Speaker Name: Thanga Ayyanar @ Gold Ayan
About the talk: Ledger is a command-line based double-entry bookkeeping
application. Accounting data is stored in a plain text file, using a
simple format, which the users prepare themselves using other tools.
Ledger does not write or modify data, it only parses the input data
and produces reports
#+title: Ledger CLI
* Basics
** Double Entry system
- Debit(Decrease assets) and Credit (Increase assets)
* Accounts
** Assets
- These are things you own that have value.
- They can be things you can physically touch, like a car or a
computer, or things that have value but aren't physical, like a
stock certificate representing ownership in a company.
** Liabilities
- These are your debts, the money you owe to others.
- This could be a car loan, mortgage, credit card debt, or money owed to a friend.
** Income
- This is the money you earn regularly, like your salary from a job, rental income from a property, or interest earned on savings.
** Expense
- This is the money you spend to live.
- This includes things like rent or mortgage payments, utilities, groceries, transportation, and entertainment.
** Equity
- This is the difference between your assets and liabilities.
- In simpler terms, it's what you actually own after you consider all your debts.
* Simple Accounts
At the highest level you have five sorts of accounts:
- Expenses: where money goes,
- Assets: where money sits,
- Income: where money comes from,
- Liabilities: money you owe,
- Equity: the real value of your property.
* Ledger cli
** Syntax
#+begin_example
YYYY-MM-DD *(OPTIONAL) PAYEE
ACCOUNT-TYPE:SUB-TYPE.. PRICE
ACCOUNT-TYPE:SUB-TYPE..
...
#+end_example
** Other commodities
#+begin_src shell
ledger -f sample.ledger bal -V
#+end_src
- Net worth: Asset - Liabilities
#+begin_src shell
ledger -f sample.ledger balance Assets Liabilities -V
#+end_src
** Weekly, Monthly & Yearly
- Change M to W or Y for respective report
#+begin_src shell
ledger -M -f sample.ledger reg
#+end_src
* What's next
** Emacs Integration
#+begin_src elisp
(use-package ledger-mode
:init
(add-to-list 'auto-mode-alist '("\\.ledger\\'" . ledger-mode)))
#+end_src
*** Indian ruppee
- https://itsfoss.com/type-rupee-symbol-ubuntu/
#+begin_src elisp
(defun insert-indian-ruppee ()
(interactive)
(insert "₹"))
(global-set-key (kbd "C-c 4") 'insert-indian-rupee)
#+end_src
** Ledger web
- https://github.com/lifepillar/ledger2html/tree/master
- https://github.com/vifon/ledger-web
* Resources
- https://ledger-cli.org/docs.html
- https://devhints.io/ledger
- https://santhoshkris.medium.com/personal-finance-management-ledger-cli-c98dd37e786e
- https://github.com/rolfschr/GSWL-private
* Alternatives
- Similar to ledger
- Beancount (Python)
- Hledger (Haskell)
- Gnucash
- Simple ledger concepts, able to convert gnu cash file to ledger cli
- Also able to support small business owners with accounts
- https://gnucash.org/
- Firefly III
- Self hosting
- https://github.com/firefly-iii/firefly-iii
* Sample Data
** Official example
- https://ledger-cli.org/doc/ledger3.html#Example-Journal-File
** Indian example
#+begin_example
;Ledger - Year 2023
;source: https://santhoshkris.medium.com/personal-finance-management-ledger-cli-c98dd37e786e
commodity ₹
note Indian Ruppee
format ₹1,000.00
nomarket
alias INR
default
2023-01-01 * Opening balance
Assets:Savings:Kotak ₹10730.88
Liabilities:CC:IOB ₹-10726.76
Equity:Opening Balances
2023-01-04 * Airtel mobile payment
Expenses:Utilities:Mobile ₹470.82
Liabilities:CC:IOB
2023-01-05 * Paycheck
Income:Paycheck ₹-24000.00
Assets:Savings:Kotak
2023-01-05 BESCOM
Expenses:Utilities:BESCOM ₹1990.00
Liabilities:CC:IOB
2023-01-05 * Card payment
Liabilities:CC:IOB ₹10000.00
Assets:Savings:Kotak
2023-01-08 * BSNL
Expenses:Utilities:BSNL ₹395.00
Assets:Savings:Kotak
2023-01-14 Netflix
Expenses:Subscriptions:Netflix ₹199.00
Liabilities:CC:IOB
2023-01-21 Adobe Photography Pack
Expenses:Subscriptions:Adobe ₹807.09
Liabilities:CC:IOB
2023-02-02 BESCOM
Expenses:Utilities:BESCOM ₹2033.94
Liabilities:CC:IOB
2023-02-03 * Food - Chaat
Expenses:EatOut ₹120.00
Assets:Savings:Kotak
2023-02-03 * Indane Gas
Expenses:Utilities:Gas ₹902.50
Assets:Savings:Kotak
2023-02-04 Jetpens - Stationery
Expenses:Shopping:Stationery ₹7813.63
Liabilities:CC:IOB
2023-02-05 * Paycheck
Income:Paycheck ₹-24000.00
Assets:Savings:Kotak
2023-02-06 * Groceries
Expenses:Shopping:Groceries ₹1793.00
Assets:Savings:Kotak
2023-02-12 * BWSSB Water bill
Expenses:Utilities:BWSSB ₹996.00
Assets:Savings:Kotak
2023-02-12 * BSNL Landline
Expenses:Utilities:BSNL ₹388.00
Assets:Savings:Kotak
2023-02-12 * Card payment
Liabilities:CC:IOB ₹30000.00
Assets:Savings:Kotak
2023-02-12 Amazon - Monitor Arm
Expenses:Shopping:Gadgets ₹1989.00
Liabilities:CC:IOB
2023-02-12 Amazon BenQ Monitor
Expenses:Shopping:Gadgets ₹15000.00
Liabilities:CC:IOB
2023-02-14 Netflix
Expenses:Subscriptions:Netflix ₹199.00
Liabilities:CC:IOB
2023-02-15 * Groceries
Expenses:Shopping:Groceries ₹1180.00
Assets:Savings:Kotak
2023-02-19 ACT Cable
Expenses:Utilities:Cable ₹334.39
Liabilities:CC:IOB
2023-03-01 Shell
Expenses:Travel:Petrol 3 LITER {=₹102.23}
Assets:Savings:Kotak
#+end_example
https://www.petekeen.net/topic/Finance
Pete Keen has provided some other use case for using ledger in his blog. Kindly check it out if you are interested