Expense tracking tips (that actually makes it easier)
If you’re scrambling every tax season trying to remember where your receipts are, you’re not alone. Expense tracking is one of the least glamorous parts of running a business — but it doesn’t have to feel overwhelming.
Expense tracking sucks.
It’s the part every business owner dreads. And somehow it feels even worse at the end of the year when you’re scrambling to get things ready for taxes.
I’ve done bookkeeping for our businesses for over 20 years. Every business has different needs and styles, but these are the tried-and-true tips I personally still use today.
Pick a specific day
If you’ve been around here long enough, you know I love a good theme. So in my brain, it’s always been Financial Friday.
Every Friday, I gather receipts and update our spreadsheet. After a while, it just becomes habit.
If weekly feels like too much, pick one or two specific days a month. The key is consistency. Same day. Same rhythm.
PRO TIP: Put it in your phone calendar with a reminder.
Yes, you’ll roll your eyes when it dings. But you’ll probably do it.
Make a folder in your email
We live in an online world. We buy online. We get confirmation emails. And then they disappear into inbox chaos.
Create a dedicated email folder called “Business Expenses.”
As soon as an order confirmation comes in, drop it in that folder. Then when it’s Financial Friday, open the folder and log them into your expense tracker.
Simple. Clean. No hunting.
MapQuest is your friend
There are tons of mileage apps. My problem? I always forgot to “turn them on.” It felt like one more thing to remember.
So if you’re like me, use MapQuest (or Google Maps).
After the fact, plug in:
- Starting point (your house)
- All your stops
It’ll calculate mileage for you. No app tracking required.
Huge lifesaver.
Use reports (don’t wait until december)
You probably shop from the same vendors often. Many of them have a “Reports” section where you can select a date range and see total spending.
Yes, you could run one big report at the end of the year.
But I wouldn’t.
Tech gets weird. Platforms change. Date limits happen.
Run monthly reports and add them to your expense tracker regularly. It takes minutes and saves panic later.
Talk to your accountant
Sometimes we overcomplicate this.
Ask your accountant what they actually need at tax time. Many of them have a simple sheet or list of categories.
Use that as your framework for tracking expenses throughout the year. No guessing.
Finding a rhythm that works for you is the key. But sometimes we need a little extra umph to get there.
Hopefully these tips are the umph you need to make 2026 bookkeeping just a little easier.
If you want help organizing your online world, stick around. I’m always creating tools, templates, and planners to make running your biz easier.
Start with my FREE EXPENSE TRACKER and subscribe to the newsletter so you’re always in the know.
xoxo,
Amber G
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