Monthly Expense Tracker for Obsidian

A comprehensive Obsidian plugin for tracking recurring monthly expenses, managing payments, and generating financial reports. Perfect for keeping track of bills, subscriptions, and regular payments.

Features

🎯 Core Functionality

• Recurring Expense Management: Define expenses that repeat monthly with name, amount, due date, and payment method
• Payment Tracking: Mark expenses as paid/unpaid with optional confirmation numbers
• Automatic Monthly Notes: Auto-generate monthly expense tracking notes
• Smart Carryover: Unpaid expenses automatically carry over to the next month
• Expense Lifecycle: Set start/end dates for expenses or archive when no longer needed

📊 Dashboard & Visualization

• Interactive Dashboard: Sidebar view with month navigation
• Visual Indicators: Color-coded status for paid, unpaid, and overdue expenses
• Summary Statistics: Quick overview of total expenses, unpaid count, and payment amounts
• Status Bar: Real-time unpaid expense count in Obsidian's status bar

📝 Reporting & History

• Payment History: View complete payment history for any expense
• Custom Reports: Generate expense reports for any date range
• Monthly Summaries: Automatic breakdown by month with payment statistics
• Archive Management: Keep discontinued expenses archived for historical reference

🎨 User Interface

• Calendar Navigation: Jump to any month instantly
• Command Palette: Quick access to all features via Obsidian commands
• Context Menus: Right-click for edit, archive, delete options
• Responsive Design: Works seamlessly on desktop and mobile

Installation

Method 1: Manual Installation (Recommended)

1. Download the plugin files:

   • main.js
   • manifest.json
   • styles.css

2. Create plugin folder:

   [Your Vault]/.obsidian/plugins/monthly-expense-tracker/
   

3. Copy the downloaded files into this folder

4. Reload Obsidian

5. Go to Settings → Community Plugins → Enable "Monthly Expense Tracker"

Method 2: Build from Source

1. Clone this repository into your vault's plugins folder:

   cd [Your Vault]/.obsidian/plugins/
   git clone https://github.com/yourusername/monthly-expense-tracker.git
   cd monthly-expense-tracker
   

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install
   

3. Build the plugin:

   npm run build
   

4. Reload Obsidian and enable the plugin

Method 3: Development Mode

For plugin development:

npm run dev

This will watch for changes and rebuild automatically.

Quick Start Guide

Step 1: Add Your First Expense

1. Click the wallet icon in the left ribbon, or use Command Palette: "Add Recurring Expense"

2. Fill in the expense details:

   • Name: e.g., "Electric Bill"
   • Amount: e.g., 125.50
   • Due Day: Day of month (1-31)
   • Payment Method: e.g., "Auto-pay", "Credit Card", "Bank Transfer"
   • Start Month: When this expense begins (YYYY-MM format)
   • End Month (optional): When this expense ends
   • Category (optional): Group expenses by category

3. Click "Save"

Step 2: Open the Dashboard

• Click the wallet icon in the ribbon, or
• Use Command Palette: "Open Expense Dashboard"

The dashboard shows:

• Current month's expenses
• Payment status (paid/unpaid)
• Summary statistics
• Quick action buttons

Step 3: Mark Expenses as Paid

1. In the dashboard, click the checkbox next to an expense
2. Optionally add a confirmation number
3. Click "Mark Paid"

The expense will be marked with ✅ and moved to the "Paid" section.

Step 4: Create Monthly Notes

Monthly notes are created automatically when a new month begins (if enabled in settings). You can also create them manually:

• Use Command Palette: "Create Current Month Note"
• Or click "📄 Create Monthly Note" in the dashboard

Monthly notes include:

• All expenses for that month
• Checkboxes for tracking payment status
• Unpaid expenses from previous month (if any)
• Expense IDs for reference

Usage Examples

Tracking Regular Bills

Electric Bill - $125.50 - Due: 15th
Internet - $79.99 - Due: 1st
Water Bill - $45.00 - Due: 20th

Managing Subscriptions

Netflix - $15.99 - Due: 5th - Credit Card
Spotify - $9.99 - Due: 12th - Credit Card
Amazon Prime - $14.99 - Due: 1st - Auto-pay

Time-Limited Expenses

Set an end date for expenses that don't continue indefinitely:

Gym Membership (6-month contract)
Start: 2025-01
End: 2025-06

Dashboard Navigation

Month Selector

• ◀ / ▶: Navigate previous/next month
• Today: Jump to current month

Expense Actions

Each expense has a menu (⋮) with options:

• Edit: Modify expense details
• View History: See complete payment history
• Archive: Hide from active expenses (keeps history)
• Delete: Permanently remove expense and all payment records

Quick Actions

• + Add Expense: Create new recurring expense
• 📄 Create Monthly Note: Generate note for current month
• 📊 Generate Report: Create custom date range report

Generating Reports

1. Click "📊 Generate Report" in the dashboard
2. Select date range:
   • Start Month (YYYY-MM)
   • End Month (YYYY-MM)
3. Click "Generate"

Reports include:

• Monthly breakdown with totals
• Payment rate percentages
• Per-expense analysis
• Total amounts paid/unpaid

Reports are saved as markdown files in your vault.

