My husband and I bought 26 wooded acres in East Texas as a place to retire one day. The plan was to move onto the property after he retired, but life had other ideas.
Long story short, we ended up with eight dogs and four cats, and our beautiful 1930s Tudor home no longer worked for us. I moved onto the property with all the animals and added chickens because, obviously, we didn’t have enough animals already.
We have been renovating buildings on the property, clearing brush, building gardens, and taking life one day at a time. We already had a camper there for weekend visits, and that has become my home for now while we turn two old oilfield buildings into tiny homes.
We are in our 50s, working when we can, paying cash for everything, and learning as we go. My husband is like Superman and can fix almost anything, so we are definitely DIYers. I tend to look at things other people would throw away and see a new use or purpose for them. We make a good team.
Why I started Sage Sheets Design
I started Sage Sheets Design after I got sick and could no longer work outside the home. I missed working, and it became the perfect storm for me to start something of my own from home.
I create spreadsheets based on my own life—things I wish I had kept track of in the past or need help organizing now. Others begin with someone I know needing a tool to help solve a problem. When that happens, I ask detailed questions about what they need, what problems they are having, and what information would actually help them.
How I decide what goes into a spreadsheet
I ask myself the same questions before I begin designing any spreadsheet: What problem does it need to solve? What information needs to be remembered? What decisions will it help someone make?
I don’t believe in stuffing everything you can think of into a spreadsheet. At some point, it stops being a useful tool and becomes more work. The best spreadsheets should make less work, not more, while giving us the information we need to make better decisions.
Whether you are here for the blog, the spreadsheets, or both, I hope you find something enjoyable and useful while you are here.