Expense Tracker & Budget
Overview
Starnionโs expense tracker is an AI-powered ledger you record with natural language. Type something like โlunch kimchi stew 9,000 wonโ and the AI automatically categorizes it, parses the date and amount, and records it instantly. You can also attach a photo of a receipt.
No need to learn a complicated app. Record expenses the way you talk, and just ask โhow much did I spend this month?โ to get an analysis. Set category budgets to receive warnings when you exceed them, and get savings insights from your spending pattern analysis.
Recording Income & Expenses
Enter in Natural Language
Just type naturally in the chat box. No special format required.
Expense entry examples:
User: Lunch kimchi stew 9000 won
AI: Food / Kimchi stew lunch / 9,000 won recorded ๐ (March 8)
User: Cafรฉ Americano 4500 won card
AI: Cafรฉ / Americano / 4,500 won recorded โ (March 8 ยท Card)
User: Bus 1250 won
AI: Transportation / Bus / 1,250 won recorded ๐ (March 8)
User: Bought shampoo on Coupang for 12800 won
AI: Shopping / Shampoo / 12,800 won recorded ๐ (March 8)
User: Netflix monthly subscription 17000 won
AI: Subscriptions / Netflix / 17,000 won recorded ๐บ (March 8)
User: Clinic visit fee 5000 won
AI: Medical / Clinic visit / 5,000 won recorded ๐ฅ (March 8)
User: Had chicken with a friend yesterday. I paid 32000 won.
AI: Food / Chicken / 32,000 won recorded ๐ (March 7)
Income entry examples:
User: My salary came in. 2850000 won
AI: Income / Salary / 2,850,000 won recorded ๐ฐ (March 8)
User: Received freelance payment 450000 won
AI: Income / Freelance / 450,000 won recorded (March 8)
User: Sold a chair on a secondhand marketplace and got 30000 won
AI: Income / Secondhand sale / 30,000 won recorded (March 8)
Entering multiple items at once:
User: Log today's expenses
- Convenience store 5200 won
- Lunch 8500 won
- Coffee 4000 won
- Subway 1250 won
AI: 4 entries recorded โ
Food / Convenience store / 5,200 won
Food / Lunch / 8,500 won
Cafรฉ / Coffee / 4,000 won
Transportation / Subway / 1,250 won
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
Total spent today: 18,950 won
Entering from a receipt photo:
[Receipt image attached]
User: Add this receipt to my expense log
AI: I've analyzed the receipt ๐งพ
- Starbucks Tall Americano: 5,500 won
- Blueberry muffin: 4,800 won
Shall I record a total of 10,300 won under Cafรฉ?
User: Yes
AI: Cafรฉ / Starbucks / 10,300 won recorded! (March 8)
Specifying a Date
If you include a date, the entry is recorded on that date.
User: I did grocery shopping the day before yesterday. Spent 67,400 won at the supermarket.
AI: Shopping / Supermarket / 67,400 won recorded on March 6 ๐
User: Last Monday I signed up for a 3-month gym membership. 270,000 won.
AI: Culture / Gym membership / 270,000 won recorded on March 3 ๐ช
User: Dining out on February 28, 45000 won
AI: Food / Dining out / 45,000 won recorded on February 28 ๐ฝ๏ธ
Category System
When you record an expense, the AI analyzes it and automatically assigns a category.
Default Categories
| Category | Example items |
|---|---|
| Food | Lunch, dinner, grocery shopping, convenience store food, delivery |
| Cafรฉ | Coffee shops, cafรฉs, drinks, desserts |
| Transportation | Subway, bus, taxi, gas, toll fees |
| Shopping | Clothing, electronics, household goods, online shopping |
| Subscriptions | Netflix, YouTube Premium, music streaming, app subscriptions |
| Medical | Hospital visits, pharmacy, health check-ups, medical supplies |
| Culture | Movies, performances, exhibitions, gym, hobbies |
| Other | Items that donโt fit the above categories |
Custom Categories
You can specify a category beyond the defaults.
