local-budget

# Local Budget Analyze bank/credit card CSV exports, categorize transactions, compare against budgets, and generate clean markdown reports for Obsidian. ## Workflow Overview 1. **Parse** — run `parse_csv.py` to normalize raw CSVs into a unified JSON format 2. **Categorize** — run `categorize.py` to get LLM-ready JSON with suggested categories; review/adjust 3. **Report** — run `report.py` to generate a markdown spending report All scripts live in `scripts/`. Budget config and sample data in `assets/`. See `references/csv-formats.md` for supported formats and `references/categories.md` for category customization. ## Step 1: Parse CSV ```bash python3 scripts/parse_csv.py <input.csv> [--format chase|boa|generic] [--output transactions.json] ``` - Auto-detects format if `--format` is omitted (checks header columns) - Outputs a unified JSON array of transaction objects - Each transaction: `{ "date": "YYYY-MM-DD", "description": str, "amount": float, "type": "debit"|"credit", "original_category": str|null }` - Debits are positive amounts; credits (refunds/income) are negative - Handles multiple date formats: `MM/DD/YYYY`, `YYYY-MM-DD`, `MM/DD/YY` - Skips rows with missing date or amount; logs warnings to stderr If the user's bank isn't auto-detected, check `references/csv-formats.md` for column mappings and use `--format generic` with the appropriate flag, or add a new format. ## Step 2: Categorize Transactions ```bash python3 scripts/categorize.py transactions.json [--budget assets/sample-budget.json] [--output categorized.json] ``` - Outputs a JSON file with each transaction tagged with a suggested `category` based on description keyword matching - The LLM (you) should review the output and adjust categories before generating the report - Default categories: Housing, Food & Dining, Transportation, Utilities, Entertainment, Shopping, Health, Subscriptions, Income, Other - To adjust: edit the JSON directly, or tell the user which transactions look miscategorized and confirm corrections - See `references/categories.md` for the keyword-matching logic and how to customize **LLM review step:** After running categorize.py, scan the output for anything in "Other" or with low-confidence keywords. Ask the user to confirm or correct those entries before proceeding. ## Step 3: Generate Report ```bash python3 scripts/report.py categorized.json [--budget assets/sample-budget.json] [--output report.md] ``` - Generates a markdown report with: - Monthly summary (total in/out) - Spending by category with budget vs. actual comparison - Top 10 merchants by spend - Month-over-month trend if multiple months present in the data - Overage alerts for categories that exceed budget - If `--budget` is omitted, report shows actuals only (no budget comparison) - Output is Obsidian-compatible markdown with frontmatter ## Budget Config Budget is defined in a JSON file. See `assets/sample-budget.json` for a realistic example. ```json { "monthly_budgets": { "Housing": 1800, "Food & Dining": 600 } } ``` ## Common Tasks **"Analyze my Chase export"** → `parse_csv.py chase_export.csv --format chase --output tx.json` → `categorize.py tx.json --output cat.json` → Review categories, then `report.py cat.json --budget assets/sample-budget.json` **"Show me my spending for March"** → Parse and categorize the CSV, then filter by month in `report.py` (it auto-groups by month) **"I went over budget on dining"** → Run the full pipeline; report.py flags overage categories with ⚠️ **"Add a new bank format"** → See `references/csv-formats.md` for the column mapping spec **"Customize categories"** → See `references/categories.md` to edit keyword lists or add new categories ## File Locations Store CSVs and JSON outputs wherever the user prefers. Default working directory is wherever the command is run. Suggest keeping exports in a dedicated folder like `~/finances/exports/`. Reports can be saved directly to the Obsidian vault: ```bash python3 scripts/report.py categorized.json --output ~/path/to/vault/finance/2024-03-budget.md ```