As you can see, my approach is mostly to track which accounts I’m spending from rather than what I am actually spending the money on – although there are a few exceptions (see below for the breakdown). You will want to add, subtract, or modify as needed to reflect your own spending.

It may seem odd to include reimbursement lines (which are removed from the monthly totals). You may choose to remove these, but I split costs with friends and get reimbursed for work expenses often enough that it makes sense to factor into my money tracking. I used to include these reimbursements in my “other” income line, but it’s not really income! These costs show up on my credit card bill or come out of my bank account as if I purchased, say, an entire pizza, when I really only paid for my own portion and was reimbursed for the rest. That’s why I choose to track this as spending that didn’t really happen – rather than tracking it as spending and income.

Credit cards

I typically pay for things with a credit card as long as there isn’t a fee for doing so. Then, once my statements are posted, I pay my credit card bill(s) from my checking account.

I like to track how often I am using each card, so I record each credit card statement separately rather than including the bill payments in the “checking” row.

Savings & checking accounts

I transfer money from my checking account to my investment accounts, but I don’t consider this to be “spending” money. Instead, I track this in the Contributions section (see below).

Because it is rare for me to pay for things directly from my bank accounts, I make note of any miscellaneous spending from those accounts. Venmo, Lyft, and Uber, for example, are linked to my checking account, so I note those expenses as they occur.

Monthly “squaring up” with a partner/roomate(s)

While Hans and I share many expenses, we find it important to have our own separate financial lives – at least for the time being. Anytime one of us pays a bill, goes to the grocery store, covers the cost of a restaurant meal, etc., we record the expense. At the end of the month, we tally up each of our expenses and make up the difference with a Venmo payment.

When I reimburse Hans it comes from my checking account, but I include these “squaring up” reimbursements separately so that I can track them over time (just like my credit card payments).