GnuCash is a standalone program that runs on your Windows or Linux or even Mac computer. I would have preferred a better more generic program name like 'Where-Did-All-My-Money-Go' but I guess all the good names get taken up early and some lawyer will be asked to sue you for using 'their' program name (can you even trademark the name 'Money'?). GNU is a nerdy recursive acronym used in the Linux world, but don't let that stop you. Cash is a name for that stuff you are trying to track.

• Getting Started: You download the version that works on your system from gnucash.org/download and run it. Setting up an appropriate accounting chart of accounts (ie the bank accounts you own and the expense and income categories you want to track and use) is a bit daunting at the outset, but you can use the default set and customize it over time. You could hire an accountant I suppose, or ask a grandchild to help you, but I prefer to just do it myself. Dive in! 
• Using the System: In theory, there is supposed to be a way to download transactions directly from your bank. I do not use this as the setup is arcane and I prefer to access my banking information directly online. I just enter transactions directly into the program as they happen. Actually, I use GnuCash as my backup system to my Google Sheets system and just copy and paste transactions between the two to keep them in sync. The interface is much like a checkbook register for each back account you set up with a date, num, description etc for each transaction. I create a saved report for Balance Sheet and  Profit Loss and use that to monitor account balances. 
• Pro's: Double entry system. Functions much like my favorite old Quicken program (now obsolete, from my old Windows days) used to e.g. using + or- in date field increments the date up and down. Categories are efficiently entered using Quicken shortcuts e.g. Income:Other is quickly entered using unique start for each section i.e. typing 'in' finds Income, pressing : and then 'o' yields Other for the desired category .. Reports are very customizable - click Options to select which accounts to include, what currency, which dates,  and how to display them. Reports can be saved and reopened as needed. User data changes are automatically saved and backed up.
• I like the fact that with GnuCash your data is locally stored and accessible even if the internet is down. And even if the internet is working, the website you need may go down itself, but with GnuCash .. happy days. That said, it is  somewhat rare now a days that the internet goes down or that sites stop working or go down for maintenance (but it can and does happen). On the other hand, your trusty old computer could also go poof, so IF you don't have a backup from elsewhere .. so sorry. I like to download my Google Sheets file from the cloud to my local computer as a backup, AND copy my synced GnuCash data file to backup server as well .. just in case.

More recently, I was also introduced to Wave, a free online invoicing and accounting program at waveapps.com.

• Owned by H&R Block since 2019, headquartered in Canada, over 2 million users, offers "free-forever" features, unlimited credit card and bank accounts, plus online payment processing for a small fee (if you are in to that kind of thing). Bookkeeping services are also available for an additional fee.
• Using the System: Wave is web-based, so no installation is necessary. Can be accessed from pretty much any browser. Transactions can be downloaded directly from many banks. Again, I do not use this feature as I feel it introduces potential risk to my banking information (as implemented via an external program called PLAID.. but who ya gonna trust? web browsers)! I enter my transactions directly or upload  from my Google Sheet via the provided "Wave Connect" extension for Google Sheets. If you are any little bit paranoid about security you probably won't want all your information up and out there on the internet anyway. Meanwhile, I am more trusting and have been testing Wave as an additional backup accounting system. The interface is much like Quickbooks online, but free!
• Pro's: Invoicing is wonderful. Not everybody needs this, but for me it automates the entire process. Setup the template as you like, enter the information, and let it send out emails and track payments. Sweet! Business expense tracking is also appreciated, with ability to upload scanned copies of invoices and other free accounting tools. System is available to anyone you choose to grant access to (multi-user: presuming the internet is up and Wave is still running).  The interface speed will vary depending on how fast your internet connection is, but it will always be slower than a standalone program like GnuCash.
• Some Con's: Not sure how to make a real backup from the cloud. Yes, I know that THEY are doing backups of some sort up there, but what if (the company goes away or changes hands, or the internet is inaccessable for longer periods of time, or I decide to migrate to some other system). No backup except printed reports. Wave is still a learning place for me, but it does weird and wonderful things with my USD vs CAD accounts e.g. thinking $10.16 USD is somehow worth about $53.63 CAN in its reports. It also automatically dumps some of my business sales into it's generic Sales income account when I prefer the specific one I set up for each sub-category business.  Hmmm My workaround for each was to add in an 'in/out correcting transaction' (ie an accounting Journal Entry) to move the amounts from where it ended up to where I wanted it so it matched the way all my other accounting systems worked. This works, but requires extra entries and time. Also, since the system is web based, it takes much longer to enter each of these adjustments .. find the account, wait for page load,  click More > Add Journal Entry, wait for page load, enter information, click Save, wait for page load .. you get the idea. The speed of your internet connection and computer will determine your actual experience, but it is noticably more laggy than either of the other two systems I have been using.

