Masrofi is a simple express.js single-user app for tracking personal expenses.
It uses Google generative AI to analyze SMS transaction messages and extract useful information as JSON objects. Then, using these JSON objects, you can filter transactions by date and generate summaries of expenses for any specified time period.
I started this as a personal project to solve a problem I had. That is I get a transfer with amount X and it's only for groceries. So every time I buy groceries with my account, I take the SMS transaction message and put it in the app. To differentiate the grocery expenses from my personal expenses. It would've been easier to open a second bank account for free and track my grocery expenses there, but that wouldn't be fun would it?
To install and start using Masrofi to track your expenses, you can clone the project.
To clone the project, you will need:
First clone the project using git
git clone https://github.com/CuzImAzizx/Masrofi.git
Then, navigate into the cloned project
cd ./Masrofi
Then, install the dependencies using npm
npm install
Finally, start the app
npm start
The app will generate an ./env file where you can configure various aspects of the application. Here's a sample of the environment file:
GOOGLE_GENERATIVE_AI_API_KEY=
TEST_AI_BEFORE_STARTING=
PORT=
USER_PASSWORD=
GUEST_PASSWORD=
START_DAY_OF_MONTH=
MONTHLY_BUDGET=
ALERT_LIMIT=
GOOGLE_GENERATIVE_AI_API_KEY Here you put your API key for your Google generative AI. You can get one for free here
TEST_AI_BEFORE_STARTING You set this as either ture or false. It tests the AI with real data before starting the app. It's recommended to set it true.
PORT The port for the app to run. Set it 4000 or any available port.
USER_PASSWORD Here you set the "password" for the main user, that is who is able to insert transactions. This is usually you. So set a password for you. And please, don't put your actual password.
GUEST_PASSWORD This is the "password" for people who you want to share your transactions with. They are only able to view the transaction history and filter them. They can not insert or delete any transaction. So set a password for them.
START_DAY_OF_MONTH: This setting allows you to define the beginning of your monthly cycle. If you consider the first day of the month as the starting point, set this value to 1.
MONTHLY_BUDGET Here you specify the budget for your monthly spending. For example 500. You will get alerts if you get close or pass the budget.
ALERT_LIMIT Here you specify the limit on which when you pass it you will get alerts. For example, if you set it to 200, and if what is left of your MONTHLY_BUDGET is 200, you will get alerts.
After you set those variables, now run the app again
npm start
The app should show something like this
...
App is running at http://localhost:[YOUR_PORT]
Now go to your browser and enter http://localhost:[YOUR_PORT] and you can use the app.
Masrofi is a user-friendly web application. For detailed instructions, refer to the full guide here.