Xlyourfinances Customer Interview (Eric)

Eric is a young business professional who purchased the program around the time he got married.  ​I followed up with Eric to see if he would be willing to do a personal finance interview and he agreed.

Tell me about your personal finance journey and where you think you are on that journey?
My personal finance journey began when I first got my personal bank account and debit card around the age of 13. I was always a big saver, so I did not struggle with overspending. However, I never really looked to the future or what the ramifications were of my financial decisions. Now, I take these decisions much more seriously. I'm also constantly trying to learn money management strategies to improve my family's financial picture.

How did you handle your personal finances before you started using xlyourfinances?
Before xlyourfinances, I never tracked anything. I would just gauge how much I spent based on if I felt like I was spending too much recently. I'd occasionally check my balances, and that's it. I never had a budget.

What do you like about the spreadsheet, any favorite features?
I definitely wanted to track my spending in Excel, not Mint.com or some other clunky program. My plan was to just build my own Excel spreadsheet, but it would've taken me so much time and it still wouldn't have come close to as good as this one. My favorite feature is how easy it is to import data from my accounts into the spreadsheet. I love that it only takes me about 10 minutes every week to import.

How has your view of finances changed since you started using xlyourfinances?
I used to cringe when I hadn't checked my accounts in a while. Now I have a firm grasp on every detail of my finances, so I actually look forward to sitting down and reviewing our transactions. It's also impacted my wife, as before, she hated numbers, finances, all of it. Now she gets excited to see how we are doing in different categories each week.

Were there any surprises or 'aha' moments once you started using xlyourfinances?
My biggest surprise was realizing how quickly little transactions can add up into a big number at the end of a month in a certain category. It forced me to think about all of those minuscule transactions that don't seem like a big deal. 

What advice would you give for someone who is struggling with their finances?
​Track everything. You can't fix something if you don't even know what's exactly wrong with it. You have to measure your results.

What level would you recommend someone be at before using xlyourfinances?
Beginner. The spreadsheet is designed to be very easy to use, so that anyone can pick it up and use it. All of the heavy Excel lifting is already built in. No formulas, no formatting, just copy and paste your data in and categorize how you want.