Bottom line. I like parts of each application. I love my Google Sheets system for ability to quickly capture transaction details and provide basic updated Balance Sheet information. GnuCash can be synced fairly easily with the Google Sheet but has more professional reporting with drill down and reporting flexibility. Wave is great for Invoices, but takes more work to sync the transaction data and still has some quirks (for a new user like me .. and of course, is somewhat redundant with the other two applications also in use). Your choice. For a mid to small business, either GnuCash or Wave might be more appropriate. For personal finance or a smaller business, the Google Sheets may be all you need. What say you?

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!

March 2023: Square Space has bought up the once beautiful Weebly editor and is now attempting to make everyone previously on the free Weebly plans now purchase a paid plan just to use the previously free custom domain routing function. So sad (for me). In plainer language: we used to be able to point a domain like ssdirect.com directly to the weebly page in the free offering. From here on out the only free option is to redirect my ssdirect.com domain to their generic weebly page name i.e. ssdirect.weebly.com .. not pretty but it works. Here is the email they sent ..

I do not understand. Firstly, I feel it is unfair to change the rules on me, but hey, that's your business. Secondly, the email is vague and incomplete. It makes no mention of the specific site affected (I have several with Weebly for many of my clients in addition to my own websites). It also provides inaccurate information on how to switch to the new free version (ie there is no 'edit' nor domain settings page in Weebly as implied in the email. It provides no way to contact anyone for clarification .. unless nobody@weebly.com gets back to me soon. And that will be that.

 MX Linux has been my distribution of choice for the past couple of years now. I happened upon it after noticing it was listed as it's #1 downloaded distro on distrowatch.com and I now use it on most of my home/work machines and it has been a dream to work with. As MX Linux on mxlinux.org itself describes on it's main page: "It is a midweight desktop environment that aims to be fast and low-resource, while still being attractive and user-friendly." The Open Source Post website fosspost.org has now named it "The Best Linux Distribution Of 2021" in summary: "Combining hardware support, low resources consumption and huge number of utility apps and deep functionality options… It all creates a wonderful Linux distribution for the average user. MX Linux 21 is one of the best Linux distributions out there to try, and we recommend any new user thinking of switching to Linux from Windows to test it out." 

I like MX Linux because it is so easy to install and use on even somewhat older hardware (like that I tend to have floating around my office these days), looks and works great and fulfills 99.9% of my computing needs [once had to open an proprietary fillable PDF on an old Windows 10 laptop before saving it as a "real" opensource PDF document - curses to those inflexible Alberta Government vogons who foist these silly unreadable files upon us]. I have MX Linux installed here it on laptops, desktops, servers, and stand alone media devices and it is a joy to work with.

IF you are wondering what to do with your aging Windows 7-10 systems as Microsoft moves to stop supporting you, I recommend you consider trying it out. The MX Live USB installs temporarily for you to test out and when you are ready use that to install itself for you.

The latest version is available at https://mxlinux.org/download-links/

So .. just don't do facebook anymore, myself, but this was funny. My daughter is working in the library here. She would like this. source:  ​https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=428336232410252&set=pcb.428336835743525

Magrath, AB Steps to keep your Windows 10 computer safe and free from crud. 

• This tip works on all computer devices: Linux, Windows, Apple, Android, etc
• For avoiding unwanted websites, I like to recommend the Clean Browsing Free Family filter. Info at  https://cleanbrowsing.org/articles/opendns-alternatives website. It works by replacing the main index to the internet (the DNS master lookup system - kind of like the phone book into where stuff is on the net) with a cleaned up version omitting where bad stuff is. It can be installed on a single device or (better yet) within your  main router to protect all devices - phones, tablets, visitors, etc from accidental access to stupid sites. Instead of pointing DNS lookups to the everything good and bad index you point it at the clean list DNS. Although there are ways to undo or bypass the protection, it will provide good protection for casual family users.
• I can assist you in setting it up on your main router if you like, but the instructions are online at https://cleanbrowsing.org/getting-started .. I suggest you try the Family Filter: "Blocks access to all adult, pornographic and explicit sites. It also blocks proxy and VPN domains that are used to bypass the filters. Mixed content sites (like Reddit) are also blocked. Google, Bing and Youtube are set to the Safe Mode. Malicious and Phishing domains are blocked." The settings for this free service are:
  IPv4 address: 185.228.168.168 and 185.228.169.168 and/or
  IPv6 address: 2a0d:2a00:1:: and 2a0d:2a00:2::
• Best Practice? Install the cleanbrowsing DNS settings on both your home router AND each of your portable devices. That way, when you have visitors in your home wanting to use your internet, you all are protected AND when you or your kids are using the internet outside your home on someone else's internet you and they are also protected there ..

Have fun and be safe out there! All the best@ ​

Magrath, AB Recommended steps to keep your Windows 10 computer safe and free from crud. 

