the spreadsheet

One of the great things about marriage is the convenient access to your spouse's area of expertise. For example, when Richard has a dental related problem, I am readily available to address his need and offer solutions. My most frequent response is

"Floss more."

Richard is an accountant by trade. And I had to laugh one night as a friend of ours, also an accountant, put together a spreadsheet to keep score of our card game. From what I understand these guys live and breath by spreadsheets.

Richard keeps meticulous financial records. He is the master of the budget. Which brings me to my previous point. I have a need, Richard is right on hand!

This morning he helped me set up a budget spreadsheet. I won't get into the details because I would probably just embarrass myself by showing my prior lack of understanding. But a spreadsheet is capable of a great deal. It evolves, adapts and basically does all the math for you. What is not to love about that?

I'm so glad that having a spouse with talents and interests different than my own allows me to broaden my horizons with minimal effort. It's a really great feature of the institution of marriage.

And, if you have never used a spreadsheet, I encourage you to find the special person in your life who can enlighten you. It is my new favorite computer tool. (And I haven't even scratched the surface of what Excel can do. )

5 comments:

Laura said...

I love it when husbands can do those things. Thank goodness we compliment each other. Imagine if Richard was a artist like you!

Laura said...

That should say AN artist. Oops

SarahAnne said...

Spreadsheets ARE cool!

Anonymous said...

You are hilarious! I personally LOVE using spreadsheets now that you bring it up...buts that's mostly because I have a little OCD with organization :)

Brock and Kristina said...

That is great that Richard is such a big help that way. I had a friend introduce me to mint.com It automatically updates all of your accounts every time you log in (it pools checkings, savings, credit cards, loans, and investment accounts into one spot) It catagorizes all your spending into a budget and shows pie graphs and everything. It also compares your budget to the average american. It is pretty much one of the coolest things I have found on-line. BUT we don't have an accountant in our house...you are lucky to have the expert there in person. :)