User: Pet food 35000 won, use the "Pets" category
AI: Pets / Pet food / 35,000 won recorded ๐พ
User: English school monthly tuition 150000 won, category: Education
AI: Education / English school / 150,000 won recorded ๐
How Auto-Categorization Works
Input: "Starbucks Americano 5500 won"
โ
AI analysis:
- "Starbucks" โ recognized as a cafรฉ brand
- "Americano" โ recognized as a beverage type
โ Category: Cafรฉ (confidence: high)
Input: "Pharmacy Tylenol 8200 won"
โ
AI analysis:
- "Pharmacy" โ medical-related location
- "Tylenol" โ pharmaceutical product
โ Category: Medical (confidence: high)
Input: "Bought stuff at XX Mart"
โ
AI analysis:
- "Mart" โ shopping-related
- Specific item unclear
โ Category: Shopping (confidence: medium)
AI: "What did you buy? I can categorize it more accurately."
Monthly Summary
You can request a monthly summary via chat, or view it on the expense dashboard in the Web UI.
Dashboard Layout
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
โ March Expense Summary March 2025 โ
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโฌโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโฌโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโค
โ Total Incomeโ Total Spent โ Net (IncomeโSpent)โ
โ 2,850,000 โ 847,300 โ +2,002,700 โ
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโดโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโดโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโค
โ Savings rate: 70.3% โ
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโค
โ Spending by category โ
โ Food โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ 342,500 40.4% โ
โ Cafรฉ โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ 127,000 15.0% โ
โ Transit โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ 89,400 10.6% โ
โ Shoppingโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ 67,400 8.0% โ
โ Subscr. โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ 62,000 7.3% โ
โ Other โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ 159,000 18.7% โ
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโค
โ Last 6 months trend (Income / Spending) โ
โ Oct โโโโโโ / โโโโ โ
โ Nov โโโโโโ / โโโโโ โ
โ Dec โโโโโโโ / โโโโโโ โ
โ Jan โโโโโโ / โโโโ โ
โ Feb โโโโโโ / โโโโ โ
โ Mar โโโโโโโโ / โโโโ โ
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
Requesting a Summary via Chat
User: Summarize my income and expenses for this month
AI: ๐ง Running `finance_summary`...
๐ March Summary (as of the 1stโ8th)
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
๐ฐ Income: 2,850,000 won
๐ธ Spent: 847,300 won
โจ Net: +2,002,700 won (savings rate 70.3%)
๐ Spending by category:
Food 342,500 (40.4%)
Cafรฉ 127,000 (15.0%)
Transportation 89,400 (10.6%)
Shopping 67,400 (8.0%)
Subscriptions 62,000 (7.3%)
Other 159,000 (18.7%)
User: Compare it with last month
AI: Compared with February:
Spending 847,300 vs last month 792,400
โ 7% increase (+54,900 won)
Main increases:
- Food: +42,000 won (more dining out)
- Cafรฉ: +18,500 won
Budget Settings
Set monthly spending limits by category to manage your finances.
Setting a Budget via Chat
User: Set my food budget to 400,000 won
AI: Food budget set to 400,000 won.
Current food spending this month: 342,500 won (85.6% used)
Remaining budget: 57,500 won
User: Set cafรฉ to 100,000 and transportation to 150,000
AI: Budgets set!
Cafรฉ: 100,000 won
Transportation: 150,000 won
User: Show me the overall budget status
AI: ๐ง Running `budget_status`...
๐ March Budget Status
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
Category Budget Used Left %
Food 400,000 342,500 57,500 85.6% โ ๏ธ
Cafรฉ 100,000 127,000 -27,000 127.0% โ Over!
Transit 150,000 89,400 60,600 59.6% โ
Shopping 200,000 67,400 132,600 33.7% โ
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
Total 850,000 626,300 223,700 73.7%
Setting a Budget in the Web UI
Go to Settings > Budget Management to enter budgets for each category directly.
