It didn’t take very many months of hosting short-term rentals for me to realize that I needed a way to keep finances straight. 

With every listing, you will have receipts to keep track of, clients to pay out, invoices to send and pay. If you really want to go the extra mile, you can track your related miles (pun intended) and deduct them from your taxes at the end of the year. All of these will only increase as you grow your business. 

I quickly realized that putting all of my receipts into a shoebox, tracking all business expenses down at the end of the month, or God forbid, trying to keep everything in my head, was a losing battle. So I started looking for a tool that could help me manage everything without breaking the bank.

Enter Quickbooks self-employed. 

I’ve been using this software for over a year now, and it has been worth every penny I’ve paid for it and more.

Here is a non-comprehensive summary of why I think it’s such a great tool:

  • Allows you to invoice clients and send reminders
  • Syncs with your bank and automatically imports transactions
  • Easy to upload receipts from either your phone or computer
  • You can auto-categorize email receipts simply by forwarding them to a special email address
  • Super mobile friendly – you can categorize and split transactions, record receipts, review taxes, send invoices and more, all from your smart phone
  • Auto-tracks your mileage, so you don’t have to guess 
  • Very reasonably priced – only $4.99 a month

There are so many other reasons to love this software. It has turned what could have been a logistical nightmare and huge source of stress to me into something as simple as making myself a sandwich. Because I can do everything from my phone – aka, while I’m standing in line at the grocery store, getting my prescriptions filled, or any other time I have a few minutes to spare – my finances are always up to date, and I’m one happy camper. 

If you’re looking for an easy way to keep track of finances, look no further!

Have a different tool that you love? Let me know in the comments below!