Computers have become a part of my everyday. Whether I’m checking a bank account balance, cropping a picture, or sending an e-mail, I’m accessing my laptop, desktop, or hand-held computer (a.k.a. Smart phone) daily. 

The amount of passwords we need in today’s tech world is incredible. And the changes happen too fast! I just tried SHIFT+F7 to access the thesaurus to find a better word than “incredible,” but that feature is not offered on whatever word program I’m using.

It used to be DOS, WordPerfect, or Microsoft Word. Now, I’m using Microsoft 365 (which I can’t fully wrap my head around yet) or Google docs, in addition to other programs/apps of various names! Oh my, just thinking about all this makes me sigh. 

Big breath in. Big breath out.

My Experience with Computers

Truly, I enjoy computers. I’ve played with files, games, spreadsheets, and even databases since before “right-click” was an option. Remember those days? 

I worked the computer lab in college, learned some coding along the way, have dabbled in all sorts of programming and document creation my entire adult life, and now I’m learning how to create a blog and create printables on Etsy. It’s super fun, a bit time consuming, and very helpful for the many computer-type needs of our household.

All of these computer uses and features grew over time, and now I have more passwords and accounts on the world wide web than I would ever want to remember or store.

My Need for a Password Keeper

When I first realized the need for a spreadsheet to store these, I didn’t realize the length and amount of data that I’d need to keep. 

My goal for the past 20 years has been to keep passwords OFF of computer storage. No documents online, no excel spreadsheets, no password keepers, no saving them on the web browsers.

I keep our family password spreadsheet on an alphabetized list, sandwiched between cardstock and a heavyweight file folder. This “packet” sits on my desk or the main computer desk, depending on who last accessed the folder. In fact, now there are two packets, one for my oldest son, and one for my husband and I.

This packet has served our family for 20 years since we first began our joint e-mail address on good ol’ AOL.com.

Remember the sounds as the computer dialed-up?

I remember eagerly waiting for that closing phrase: “You’ve got mail!”

Where to find the Password Keeper

Yep, we’ve come a long way since 1998. We had to learn how to navigate the technology of the 90’s, and now we continue to learn the technology of the 2020’s. May we learn well!

I’ve made my Password Keeper available to purchase and download on Etsy.

Check out my store! I have multiple printables available for home organization, personal devotions, school, and homeschool. 

Thank you for reading!

Keep Walking Friend,

Christina