Once I was in a class aimed at helping creatives with the more business side of our careers.  One night our homework was to describe our financial organization methods. If your are anything like me sometimes numbers really make me nervous.  But I love organizing things.  My financial organizational tips for the freelance creative are constantly evolving and changing. I keep what works and change what doesn’t. Currently I have found these 3 simple tips that help keep all the important information in one place.

1. Bank Account and Special Wallet

I have one bank account that I do all my business dealings with. Keeping it completely separate from my personal and family finances cuts down on confusion. I keep the card for this account in a completely separate wallet. That way I can keep business receipts separate and I always no where they are. It’s full of receipts and I try to empty it at least once a month. But at least they are all together in one spot until I get to them.

2. Dates and Mileage in my Planner

I use my planner to write down the dates each month when I need to take care of things. Such as when I need to pay my sales tax, when I need to send reoccurring invoices, and to keep track of trips that need to added to my mileage log.

3. Binder, Dividers, and Plastic Sleeves

A three ring binder keeps other important information such as bank statements, invoices, and online sales reports tidy. I know this could all be online but I needed something tangible and all in one place.
At the end of each month, I print out my bank statement and categorize each entry. Such as what kind of expense it was or what type of income. I print out all of my my invoices and online sales reports from Square and Etsy and add them to the month. I take all of the receipts from my wallet and check them with the statement then slip them into a clear plastic sleeve. That way they stay together and are neat in the binder. If I have any online receipts I print them out and add them to the binder as well. I also print out a copy of my mileage total for the month.

The binder has a divider for each month. I know some people keep things divided by document such as all of their invoices together and all of their statements together but for right now keeping it organize by the month works for me. That way I can have each month taken care of and only have to organize the 12 when it comes tax time. At least that’s my theory.

The program and classes I took were through the Artist, INC organization. Their purpose is to help artist MAKE ART WORK. Being is artist is my job. It’s not a hobby. It’s what I studied in school. I’m ready for it to be my career.

Check out my newest YouTube video Financial Organizational Tips for the Freelance Creative below for a description of what’s working at the moment.

If you are a freelance creative (artist, designer, writer, blogger) I think a lot of my tips are applicable to those fields and can help the accountant hat fit a bit better. let me know if my financial organizational tips for the freelance creative were helpful to you. If you have any tips that are working well for you share them with me!