Re: Accounting WAS Emacs-orgmode Digest, Vol 179, Issue 4

Re: Accounting WAS Emacs-orgmode Digest, Vol 179, Issue 4

[Daryl Manning]

[-- Attachment #1: Type: text/plain, Size: 6927 bytes --]

I do not use ledger within org-mode bit use a combo of libraries to make
ledger entries *look* and act like org-mode with folding. I find this work
(for me) much better than trying to mess with babel and having inline
ledger (basically, I treat my ledger file as a... ahem... ledger... I track
personal, budget, stock portfolio this way. It's very flexible and way way
better than using Quicken which does find with my Canuck accounts, but
cannot integrate my SG bank or stock broker.).

So I use `ledger-mode` directly configured like this in my init.el

```
;; ========== Ledger mode =========
(use-package ledger-mode
  :ensure t
  :defer t
  :hook
  (ledger-mode . outline-minor-mode)
  :bind
  (:map ledger-mode-map
        ("TAB" . org-cycle))
  :config
  (font-lock-add-keywords 'ledger-mode outline-font-lock-keywords)
  :mode
  ("\\.ledger$" . ledger-mode)
  )

This also allows stars to deliineate hierarchy in the ledger and then fold
and unfold like an org doc. Super handy.

So, in one pane on my screen I have the ledger open (the tricky thing is
always setting up accounts and opening balances though there are some nice
tutorials for setting those up (if you have multiple currencies, *do* set
up accounts by currency early

eg.  Assets:CAD:Bank of Montreal
       Assets:SGD:OCBC
and for Liabilities like Credit Cards, lines of credit etc as well

The nice thing about this is you can have the ledger buffer open in one
panel and use C-{COR} for pulling up a balance report in the other pane
which automatically balances when you save the ledger file.

Also, in practical terms for day to day, rather than input things manually,
I highly recommend downloading csvs (or similar formats) from your bank and
using the ruby gem `reckon` which is a bayesian predictor that will learn
from your ledger on how to expense your bank account entries and then write
out the ledger file for you. Super handy.

Overly long blog post here:
https://daryl.wakatara.com/tracking-your-finances-with-reckon-and-ledger/
to get you goin if it's not just a formatting thing.

It also has some suggestions for category setups and the like.

Ledger is a bit steep to get started with but once you've got it setup it
does not require much time (especially with reckon) and is way more
flexible than something like Quicken if you have a complex financial life.

Anyhow, you do need to vinset a little time, but I have to admit I am
pretty impressed with it.

As someone else noted, you can also take a look at beancount, though I
personally still prefer the emacs integration available in ledger.

Hope this helped!

ciao !
Daryl.
PS> Even outside of emacs, I'd personally love to see people build some
more tools on top of the ledger format. I keep wanting to take a shot at
some portfolio tools, but never seem to be able to fit in the time.  =]


On Tue, Jan 5, 2021 at 1:01 AM <emacs-orgmode-request@gnu.org> wrote:

>
>   19. accounting (Uwe Brauer)
>   20. Re: accounting (Eric S Fraga)
>   21. Re: Org to ConTeXt exporter? (Ludovic Courtès)
>   22. Re: accounting (Dr. Arne Babenhauserheide)
>   23. Re: ob-haskell (Leo)
>   24. Re: accounting (Daniele Nicolodi)
>   25. Re: accounting (Uwe Brauer)
>   26. Re: accounting (Charles Millar)
>   27. Re: accounting (Eric S Fraga)
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 19
> Date: Mon, 04 Jan 2021 09:54:00 +0100
> From: Uwe Brauer <oub@mat.ucm.es>
> To: emacs-orgmode@gnu.org
> Subject: accounting
> Message-ID: <87ble56q1j.fsf@mat.ucm.es>
> Content-Type: text/plain
>
>
> Hi
>
> https://orgmode.org/worg/org-contrib/babel/languages/ob-doc-ledger.html
>
> Points out how to use ledger within org mode.
>
> Is there any simpler solution?
