup .. although Google Cloud is backed up .. if you ever lose your Google account or credentials you may be in trouble. I like to download an offsite copy to use as a local spreadsheet backup just in case. Easy! Click File > Download > OpenDocument or Excel and save the .ods or .xlsx file to your local computer
• Not a double entry system .. so as a workaround I just use the Transfer category and TWO offsetting entries for bill payments and the like eg "100 expense for Bill Payment in Checking" and "100 income for Bill Payment in Credit Card 1" with same dates .. it seems to work.
• You MAY have to learn how to use or just get around a spreadsheet - ouch
• You MIGHT get addicted to knowing just where your money is going and how much you have left!

fyi *repost* originally posted at rogerdavies.net

So, you have an older Windows flavor laptop or desktop computer that is starting to feel laggy unresponsive. It was  sleek and powerful but a year or so ago, but now Mr Microsoft is suggesting your computer is incapable of an upgrade to any of the latest Windows 11 offerings. Mr Microsoft says it will no longer update or support versions before Windows 10.  What to do? Toss it and buy new? I suppose that is one way to go, but No! what a waste of a potentially perfectly good functioning device ..

Linux, my friend, is your answer.  I can install Zorin Linux on that device for you  prior Windows users. Pet peeve: Windows forces you to buy a Windows with ANY new hardware even if you don't want to use it on that hardware. For anyone just needing to check your email, balance your bank transactions and access all those online resources, I can install MX Linux (my personal favorite) on many even older devices and bring them back to life. Yay for Linux - free to use,  open source, very stable, extensively configurable. 

Don't worry! I can set the system up for you for a lot less than you buying a entirely new system (often for $150-200 or so vs $1000-2000 for a new system .. depending on how many passwords you have forgotten to write down). You retain access to all your old pictures and documents but now get to use shiny new open source programs, known for their stability, security and speed, that automatically update online. Zorin is customized to work, look and feel much like your old Windows computer but better. You get to choose for yourself how it works and looks and feels.

Call me for more information and options. You can easily give Linux a try. Many linux distributions are available online free of charge so all you pay for is my hand holding / system setup time. We can boot sample systems directly off a USB stick to see what suits you best .. and then you get your poor old system back to use: renewed and reinvigorate​d!