Google Drive

I've been meaning to write a post about our love for Google Drive. Today a friend asked for recommendations on a place to keep track of family stuff, and I decided now was a good time to write this post.

James and I started using Google Drive several months ago and it has changed our life!  It started out as a way for James to remember events on our calendar better...something he has always struggled with (I think it's a guy thing). He asked me to start using it with him so that we could both view it, add to it, etc. I did NOT want to at first!!  I LOVE my paper calendar!  I like to write (like with a pen -- the old fashion way), and I also like that I can view my whole month with a paper calendar.  Additionally, I copy from my paper calendar for the next year, to see what happened each month and remind myself of things that may come up the following year. So, I was super hesitant about switching to an electronic calendar.

After several months, I have been converted and I really do like it.  I love that we can share the calendar and both view it, add to it, etc. We put EVERYTHING on it!!  Appointments, days off, library book due dates, birthdays, reminders for anything and everything, etc. I also have the option to place things on there that he can't see, which is nice because sometimes my reminders don't affect him and it would just be one more thing to pop up for him that he doesn't need to be made aware of.

One really cool thing about Google calendar is that my "super smart" phone will ask me if I want to put this on my calendar any time it sees words like "meet", "get together", "appointment", etc.....this could be in email, facebook, etc. Anytime I get an evite, it asks if I want to place it on my calendar and I can do that with one click.

I also like that you can set reminders for however early you would like to be reminded. I believe you can also snooze your reminder if you need it to keep reminding you. And unlike a paper calendar, I can place events on it for a year or two into the future.

In addition to the calendar, we also use Drive for lists, such as groceries. This comes in handy when one of us runs into the store and can check to see if the other person added anything to the list.

The other thing we use Drive for on a regular basis is our budget and spending tracker.  We created a budget/spending tracker on a spreadsheet in Drive and we add our spending to it instantly. So, as soon as I get into my jeep after making a purchase, I immediately place it on the sheet.  I don't have to worry about remembering to do it later, or keep my receipt.

Within Google Drive, you can share documents and folders as well as keep some private, if no one else needs to be able to view it. It's really a great digital "keep all" place.  James and I definitely feel much more organized since we started using it. If you are looking for a new method to keep organized, we highly recommend Google Drive.