>
> Regards
>
> Uwe Brauer
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 20
> Date: Mon, 04 Jan 2021 09:31:58 +0000
> From: Eric S Fraga <e.fraga@ucl.ac.uk>
> To: emacs-orgmode@gnu.org
> Subject: Re: accounting
> Message-ID: <871rf1m4j5.fsf@ucl.ac.uk>
> Content-Type: text/plain
>
> On Monday,  4 Jan 2021 at 09:54, Uwe Brauer wrote:
> > Points out how to use ledger within org mode.
> > Is there any simpler solution?
>
> How do you wish it to be simpler?  What is it you wish to do?
> --
> : Eric S Fraga via Emacs 28.0.50, Org release_9.4.4-166-g291993
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 22
> Date: Mon, 04 Jan 2021 11:19:50 +0100
> From: "Dr. Arne Babenhauserheide" <arne_bab@web.de>
> To: Uwe Brauer <oub@mat.ucm.es>
> Cc: emacs-orgmode@gnu.org
> Subject: Re: accounting
> Message-ID: <87o8i5t35l.fsf@web.de>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>
>
> Uwe Brauer <oub@mat.ucm.es> writes:
>
> > https://orgmode.org/worg/org-contrib/babel/languages/ob-doc-ledger.html
> >
> > Points out how to use ledger within org mode.
> >
> > Is there any simpler solution?
>
> Do you mean simpler accounting in org-mode, or do you mean simpler
> ledger-integration?
>
> You can always tangle your ledger-data and use a ledger commandline
> client. Also Emacs has direct support for ledger. Here’s a setup via
> use-package:
>
> (use-package ledger-mode :ensure t :defer 20
>   :config
>   (org-babel-do-load-languages
>    'org-babel-load-languages
>    '((ledger . t))))
>
> Best wishes,
> Arne
> --
> Unpolitisch sein
> heißt politisch sein
> ohne es zu merken
> -------------- next part --------------
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 24
> Date: Mon, 4 Jan 2021 12:13:31 +0100
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 25
> Date: Mon, 04 Jan 2021 13:43:31 +0100
> From: Uwe Brauer <oub@mat.ucm.es>
> To: "Dr. Arne Babenhauserheide" <arne_bab@web.de>
> Cc: Uwe Brauer <oub@mat.ucm.es>, emacs-orgmode@gnu.org
> Subject: Re: accounting
> Message-ID: <87eej06ff0.fsf@mat.ucm.es>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>
> >>> "AB" == Arne Babenhauserheide <arne_bab@web.de> writes:
>
>    > Uwe Brauer <oub@mat.ucm.es> writes:
>
>    >>
> https://orgmode.org/worg/org-contrib/babel/languages/ob-doc-ledger.html
>    >>
>    >> Points out how to use ledger within org mode.
>    >>
>    >> Is there any simpler solution?
>
>    > Do you mean simpler accounting in org-mode,
>
>
> This is what I meant.
>
>    > or do you mean simpler ledger-integration?
>
> The example in this link is ok, also the output (the result of the
> ledger operation) is not very nicely formatted.
>
>    > You can always tangle your ledger-data and use a ledger commandline
>    > client. Also Emacs has direct support for ledger. Here’s a setup via
>    > use-package:
>
>    > (use-package ledger-mode :ensure t :defer 20
>    >   :config
>    >   (org-babel-do-load-languages
>    >    'org-babel-load-languages
>    >    '((ledger . t))))
>
>    > Best wishes,
>    > Arne
>
>

[-- Attachment #2: Type: text/html, Size: 9913 bytes --]

Re: Accounting WAS Emacs-orgmode Digest, Vol 179, Issue 4

[Uwe Brauer]

[-- Attachment #1: Type: text/plain, Size: 546 bytes --]

> Also, in practical terms for day to day, rather than input things manually,
> I highly recommend downloading csvs (or similar formats) from your bank and
> using the ruby gem `reckon` which is a bayesian predictor that will learn
> from your ledger on how to expense your bank account entries and then write
> out the ledger file for you. Super handy.

> Overly long blog post here:
> https://daryl.wakatara.com/tracking-your-finances-with-reckon-and-ledger/
> to get you goin if it's not just a formatting thing.

Thanks I will have a look!!!

[-- Attachment #2: smime.p7s --]
[-- Type: application/pkcs7-signature, Size: 5673 bytes --]