Alright, let’s talk about this ‘grich’ thing I’ve been fiddling with lately. It’s nothing fancy, really, just a little system I cooked up for myself because, honestly, keeping track of the pennies from my small side projects was getting messy.
So, first off, I got tired of having random notes and numbers scattered everywhere. You know, a bit of income here, a tiny expense there. It felt chaotic. I wasn’t aiming to strike it rich, hence the silly name ‘grich’ – more like ‘getting organized-ish’.
Getting Started
I decided to keep it dead simple. No complicated software or anything. I just opened up a basic spreadsheet program. Yeah, the one that’s probably already on your computer.
Then, I created just a few columns:
- Date
- Description (what was it for?)
- Incoming (+)
- Outgoing (-)
- Balance
Seriously, that was it. No fancy formulas at the start, just basic addition and subtraction in my head or using the simplest sum function if I felt like it.
The Daily Grind (Sort Of)
Every couple of days, or whenever I remembered, I made myself sit down for five minutes. I’d look through my emails or notes for any little transaction related to my side stuff. Maybe buying a small tool online, or receiving a tiny payment for a gig.
I’d punch in the date, a quick note like “client payment” or “bought widget”, and put the number in the plus or minus column. Then I’d just update the balance. It was kinda tedious sometimes, I won’t lie. There were days I nearly skipped it.
Keeping it simple was key. If I tried to make it too detailed, I knew I’d just give up. So, ‘grich’ stayed basic.
What Happened?
Well, I didn’t magically get rich, obviously. That wasn’t the point. But what did happen was interesting. After a few weeks of consistently doing this super simple tracking, I started seeing patterns. I could easily spot where the little bits of money were actually coming from and, more importantly, where the small leaks were – those little subscriptions or purchases I’d forgotten about.
It gave me a much clearer picture, even if it was just small amounts. It wasn’t about big finance; it was about understanding the flow. And honestly, just having that simple log, that ‘grich’ sheet, made me feel more in control. It stopped being a jumbled mess in my head and became something concrete, something I could actually look at.
So yeah, that’s my ‘grich’ experiment. Nothing groundbreaking, just a practical little thing I did, and it actually helped clear things up a bit. Maybe someone else will find that simple approach useful too.