- Warning threshold: a caution indicator appears when spending exceeds this percentage of the budget (default: 70%)
- Danger threshold: a danger indicator appears when spending exceeds this percentage (default: 90%)
Budget example:
Category Monthly Budget
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
Food 400,000
Cafรฉ 100,000
Transportation 150,000
Shopping 200,000
Subscriptions 70,000
Medical 50,000
Culture 80,000
Other 100,000
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
Total 1,150,000
Budget Alerts
Receive alerts when you exceed a budget or approach a threshold.
How Alerts Work
[70% warning โ caution stage]
AI alert: "You've used 70% of your Food budget.
Remaining budget this month: 120,000 won
You can spend up to 5,455 won per day for the next 22 days."
[90% warning โ danger stage]
AI alert: "โ ๏ธ You've used 92% of your Transportation budget!
Only 12,000 won remaining.
Try to cut back on transportation spending this month."
[100% exceeded]
AI alert: "โ You've exceeded your Cafรฉ budget.
Budget: 100,000 won / Spent: 127,000 won (27,000 won over)
Consider reviewing your Cafรฉ budget for this month."
Telegram Alert Integration
Connect a Telegram channel to receive budget alerts on your phone as well. Stay on top of your spending in real time, even when youโre out.
Spending Analysis
Beyond simple record-keeping, Starnion analyzes spending patterns and provides useful insights.
Analysis Metrics
1. Monthly trend (up to 12 months)
Income/spending trend:
Income โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
Spent โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
Monthly savings rate:
Oct 68.2% โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
Nov 64.1% โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
Dec 55.8% โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ (higher year-end spending)
Jan 72.4% โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
Feb 73.1% โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
Mar 70.3% โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ (current)
2. Category share analysis
3-month cumulative spending breakdown:
Food โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ 38.2% (largest share)
Cafรฉ โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ 14.7%
Transit โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ 11.3%
Shopping โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ 9.8%
Subscriptionsโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ 7.2%
Medical โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ 4.1%
Culture โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ 6.3%
Other โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ 8.4%
3. Day-of-week spending pattern
Average daily spending by day (last 30 days):
Sun โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ 24,800 (weekend dining out)
Mon โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ 9,200
Tue โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ 8,700
Wed โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ 11,400
Thu โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ 9,800
Fri โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ 17,300 (Friday dinners/social)
Sat โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ 21,200 (weekend activities)
4. Daily spending heatmap (last 90 days)
Spending intensity by date:
Low โก โ โ โ โ High
January:
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
โก โ โก โ โ
โ โก โก โ โก โ โ
โก โก โ โก โ โ โ
โ โก โก โก โก โ โ
โ
5. Summary statistics
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Total spending (6 months) | 4,812,400 won |
| Daily average | 26,733 won |
| Total transactions | 312 |
| Top category | Food at 38.2% |
| This monthโs spending | 847,300 won |
| Month-over-month change | +7.0% โ |
AI Insights
Insights are automatically generated from your statistical data.
User: Analyze my spending patterns
AI: ๐ Spending pattern analysis:
1. Cafรฉ spending increased 27.3% compared to last month โ
โ That's an average of 1.4 cups per day
2. Friday is your highest-spending day (avg. 17,300 won/week) ๐ฐ
โ Mostly dining out / social activities
3. You're spending 62,000 won on subscriptions this month ๐บ
โ Check if there are any you're no longer using
4. Food budget: 85.6% of 400,000 won used โ ๏ธ
โ 22 days left in the month โ worth keeping an eye on
Savings tip: Cutting cafรฉ visits to 3 times a week
could save you around 40,000 won per month ๐ก
Data Management
Editing Records
User: Change the 1250 won transportation entry I entered today to 1450 won
AI: Transportation / Bus / 1,250 won โ 1,450 won updated โ๏ธ
User: Change the category of the last entry from Food to Cafรฉ
AI: Category updated to Cafรฉ โ
To edit directly in the Web UI:
- Click the item you want to edit in the transaction list
- Modify the amount, category, description, or date
- Click the Save button
Deleting Records
User: Delete the convenience store 5200 won entry I recorded today
AI: Deleted the convenience store 5,200 won entry ๐๏ธ
User: Can you undo that deletion?
