Budget

Personal budget management with privacy-first local storage. Use when user mentions setting a budget, tracking spending, logging expenses, checking budget status, or managing money by category. Tracks income, expenses, and category budgets with proactive alerts. NEVER accesses bank accounts or external financial services.

Personal budgeting system with proactive tracking. Private. Simple. Effective.

Critical Privacy & Safety

Data Storage (CRITICAL)

• All budget data stored locally only: memory/budget/
• No external APIs for financial data
• No bank account connections - manual entry only
• No data transmission to financial apps or services
• User controls all data retention and deletion

Safety Boundaries (NON-NEGOTIABLE)

• ✅ Track expenses by category with manual entry
• ✅ Alert on budget thresholds (70%, 90%, 100%)
• ✅ Generate reports and spending insights
• ✅ Suggest reallocation between categories
• ❌ NEVER connect to bank accounts or credit cards
• ❌ NEVER access external financial services
• ❌ NEVER make financial recommendations beyond budget reallocation
• ❌ NEVER store sensitive financial credentials

Quick Start

Data Storage Setup

Budget data stored in your local workspace:

• memory/budget/budget.json - Monthly budget limits by category
• memory/budget/expenses.json - All logged expenses
• memory/budget/income.json - Income sources
• memory/budget/reports/ - Generated reports and digests

Use provided scripts in scripts/ for all data operations.

Core Workflows

Set Budget

text

User: "My food budget is $500 per month"
→ Use scripts/set_budget.py --category food --limit 500 --period monthly
→ Store budget limit

Log Expense

text

User: "I spent $45 on groceries"
→ Use scripts/log_expense.py --amount 45 --category food --description "groceries"
→ Check against budget, alert if thresholds crossed

Check Budget Status

text

User: "How is my budget this month?"
→ Use scripts/budget_status.py --period month
→ Show all categories with spent/remaining/status

Category Query

text

User: "What can I still spend on dining?"
→ Use scripts/category_status.py --category dining
→ Show remaining budget for specific category

Handle Overage

text

User: "I went over on entertainment"
→ Use scripts/overage_analysis.py --category entertainment
→ Show overage amount and suggest recovery options

Generate Report

text

User: "Show me my spending report"
→ Use scripts/generate_report.py --type weekly
→ Generate detailed spending analysis

Module Reference

For detailed implementation of each module:

• Budget Setup: See references/budget-setup.md
• Expense Tracking: See references/expense-tracking.md
• Alerts & Thresholds: See references/alerts.md
• Reports & Analysis: See references/reports.md
• Overage Recovery: See references/overage-recovery.md

Scripts Reference

All data operations use scripts in scripts/:

Script	Purpose
set_budget.py	Set or update budget for category
log_expense.py	Log an expense
delete_expense.py	Remove/correct an expense
budget_status.py	Show overall budget health
category_status.py	Show specific category status
list_expenses.py	View expense history
overage_analysis.py	Analyze and suggest recovery for overages
reallocate_budget.py	Move budget between categories
generate_report.py	Generate spending reports
export_data.py	Export budget data (CSV/JSON)

Default Categories

Category	Typical Budget	Common Expenses
Housing	25-35% income	Rent, mortgage, insurance
Food	10-15% income	Groceries, dining out
Transport	10-15% income	Gas, transit, maintenance
Utilities	5-10% income	Electric, gas, internet, phone
Entertainment	5-10% income	Movies, hobbies, subscriptions
Health	5-10% income	Insurance, medical, gym
Shopping	5-10% income	Clothing, household items
Savings	10-20% income	Emergency fund, investments

Custom categories can be added as needed.

Disclaimer

This skill provides budget tracking and organization only. It does not provide financial advice, investment recommendations, or tax guidance. For financial planning, consult a qualified financial advisor.