Book-keeping Systems
These notes and simulated documents can be used with any book-keeping system. The basic rules of double-entry are always the same and provide the basis of all book-keeping software.
Manual and computer systems
For low volume, low value transactions - office petty cash for example - a simple cash-book recording cash in and out may be sufficient. This is known as a single-entry system and the entries can be made into either a traditional paper-based book or using a spreadsheet.
Anything more substantial than this and a computerised system will almost certainly save time in the long run, so long as the operator knows what to do.
To do book-keeping on a computer you first need to choose a suitable software application.
Each application will have its own way of processing transactions and you will need to work in tandem with the instructions to find out how to enter transactions and run reports.
Some software vendors offer a free trial which will let you work through the simulations without having to pay upfront.
Computers are perfect for the number crunching involved in book-keeping and there are numerous products on the market, which range from the very basic to the very sophisticated - usually with a price to match.
Choosing software
If you know what software you will be using for work then try to use this software for the simulations. If you don't know then you could do worse than the online version of QuickBooks, which is a popular brand and easy to use. At the time of writing is their online version is available for 30 days free of charge here.
Most existing systems are desktop versions of Sage and QuickBooks and the rest, but the advent of the cloud offers huge advantages for the future, both in terms of the convenience and entry costs.
Next steps: Setting-up