Show Your Books Some Love: The 15-Minute Monthly Money Date (That Saves You Stress and Money)

Let’s be honest: most people don’t avoid bookkeeping because they’re “bad at numbers.”

They avoid it because it feels like opening a junk drawer. You know there’s something important in there… but there’s also a dead battery, three mystery keys, and an emotional support rubber band ball.

So here’s my February message: your books deserve a tiny bit of love. Not a weekend. Not a complete life overhaul. Just 15 minutes once a month.

I call it a Monthly Money Date, and it’s the simplest way I know to:

• reduce stress,

• catch expensive mistakes early,

• and make tax season feel way less dramatic.

Why this matters (aka what it’s costing you right now)

When bookkeeping gets ignored for months, the problems don’t just sit quietly. They multiply. Fast.

Here’s what I see all the time when business owners skip monthly check-ins:

• Subscriptions you forgot you’re paying for (and you only notice when cash is tight)

• Duplicate charges that never get disputed because it’s “too late now”

• Deposits that don’t match sales (hello, missing income or overstated income)

• Sales tax or payroll amounts that surprise you at the worst possible moment

• A growing sense of “I’ll deal with it later,” which turns into… April chaos

The monthly money date keeps you in the driver’s seat without taking over your life.

The 15-minute Monthly Money Date (do this once per month)

Pick a consistent time. Put it on your calendar. Make it mildly enjoyable. Coffee helps.

1) Check your bank balance vs. what your accounting shows (3 minutes)

This is your quick “is anything on fire?” check.

• Log into your bank.

• Look at your current balance.

• Compare it to your accounting software’s bank balance.

If they are wildly different, don’t panic. It usually means transactions are missing, duplicated, or not reconciled.

Tiny win: catching this early keeps you from making decisions based on fake numbers.

2) Scan for “wait… what is that?” transactions (4 minutes)

Open your bank transactions (or your categorized transactions list) and look for:

• charges you don’t recognize

• duplicate payments

• big spikes (fees, supplies, contractors)

• refunds that didn’t actually hit

Rule: If you can’t explain it in 5 seconds, flag it.

Don’t solve everything right now. Just identify what needs attention.

3) Confirm your big 3 categories look reasonable (4 minutes)

These vary by business, but for most service-based businesses, the “big 3” are:

• Income

• Payroll/contractors

• Software, subscriptions, and fees

Ask:

• Does income look like what I expected for the month?

• Did payroll or contractor payments line up with reality?

• Are software fees creeping upward?

This is where people find the sneaky stuff: extra app subscriptions, payment processing fees that jumped, or a contractor paid twice.

4) Do one mini-cleanup task that future-you will worship you for (3 minutes)

Pick one:

• upload 5 receipts you’ve been ignoring

• match any uncategorized transactions

• move one personal charge out of business spending (and make a note)

• add a note to one weird transaction so you remember later

Think of this as brushing your teeth, not doing a full dental reconstruction.

5) Set one “next month” intention (1 minute)

Examples:

• “I’m going to set aside X% for taxes each deposit.”

• “I’m canceling that subscription I don’t use.”

• “I’m going to separate business and personal spending better.”

• “I’m booking a cleanup because this is officially annoying.”

One sentence. Done.

Practical tips to make this actually stick (because habits are hard)

Here are the strategies that work for real humans:

• Put it on your calendar with a name you’ll respect.
  “Money Date” works better than “Bookkeeping” because bookkeeping sounds like punishment.

• Tie it to something you already do.
  First Friday of the month, after payroll, after you pay rent, whatever makes sense.

• Keep a running “questions” note.
  One note in your phone called “Bookkeeping Questions.” When something pops up mid-month, drop it there and move on.

• Stop trying to categorize perfectly.
  The goal is clean and consistent, not emotionally flawless.

• If you dread it every month, that is your sign.
  Dread is data. It means your system is too complicated, too messy, or you need support.

Mini example (what this looks like in real life)

Let’s say you run a service business and February is busy. You do your 15-minute money date and notice your software expenses are higher than normal.

You scroll and find:

• a scheduling tool you replaced months ago (still billing you)

• a second file storage subscription because someone signed up on a different email

• a small “trial” that turned into a paid plan

You cancel two things and save $87/month. That is $1,044/year for literally 10 minutes of noticing.

That’s the magic. It’s not that bookkeeping is fun. It’s that being blindsided is worse.

If you want, I can help you set up a simple monthly system that matches your business, and clean up anything that’s making your numbers feel unreliable.

• Book a consult here: https://calendly.com/sara-dunhambookkeepingservices

• Prefer to send documents first? Use my secure upload link: https://www.cognitoforms.com/DunhamBookkeepingServices/SecureDocumentUpload

And if you try the 15-minute money date this month, tell me what you found. My favorite stories are the “I just saved money and didn’t even know I was leaking it” ones.

(This post is for general education and not individualized tax advice.)