AI: Sorry, deleted records cannot be recovered.
Would you like me to re-enter it?
Filtering and Viewing Records
User: Show me my cafรฉ expenses for this month
AI: ๐ง Running `finance_list`...
March cafรฉ expenses:
3/1 Starbucks Americano 5,500
3/2 Ediya Coffee 3,800
3/4 Blue Bottle latte 7,200
3/5 Convenience store can 2,000
...
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
Total: 127,000 won (18 entries)
User: Show only expenses over 50,000 won
AI: This month's expenses over 50,000 won:
3/1 Grocery shopping 67,400
3/3 3-month gym membership 270,000
3/7 Dinner with friends 85,000
Total: 422,400 won (3 entries)
Querying Your Ledger via AI Chat
Natural language queries support a wide variety of lookups.
Period Queries
User: How much did I spend on food this month?
AI: March food spending: 342,500 won (29 entries)
85.6% of the 400,000 won budget used.
User: What was my total spending last month?
AI: February total spending: 792,400 won
Savings rate of 72.2% against income of 2,850,000 won
User: Show me cumulative spending from January to March this year
AI: JanuaryโMarch 2025 cumulative spending:
January: 758,200 won
February: 792,400 won
March: 847,300 won (in progress)
Total: 2,397,900 won
Category Queries
User: How much have I spent on subscriptions in the last 3 months?
AI: Subscription spending over 3 months:
January: 62,000 won
February: 62,000 won
March: 62,000 won
Total: 186,000 won
Active subscriptions: Netflix, YouTube Premium, Spotify
User: What are my top 3 spending categories this month?
AI: This month's top 3 categories:
#1 Food 342,500 (40.4%)
#2 Cafรฉ 127,000 (15.0%)
#3 Transportation 89,400 (10.6%)
Comparison Queries
User: Am I spending more this month than last month?
AI: March spending: 847,300 won (as of 1stโ8th)
February spending: 792,400 won (full month)
At this pace, March total is projected to reach
approximately 3,178,000 won (based on daily average).
Looks like it could exceed last month โ heads up โ ๏ธ
User: Compare with the same time last year
AI: March 1โ8, 2024 spending: 731,200 won
March 1โ8, 2025 spending: 847,300 won
+15.9% increase year-over-year.
Main drivers: Food +22.4%, Cafรฉ +18.7%
Analysis Queries
User: Which day of the week do I spend the most?
AI: Day-of-week analysis for the last 30 days:
Friday averages the highest at 17,300 won. ๐ธ
Mainly dining out (52%) and transportation (18%).
User: What's my daily average spending this month?
AI: March 1โ8 basis:
847,300 won รท 8 days = 105,913 won/day average
At this rate, March total spending would be about 3,283,000 won.
Might be worth cutting back a little ๐
Tips & Examples
Real-World Use Scenarios
Scenario 1: Morning commute
(After boarding the subway)
User: Subway 1250 won
AI: Transportation logged! 1,250 won โ
(Stopping at a cafรฉ)
User: Iced Americano 5000 won card
AI: Cafรฉ logged! 5,000 won โ
Today's commute total: 6,250 won
Scenario 2: After lunch
User: Had samgyeopsal with coworkers. Total was 92,000 won split 4 ways, so 23,000 won for me
AI: Food / Samgyeopsal / 23,000 won recorded ๐ฅฉ (March 8)
User: We went to a cafรฉ for dessert. Iced tea 6000 won
AI: Cafรฉ / Iced tea / 6,000 won recorded โ
Today's lunch total: 29,000 won
Scenario 3: Month-end review
User: How did this month go?