1. Keep your system updated: Even though those updates take forever and potentially introduce new problems, on average it is best to stay up to date with the latest Win10 updates. BTW: If you are on anything older - I suggest trying Linux (eg MX Linux) instead. 
2. Install the free version of CCleaner from ccleaner.com and run that monthly. CCleaner also allows you to clean up your registry and see what is installed and control what is trying to run at startup. 
3. Install the free version of Malwarebytes from malwarebytes.com and run that monthly. The free version will keep asking if you want to switch to the paid version or install a trial of paid version but I prefer to monitor it manually and run it for free. That's just me.  Just let it find and remove any potentially unwand programs (PUP's). 
4. For anti-virus my current recommendation is to use the built-in Win10 'Windows Security' program. It is free in Win10 and works as well as any of the other free antivirus programs with little impact on the speed of the system and reduced risk of some unknown company spying on you or selling your information abroad. Between these three programs you should be able to keep the laptop free of infections and malware. 
5. Finally, for avoiding unwanted websites, see my post on cleanbrowsing.org ..

I have been upgrading many client computers lately by replacing their old virus prone Win7 operating systems with a shiny new Linux one. I have been impressed with MX Linux lately, although I have also tested Ubuntu and Mint and  Lubuntu in past year  on my own assortment of computers.

For me, MX Linux is a great alternative to Windows. It is faster, more reliable, secure, virus resistant and readily installable on your well loved but now aging Win7+ laptop or desktop computers. It runs all the apps I need or provides a workable equivalent:  Firefox or Chrome vs Edge, Libreoffice or MS Office (online) or Google Docs (online) vs MS Office, plus provides access to all the social and online media I need. It does all this for free via open source community maintained source code.  Once installed, it  works and feels much like the old Windows .. just faster and nicer. I now recommend it to all my clients.

"But it's not windows! " you might exclaim. Nope .. but then neither is the operating system in your phone nor ipad nor in your car, webserver, tv box or smart  fridge.  It don't matter, as long as it truly and easily  gets the job done and the interface is easy to learn, eh. I have Window 10 on a few devices but dual boot those computers with Linux as well. Most any thing I own with an operating system before Win10 has now been upgraded to Linux and I am well pleased with the results.

Is it easy to install? I would say it requires an intermediate level of experience to create the bootable USB drive and to perform the actual install, but no more than Windows itself would require of you. To blast everything away and do a complete computer brain transplant is dead simple. Just run the install and  use all the default settings. But for instance, to dual boot side by side keeping all your old  photos and documents in place and accessible to both systems, you first need to make room on  the hard drive to allow somewhere to install the new MX Linux system. A very useful hard disk partition program (GPARTED) is provided, but you must be careful not to delete the existing windows partition and only resize it. You must also then be able to create the new partition, select the correct linux EXT4 format and set the label to '/'.  About then you will realize that it would have been a great idea to have backed up all that precious data somewhere safe in the first place, but that is sound advice for any system upgrade. Bottom line, my mom would need some hand holding to get the install done. Once installed, however, I am confident she will run the system with ease. Everything just works.

• https://mxlinux.org/mx19-features/
• https://mxlinux.org/download-links/
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SU6epLljVmo MX Linux 19: Blazing Fast 9:14
  
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ctJBLjOi-Q MX-19 Linux System Setup and Review 24:17
  
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xet0_wW2Icw MX Linux 19: The Best XFCE Distro? 27:19
  

​

We 'cut the cord' a few years back.  First we lost our analog TV over the air (OTA) reception a few years back (about 2011?). For a while thereafter, we had cable bundled with our internet, but more recently we are on a fibre optic service (Axia). Kodi worked for a while, but now all the fun-ctionality has been lost there. We have tried a variety of Android, Android TV, laptops and other boxes, which work somewhat but always seem much more finicky. Wouldn't it be nice if you could just sit down in front of a big black box with a monster remote and never have to move all night .. like in the old days? 

Of course there is still Netflix, Amazon Primevideo, Disney+ and others that you can pay to replace that cable bill, but in my way of thinking that isn't really a 'cord cutting' benefit. It always irks me that just because we are 30 miles north of a border, we get zero or limited access to content available to our US counterparts. Bah!

Below is a list of Canadian and other networks that stream some shows for free online AND that that work for me here on my phones and/or Linux laptops:

• A & E - aetv.com/videos
• Bloomberg News - bloomberg.com/live/us
• BYU TV - byutv.org/programaz
• CBC - gem.cbc.ca/live
• Global News - globalnews.ca/national/programs
• HGTV - hgtv.ca/videos
• History - history.ca/shows
• MTV - mtv.ca/shows
• OMNI - omnitv.ca/on/en/shows
• ShowCase - showcase.ca/shows
• Tubi TV - tubitv.com
• TVO Kids - tvokids.com/school-age/videos
• USTvNow - ustvnow.com
• W Network - wnetwork.com/shows
• Youtube - youtube.com
• YTV - ytv.com/shows

When using a tv box, the apps to access the sites above are hit and miss. Youtube, HGTV, Tubi work there for me. However, even had trouble with Amazon and Disney+ (no sound) on these devices so they will be discarded. Google Chromecast is a work around that works for most anything that can be viewed on a handheld device, but I find using my phone as a remote awkward and unintuitive. Plex works for streaming my own video's and photos and viewing news feeds. 

Maybe one day I will find the ultimate old-school tv remote experience. It was just not today - yet.