Since I decided to start keeping accounts in July, I have persisted for almost four months. However, my records have mostly been simple logs. Recently, I came across a series on double-entry bookkeeping, which has been very enlightening and inspiring. I feel it truly meets my actual needs, so I spent a lot of time over the weekend transforming my existing accounting system according to the double-entry bookkeeping method.
I had also been using Excel for accounting before, so the flexibility is high, and the transformation isn't too difficult. The blog I mentioned earlier also introduced a seemingly complex professional tool called Beancount, but I want to start with Excel and use it according to my own ideas for a while to get a feel for it.
The most challenging part of reconstructing the accounting system is that I want to add a separate independent expense tracking based on double-entry bookkeeping. This is because when setting a budget, it isn't entirely calculated on a monthly basis; there are also project-based needs, such as an annual budget for personal relationships and social expenses. Mixing these expenses with other daily expenses only increases the complexity of understanding the spreadsheet. Additionally, I want to take this opportunity to do accounting for all my fiat and crypto... this is indeed a significant project. Although I don't have much money, there are just too many fragmented accounts. While doing the accounting, I encourage myself that this work only needs to be done once; in the future, I will only need to record transactions and reconcile at the end of the month, making it much simpler.
However, the above description only covers the actual technical difficulties; perhaps the more challenging aspect is the psychological level. During the accounting process, it's hard to face oneself honestly, as if not looking at the bills means not confronting one's own foolishness, desires, and greed. I have to constantly remind myself that what I already have is the best and that there is no need to compare myself with others. But this is something my rational mind knows I need to overcome. I have also been confused about money for a long time. Three years ago, I wrote an article about what I was anxious about when I was worried about money, but now I understand better what I need.
I need to establish a more reasonable concept of money. I need to know exactly how much money I have and then spend it more calmly and reasonably, without regret or anxiety. I hate fear. The use of money is always about exchanging resources, and I hope to better understand whether this exchange is reasonable for me when I spend every penny. I want to have the ability to make decisions regarding money. Although I enjoy uncertainty, I ultimately am not as strong as I think. A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall; I already know my smallness and fragility. When I read the distorted and dark words in my past diary as if in amnesia, I realize that some consequences are unbearable for me, so I can only plan reasonable ways to avoid them as early as possible. This world is dangerous, and I want to face it more powerfully.
I am not seeking significant wealth growth because I cannot achieve this through active pursuit. Wealth and poverty are all fated; I can only seize opportunities when they arise. The premise of this is precisely having a reasonable concept of money.
As for how I specifically keep records, I plan to practice with the current system for a while before summarizing a methodology.