AI: ๐ March Final Summary
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
Income: 2,850,000 won
Spent: 1,247,300 won
Savings: 1,602,700 won (savings rate 56.2%)
Notable this month:
โ ๏ธ Cafรฉ budget exceeded by 127% (27,000 won over)
โ
Transportation budget well managed (59.6% of budget used)
๐ Spending up 57.4% from last month
Recommendations for next month:
- Raise the Cafรฉ budget to 130,000 won, or
- Limit cafรฉ visits to 5 times per week or fewer
Scenario 4: Handling a budget crunch
AI: โ ๏ธ Alert: You've used 91% of your Food budget.
Remaining: 36,000 won / Days left: 8
User: How much can I spend per day for the next 8 days?
AI: 36,000 won รท 8 days = 4,500 won per day.
That's a bit tight ๐
Cooking at home with groceries should make it very doable!
User: Increase my budget by 50,000 won
AI: Food budget updated from 400,000 won โ 450,000 won.
Remaining: 86,000 won (10,750 won/day for 8 days)
Tips for Getting More Out of the Expense Tracker
-
Record right away: Entering expenses immediately after they happen keeps your records accurate and ensures nothing is forgotten.
-
Use receipt photos: For large purchases or items with many line items, snapping a photo of the receipt lets the AI auto-enter multiple entries at once.
-
Set budgets at the start of each month: Setting category budgets at the beginning of the month makes spending management much easier.
-
Make weekly reviews a habit: Asking โsummarize my spending this weekโ once a week gives you a quick snapshot of your spending patterns.
-
Use AI insights: Regularly asking โanalyze my spending patternsโ helps you discover where you can save.
๐ฌ Telegram Usage Examples
Just talk to Nion in natural language. No special commands needed โ chat like you normally would!
Recording Expenses
Spent $5.50 on an iced latte at Starbucks
โ Automatically recorded under the Cafe category
Lunch was $8 for kimchi stew
โ Automatically categorized as Food
Taxi fare was $12
โ Recorded under Transportation
Viewing Expenses
How much did I spend this month?
โ Shows total monthly spending with category breakdown
How much did I spend on food last week?
โ Shows the food category total for last week
Budget Management
Set my food budget to $300 for this month
โ Food category budget is set
How much budget do I have left?
โ Shows remaining budget and usage rate per category
Editing and Deleting
Change the Starbucks $5.50 I just entered to $4.50
โ The expense record is updated
Delete today's taxi fare
โ The expense record is removed
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. I entered the wrong amount. How do I fix it?
A. Just say โfix the [item] [amount] I just entered.โ You can also click the entry directly in the transaction list in the Web UI.
User: Change the convenience store entry I entered earlier from 5200 won to 4200 won
AI: Convenience store expense updated from 5,200 won โ 4,200 won.
Q. The automatic category classification was wrong.
A. Say โchange the category from [original category] to [desired category]โ and it will be updated instantly. If the AI consistently misclassifies a certain type of entry, feel free to share feedback โ it helps us improve.
Q. Can I enter expenses from a previous month?
A. Yes, just specify the date. For example, entering โFebruary 15 supermarket 32,000 wonโ will record it on that date.
Q. Can I export my expense data to Excel?
A. A CSV export feature is currently in development. For now, you can request โsend me this monthโs expense listโ to receive it in text format.
Q. Can I manage shared expenses (family, partner)?
A. Currently the system is account-based for individual use. A shared ledger feature is planned for a future update.
Q. What alerts do I get when I exceed a budget?
A. You receive alerts at 70% (warning), 90% (danger), and 100% exceeded (urgent) of each budget. Connecting Telegram allows you to receive alerts on mobile as well.
Q. How do I record income?
A. Type something like โsalary of 3 million won came inโ or โincome 3,000,000 wonโ and it will automatically be classified as income. Positive amounts are treated as income; negative amounts as expenses.
Q. Can regular subscription payments be recorded automatically?
A. Manual entry is the default, but for recurring fixed amounts you can say โauto-record Netflix 17,000 won every monthโ and it will be logged automatically each month.