Happy Spreadsheet Day 2023!

Happy Spreadsheet Day from the Team at Tiller!

It’s a party in the USA – we’ll be celebrating in Vermont, North Carolina, California, Florida, and Washington.

And what do you eat on Spreadsheet Day? Sheet cake, of course.

Quick Spreadsheet Stats

• Debra Dalgleish (interview here) of the Contextures Excel website proposed a national Spreadsheet Day back in 2010.
• The date of October 17, 2017, was selected in a community poll because it was the anniversary of the release of VisiCalc.
• Spreadsheet Day was picked up by the Days of the Week site in 2014, the 35th anniversary of the VisiCalc release.
• VisiCalc (“visual calculator”) was the first electronic spreadsheet program.
• Steve Jobs is quoted as saying “VisiCalc … propelled … the success [of Apple]… more than any other single event.” As co-founders of Software Arts, Mr. Bricklin and Mr. Frankston developed VisiCalc in 1979.
• You can see a video of Dan Bricklin, co-developer of VisiCalc, talking about his invention on the TED Talks website.

Spreadsheets and money

At Tiller, our focus is helping people feel greater clarity and control of their financial lives. We started Tiller out of our own frustration with trying to manage our money with personal finance apps. All were either spammy, inflexible, or limited.

However, in our early research and customer interviews, we learned two things:

• Most people didn’t engage with their money at all.
• The most financially engaged people already had a tool they loved – spreadsheets

We didn’t think we’d ever convinced this group to use our app – they were already extremely satisfied with spreadsheets. But on reflection, we were spreadsheet fans too.

That’s when we realized instead of making yet another phone app, Tiller should focus on making spreadsheets faster, easier, and more accessible for everyday personal finance management. 

• Read more: The Best Personal Finance App Isn’t an App

From kitchen tables to the biggest boardrooms, spreadsheets are here to stay

Ask your most financially engaged peers how they manage their money, and you’ll find spreadsheets at the foundation of their workflow.

Many will have used the same spreadsheet for a decade or more, guiding them through life decisions big (raising kids, homeownership) and small (trimming subscriptions, finding a bit extra to invest). 

Spreadsheets are the one tool you can’t outgrow. You can use a spreadsheet to track and understand your finances right out of college. You can use it to manage your household budget and expenses. You can use it when you’ve sold your startup for millions. And you can use it when you retire.

Spreadsheets are top-rated for financial control and flexibility

A recent survey found that even in the era of apps and automated financial assistants, 24 million Americans choose spreadsheets as their primary personal finance tool.

People who use spreadsheets rate them very highly. An Inc. Magazine survey found:

• 89% say spreadsheets give them more control over how they track their finances
• 83% think spreadsheets are easier and simpler to use than the app they tried
• 81% say spreadsheets have better reporting options than apps they’ve tried
• Also, spreadsheets are the most trusted personal finance tool.

Additionally, another recent survey finds spreadsheets are the most trusted tool for tracking money, beating other leading apps and software programs.

Thank you spreadsheets!

• Read more: The First Spreadsheets Paved Way for the World We Love Today