Step 1: Set Up Your Environment

You’ll need Python installed on your machine. You can download it from python.org.

Step 2: Create a New Python File

Create a new file called finance_tracker.py.

Step 3: Basic Structure

Here’s a basic outline of your finance tracker:

import json
import os

class FinanceTracker:
    def __init__(self):
        self.file_path = 'finance_data.json'
        self.data = self.load_data()

    def load_data(self):
        if os.path.exists(self.file_path):
            with open(self.file_path, 'r') as file:
                return json.load(file)
        return {'income': [], 'expenses': []}

    def save_data(self):
        with open(self.file_path, 'w') as file:
            json.dump(self.data, file)

    def add_income(self, amount, source):
        self.data['income'].append({'amount': amount, 'source': source})
        self.save_data()

    def add_expense(self, amount, category):
        self.data['expenses'].append({'amount': amount, 'category': category})
        self.save_data()

    def get_balance(self):
        total_income = sum(item['amount'] for item in self.data['income'])
        total_expenses = sum(item['amount'] for item in self.data['expenses'])
        return total_income - total_expenses

    def display(self):
        print("Income:")
        for item in self.data['income']:
            print(f"Source: {item['source']}, Amount: {item['amount']}")
        print("\nExpenses:")
        for item in self.data['expenses']:
            print(f"Category: {item['category']}, Amount: {item['amount']}")
        print(f"\nCurrent Balance: {self.get_balance()}")

def main():
    tracker = FinanceTracker()

    while True:
        print("\nPersonal Finance Tracker")
        print("1. Add Income")
        print("2. Add Expense")
        print("3. View Data")
        print("4. Exit")
        choice = input("Choose an option: ")

        if choice == '1':
            amount = float(input("Enter income amount: "))
            source = input("Enter source of income: ")
            tracker.add_income(amount, source)
        elif choice == '2':
            amount = float(input("Enter expense amount: "))
            category = input("Enter category of expense: ")
            tracker.add_expense(amount, category)
        elif choice == '3':
            tracker.display()
        elif choice == '4':
            break
        else:
            print("Invalid choice. Please try again.")

if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()

Step 4: Explanation of the Code

1. Imports: We import json for data storage and os for file handling.
2. FinanceTracker Class: This class handles loading, saving, adding income/expenses, calculating balance, and displaying data.
   • load_data: Loads data from a JSON file.
   • save_data: Saves the current data to a JSON file.
   • add_income and add_expense: Methods to add income and expenses.
   • get_balance: Calculates the current balance.
   • display: Displays all income and expenses, along with the current balance.
3. Main Function: This function provides a simple text menu for user interaction.

Step 5: Running the Application

1. Open your terminal or command prompt.
2. Navigate to the directory where you saved finance_tracker.py.
3. Run the script using the command:

python finance_tracker.py

Step 6: Features to Consider Adding

Once you have the basic tracker running, you can consider adding features like:

• Categories for income and expenses.
• Graphical representation of your financial data using libraries like matplotlib.
• Monthly reports or summaries.
• Data export options (e.g., to CSV).