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PyLedger

A straightforward expense tracker that keeps you honest about your spending.

Why I Made This

I kept wondering where my money went each month. Sound familiar? So I built something simple - set a budget, log what you spend, get a warning when you're close to going over. Nothing fancy, but it works.

Getting Started

Install Python

Windows:

  1. Download from python.org
  2. Check "Add Python to PATH" during setup
  3. Install

Mac/Linux:

python3 --version

VS Code Extensions (If You Use It)

  • Python by Microsoft
  • Pylance by Microsoft

How to Run

VS Code:

  1. Open the folder with pyledger.py
  2. Click the play button
  3. Follow the prompts

Terminal:

python pyledger.py
# or
python3 pyledger.py

What You Can Do

========================================
MENU:
  1. Add Expense
  2. View Expenses
  3. Show Summary
  4. Set/Change Budget
  5. Exit
========================================

Quick Example

PyLedger
Track your expenses wisely!

Welcome! Let's set your budget first.

SET BUDGET
Enter your budget amount: $500
Budget set to $500.00

ADD EXPENSE
Enter date (or press Enter for today): 
Categories: Food, Transport, Entertainment, Shopping, Bills, Other
Enter category: Food
Enter amount: $45.50

Expense added: Food - $45.50

You have $454.50 remaining in your budget.

The Warning System

This is the part that keeps you in check:

Status What It Means
Safe You're good, money left in the budget
Caution You've used 90%+ of your budget
Over Budget Time to stop spending

Where's My Data?

Everything saves to two files in the same folder:

  • expenses.csv - All your expenses
  • budget.txt - Your budget amount

Want to start fresh? Just delete these files.

Troubleshooting

"Python not recognized" Reinstall Python and check "Add to PATH"

Data not saving? Make sure you have permission to write files in that folder

Want to reset everything? Delete expenses.csv and budget.txt, then run the app again

What's Under the Hood

If you're curious about the code:

  • Uses Python's csv module for storing expenses
  • datetime for handling dates
  • Simple file I/O for the budget
  • Basic input validation so it doesn't crash on weird inputs

Keep track of your money. Future you will thank you.