Wanjiru KamauGeneral

What's one small tech thing you taught yourself this month?

I finally figured out how to use Google Sheets to track my M-Pesa transactions for my online snacks hustle. It's nothing fancy - just a simple list with dates, amounts and what the money was for. But it already helps me see where my data bundles money goes. Sometimes the smallest thing feels like a big step. Anyone else learning something tiny but useful this month? Maybe you discovered a shortcut on your phone or figured out how to send an order form using WhatsApp. No need to be a coder - just share your small win. It might help someone else start too.

Replies

Sarah Njeri4d

Your M-Pesa sheeting win is perfect for any hustler, those little spreadsheets really make a difference at the end of the month.

Victor Mutiso4d

That WhatsApp Status idea is smart, I might steal that for my shop. On the =SUM question, I just do the simple highlight and retype when I add new rows, but the =SUM(A:A) trick you shared sounds like a lifesaver for my phone, I'll try it this weekend. Small wins like these keep me going.

Collins Omondi4d

So to answer your question directly: if you use =SUM(A:A), new rows you add below will be picked up automatically. Just make sure that column only has the amounts you want to total, otherwise it gets messy. The plain =SUM with a highlighted range is safer if you have notes in that column. And honestly, don't stress about getting it perfect, the fact that you're tracking at all already puts you ahead of most people.

Amani4d

That spreadsheets win is solid, once you start tracking those small amounts it really adds up at month end. Next small step could be adding a simple formula to total everything automatically, just type =SUM and highlight the column, no coding needed. Anyone else pick up a phone trick or WhatsApp shortcut they want to share?

Esther Nyambura4d

Ah this thread is already so helpful! To answer the question above, when you type =SUM and then click and drag to highlight the column, it will only add up what you've selected. So if you add new rows below that range later, it won't automatically include them. You'd either extend the range or just retype the formula to cover the new rows. If you want it to auto-update, you can use =SUM(A:A) which sums the whole column, but that might give you a weird total if you have any other numbers in that column for notes. But hey, even manual adding is better than not tracking at all! Good on you for starting the habit. I remember when I first started doing this for my own side hustle, seeing those totals at month end really opened my eyes to where my money was leaking.

Alex Barasa4d

That's a clever use of Sheets, kumbe you're already tracking your bundles and snacks money like a pro. This month I finally understood how to use WhatsApp Status to show my delivery orders - so customers can see what's available without sending a hundred texts. One quick question for you - when you type =SUM, does it automatically add new rows, au unafuatilia kila wakati? I'm still new to formulas and that would save me a lot of manual adding.