Command Palette Commands

Access these via Ctrl/Cmd + P:

• Open Expense Dashboard: Open the main dashboard view
• Add Recurring Expense: Create a new expense
• Create Current Month Note: Generate this month's tracking note
• Generate Expense Report: Create a custom report

Settings

Access settings via Settings → Plugin Options → Monthly Expense Tracker

Available Settings

Monthly Notes Folder

• Default: Monthly Expenses
• Folder where monthly tracking notes are created

Auto-create Monthly Notes

• Default: Enabled
• Automatically creates notes when a new month begins

Show Status Bar

• Default: Enabled
• Displays unpaid count in Obsidian's status bar

Monthly Note Template

• Customize the format of monthly notes
• Available placeholders:
  • {{month}}: Formatted month name (e.g., "January 2025")
  • {{expenses}}: Generated expense list

Data Storage

The plugin uses a hybrid storage approach:

Master Data (JSON)

Stored in .obsidian/plugins/monthly-expense-tracker/data.json:

• Recurring expense definitions
• Payment records
• Plugin settings

Monthly Notes (Markdown)

Stored in your vault:

• Human-readable expense lists
• Payment checkboxes
• Monthly summaries

Both are synced automatically - changes in the dashboard update the JSON, and the plugin can regenerate monthly notes from the master data.

Tips & Best Practices

🎯 Organizing Expenses

Use Categories: Group expenses for better organization

Category: Housing → Rent, Electric, Water
Category: Entertainment → Netflix, Spotify, Gaming
Category: Insurance → Health, Car, Life

Payment Methods: Be consistent with naming

✅ "Credit Card - Visa"
✅ "Auto-pay"
✅ "Bank Transfer"
❌ "CC", "visa", "my visa card" (inconsistent)

📅 Managing Due Dates

• Set due dates to align with your pay schedule
• Use the first business day for auto-pay items
• Add buffer days for manual payments

🔔 Staying on Top of Payments

1. Check the dashboard weekly
2. Use the status bar as a quick reminder
3. Create monthly notes at the start of each month
4. Review unpaid carryovers promptly

📊 Financial Planning

• Generate quarterly reports to track spending trends
• Compare year-over-year expenses
• Use categories to identify cost-cutting opportunities
• Archive discontinued expenses but keep history

🗂️ Archive vs Delete

Archive when you want to:

• Keep payment history
• Temporarily pause tracking
• Reference discontinued expenses

Delete when you want to:

• Permanently remove incorrect entries
• Clean up test expenses
• Remove all associated data

Keyboard Shortcuts

While there are no default keyboard shortcuts, you can set custom hotkeys for any command:

1. Go to Settings → Hotkeys
2. Search for "Monthly Expense Tracker"
3. Assign shortcuts to your preferred commands

Suggested shortcuts:

• Ctrl + Shift + E: Open Expense Dashboard
• Ctrl + Shift + A: Add Recurring Expense

Troubleshooting

Expenses Not Showing in Dashboard

Cause: Expense start date is in the future or end date is in the past Solution: Check the start/end dates in the expense editor

Monthly Note Not Auto-Created

Cause: Auto-creation disabled in settings Solution: Enable "Auto-create Monthly Notes" in settings or create manually

Payment Status Not Syncing

Cause: Using custom note format without expense IDs Solution: Recreate monthly notes using the dashboard

Status Bar Not Updating

Cause: Status bar disabled in settings Solution: Enable "Show Status Bar" and restart Obsidian

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I track expenses that aren't monthly? A: This plugin is designed for monthly recurring expenses. For one-time or irregular expenses, consider using Obsidian's daily notes or a separate tracking system.

Q: What happens to unpaid expenses? A: Unpaid expenses automatically appear in the next month's note in a separate "Unpaid from Previous Month" section.

Q: Can I edit payment amounts month-to-month? A: The recurring expense amount is fixed. If an amount varies, you can add notes in the monthly note or create separate expense entries.

Q: How do I backup my data? A: Your data is stored in data.json within the plugin folder. Back it up with your vault, or export reports for external records.

Q: Can multiple people use this in a shared vault? A: Yes, but note that payment tracking is per-vault, not per-user. Consider separate vaults for individual expense tracking.

Q: Does this work on mobile? A: Yes! The plugin is fully responsive and works on Obsidian mobile apps.

Roadmap

Potential future features:

• Budget targets and warnings
• Recurring income tracking
• Category-based analytics
• Export to CSV/Excel
• Recurring expense templates
• Split expenses (shared costs)
• Multi-currency support
• Payment reminders/notifications
• Integration with bank statements

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit pull requests or create issues for bugs and feature requests.

Development Setup

1. Fork the repository
2. Clone to your vault's plugins folder
3. Run npm install
4. Make changes
5. Test thoroughly
6. Submit pull request

Code Structure

main.ts          - Core plugin logic, views, and modals
styles.css       - All styling and theme support
manifest.json    - Plugin metadata

Support

If you find this plugin helpful, consider supporting its development:

💰 Donate

• PayPal: paypal.com/paypalme/VictorZenteno
• USDC: 0x1023142d0548b63542f2a4803b6724d4c26b8bda (Base Network - Low Fees)
• USDT: TAV7qTGgvn8GnYJfXfes73tD2dAPQJ3L2W (Tron TRC-20 - Ultra Low Fees)
• Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/rvzen

🌟 Other Ways to Support

• ⭐ Star the repository
• 🐛 Report bugs and issues
• 💡 Suggest features
• 📝 Improve documentation
• 🗣️ Tell others about the plugin
• ✍️ Write a review

See all support options →

License

MIT License - feel free to use, modify, and distribute as needed.

Changelog

Version 1.0.0 (Initial Release)

• ✅ Recurring expense management
• ✅ Payment tracking with confirmation numbers
• ✅ Interactive dashboard with month navigation
• ✅ Automatic monthly note generation
• ✅ Unpaid expense carryover
• ✅ Payment history viewer
• ✅ Custom date range reports
• ✅ Archive functionality
• ✅ Status bar integration
• ✅ Fully responsive design
• ✅ Dark/light theme support

Credits

Created by Victor for the Obsidian community.

Built with:

• Obsidian API
• TypeScript
• esbuild

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Happy expense tracking! 💰📊