09/10/2026
OK, I was not able to share my actual calendar and what we did because there is private information on that lol, but I promise that this was a super helpful activity.
I am someone who generally feels like they have a decent understanding of their income and expenses, but this exercise was really helpful to actually map out and visualize the snapshot of what every month actually looks like in our home and businesses.
We tracked every monthly recurring expense and plotted on the calendar, and when money comes in, we will plot that in as well, so that we have an ongoing realistic snapshot of some of the things that are totally expected and recurring, but can often slip the mind when dealing with day-to-day activities and operations.
It is important to also put in all the ways that money can come in as well and track that on the day that it happens as well.
Money in is not always as simple as you might think it is. I like to think of money in as any money or savings that you come across.
This may be a client paying an invoice or paying a deposit, but it could also look like a government check deposit, finding money, a gift card on your birthday, a tip, investments, rising, eliminating debt, so that interest payments are no longer an expense, etc.
I find it, particularly helpful to have it mapped out in a visual way rather than just a Excel sheet, a ledger, or worse yet, just rattling around in my brain.
Is this something that you would try? Let me know in the comments. I know money can be a very tricky topic for so many people, but I tell you it can be quite neutral and maybe even enjoyable to do this kind of work. For me, it certainly makes my brain a little less exhausted.
