Spreadsheet vs software for bookkeeping

Spreadsheets are cheap.

They're not free.

They cost you in:
- time
- mistakes
- stress
- and the hidden fee: rebuilding your records repeatedly

The mini-story: "I'm saving money by not paying for software"

You skip software to save $30/month.
Then you spend a weekend every quarter cleaning up categories, matching invoices, and fixing GST.
Then you pay an accountant to untangle the mess once a year.

You didn't save money.
You just moved the cost into your life.

When spreadsheets are fine

Spreadsheets are fine when:
- transactions are low volume
- the business is simple
- you don't need audit trails
- you enjoy manual control

If you genuinely like it and it stays small, great.

When spreadsheets break

Spreadsheets break when:
- transaction volume grows
- you need consistent categories
- you need links to invoices and receipts
- you want reports you can trust
- you don't want BAS/EOFY to be a project

How Self Managed helps

Self Managed is designed to replace the manual loop:
transactions in → categorise once → link evidence → generate outputs.

It's not about "tech".
It's about removing recurring pain.

Useful context:
- Cost minimisation
- Wealth roadmap