📊 Tracking Every Peso: My Spreadsheet System

“How I Paid Off Six-Digit Debt”

💡 Why I Started Tracking

After the pandemic, I found myself buried in six-digit debt—including a ₱50,000 loan I took during the holiday sales surge.
Sales slowed down, and I had no emergency fund.
I had to return to a corporate job just to survive.

That’s when I made a decision:
Track every peso. Project every month. Prepare for every dip.

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📁 My Spreadsheet System

I built a simple but powerful spreadsheet that became my financial dashboard.
Here’s how I structured it:

1. Income Tracker

• Salary
• Side hustle earnings
• Collected payments from friends
• Affiliate commissions

2. Expense Tracker

• Fixed bills (rent, utilities, internet)
• Variable expenses (food, transport, load)
• Business costs (inventory, delivery, tools)

3. Debt Tracker

• Loan balances
• BNPL dues
• Payment schedules
• Total remaining debt

4. Savings & Emergency Funds

• Personal emergency fund progress
• Business emergency fund progress
• Monthly savings goals

5. 12-Month Cash Flow Projection

I projected my monthly income and expenses up to 12 months ahead.
If today is August, I already estimate my cash flow until July next year.
If I see a negative month coming, I act 3 months in advance—either by:

• Generating extra income
• Cutting expenses
• Reselling products using BNPL

💳 How I Used BNPL Strategically

I used Buy Now, Pay Later not for luxuries, but as a cash flow tool:

• I bought products on Shopee using BNPL
• I resold them at a slightly higher margin
• I used the buyer’s payment to pay off the BNPL dues later

It was risky—but calculated.
And it worked because I tracked everything and projected ahead.

✅ The Result: From Debt to Six-Digit Savings

Fast forward to August 2025—I’ve not only paid off my six-digit debt, I’ve also reached six-digit savings.
It wasn’t luck. It was discipline, strategy, and a spreadsheet that kept me accountable.

📝 Final Thoughts

This spreadsheet didn’t just help me manage money—it helped me rebuild my life.
It gave me clarity, control, and confidence to go from debt to savings.

In my next post, I’ll share the full story of how I tackled my six-digit debt—from the mistakes that got me there to the exact steps I took to recover and rebuild.