I am the Spreadsheet Queen!!

Now I know many will find this sad, but I love spreadsheets. Mainly because I forget things easily and spreadsheets have formulas that work things out for me so I don't have to think too much. And so I have created my spreadsheet world.

My first spreadsheet logged all our DVDs in alphabetical order and split into various genres, kids, chick flick, action, comedy etc. I often grab dvds from charity shops. By having a list on my phone that's easy to view, it stops me from buying ones I already have. It also makes it easy to choose a video to watch, depending on what mood we are into what genre to watch rather than hunt in a cupboard.

Then came my Personalised Calendar with our family birthdays and pictures added. This only came about as one year I couldn't find the type of calendar I wanted, but has become the norm. I just love choosing pictures from the current year of memories for the following year.

Then, as I found it so difficult to price my paintings, my Artwork spreadsheet keeps a record of all the artwork I have done, from size to year, and even why I painted it. A little formula works out it's price using the cost of materials, time, % to gallery or charity etc. This has proven to be a godsend and makes pricing so much easier and ensures I have a record of all my artwork for sale, sold, or gifted.

The Recipe spreadsheet came next as I was fed up with wondering what to cook every day. I browsed all my cookbooks, chose all the recipes I liked, and added them to a spreadsheet referencing the book and page, and sometimes the best way to cook the dish. Now I just look up the main ingredient type I fancy, and then look up a dish title and it's straight to the right book. No more wondering what to have and eventually, I will add the calorific value and if it's a favorite dish.

And on to Meal planning using the Eat well plate with a calorie counter. (Yes I am still trying to lower my Cholesterol and lose a few more pounds I put on in Penang.) It even cross-references the recipe spreadsheet so it's even easier to meal plan and create a shopping list. Saving time and money, stopping any food waste, and makes thinking about what to buy and cook every week simple.

So my latest spreadsheet is for all my Seeds. I found it difficult to remember what can be planted when. I used to have my seeds in month order of sowing, however, this didn't help how long I could keep sowing each of the seed types. Now my spreadsheet shows me what months I can sow what seeds, how long they take to germinate, as I know I was waiting for over a month for some which should have germinated within 14 days, wasting time as I could have resown. Also when to plant out and harvest times.

I am not sure what my next spreadsheet will be, but as long as it saves me effort, it's always worth investing time in creating one. It certainly saves time in the long run, the hard part is keeping it up to date.

And so my life feels calmer and easier, much like my painting 'Calm' I recently sold at the 2021 Emsworth Art Trail thanks to my spreadsheets.

I'm off to update my Artwork spreadsheet with the sale of my Calm painting, check out my recipe spreadsheet and meal plan for next week so I can put in my Tesco order all from the comfort of my armchair!

Ah yes, I think I will cook Green Thai Chicken curry as my Kaffier lime leaves are growing nicely and my beansprouts and basil are ready to harvest. If you want the recipe just contact me via the comments below.

For anyone also trying to lower their cholesterol check out HeartUK.org

If you want a copy of any of my spreadsheets let me know in the comments below.

Obviously, they will be blank and ready for you to use.

Until next time.

Love and Light Peeps.

Stay safe 

Dbee x