Yeah the "same method from my apprenticeship" bit is so true. Had an old timer show me the shim trick years ago and I still use it. Some fixes just stick around.

The weird part is how tax apps force you into their categories. Last year I had a gig paid in crypto and another in plain cash, and trying to log that was a nightmare. I mean, the dropdown menus don't even have options for half the stuff I do. Maybe it's just me, but my spreadsheet lets me add a column for 'payment type' and move on. All that time spent figuring out their system feels like wasted billable hours.