# Latest **URL:** https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/latest.md [Latest](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/latest.md) · [Categories](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/categories.md) · [Tags](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/tags.md) --- ## [Welcome to the Plain Text Accounting forum!](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/welcome-to-the-plain-text-accounting-forum/33)
**Author:** [@system](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/system)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [March 5, 2024, 4:24pm UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/welcome-to-the-plain-text-accounting-forum/33 "2024-03-05T16:24:33Z")
We are building clarity, balance and financial fitness together, with plain text and nimble tools. Welcome! What is Plain Text Accounting ? Plain Text Accounting, or PTA for short, is a way of doing bookkeeping and acco… --- ## [Above average results from the hledger --average flag](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/above-average-results-from-the-hledger-average-flag/890)
**Author:** [@hledgerfan](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/hledgerfan)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [September 25, 2026, 4:20pm UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/above-average-results-from-the-hledger-average-flag/890 "2026-09-25T16:20:49Z")
In this week's hledger fan blog post, I discover how easy it is to use the --average flag to calculate average weekly food expenses. Or at least after I discover a misconception that was keeping it from working. Read abo… --- ## [Beanie Budgets - looking for testers (beancount compatible iOS app)](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/beanie-budgets-looking-for-testers-beancount-compatible-ios-app/882)
**Author:** [@quabbage](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/quabbage)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [September 22, 2026, 9:06pm UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/beanie-budgets-looking-for-testers-beancount-compatible-ios-app/882 "2026-09-22T21:06:34Z")
Thank you Simon for inviting me to post here. Beanie Budgets is a beancount compatibile native iOS app. I have been working on it for purely personal reasons: I really wanted an elegant iOS app to capture transactions o… --- ## [Hledger finds icing on the cake re meal costs](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/hledger-finds-icing-on-the-cake-re-meal-costs/889)
**Author:** [@hledgerfan](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/hledgerfan)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [September 19, 2026, 5:16pm UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/hledger-finds-icing-on-the-cake-re-meal-costs/889 "2026-09-19T17:16:01Z")
In this week's hledger fan blog, hledger helps me calculate savings on food after dropping a meal kit delivery service. Read about it at hledger helps quantify expenses after dropping meal kit delivery service – A User's… --- ## [Plaintextaccounting project finance, and how you can help](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/plaintextaccounting-project-finance-and-how-you-can-help/872)
**Author:** [@simonmic](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/simonmic)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [September 18, 2026, 4:27pm UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/plaintextaccounting-project-finance-and-how-you-can-help/872 "2026-09-18T16:27:20Z")
G'day all! The plaintextaccounting github organisation is a place to collect funds to support general PTA resources like plaintextaccounting.org, forum.plaintextaccounting.org, reddit.com/r/plaintextaccounting and the p… --- ## [Can hledger reports reflect custom budget months?](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/can-hledger-report-reflect-custom-budget-months/871)
**Author:** [@chocolatine](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/chocolatine)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [September 17, 2026, 6:51am UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/can-hledger-report-reflect-custom-budget-months/871 "2026-09-17T06:51:17Z")
Hello everyone, I'm looking for a way to provide a custom date interval to an hledger command. My use case is the following: I have a CLI tool helping me decide for every week which "budget month" it is part of (e.g.,… --- ## [ANN: hledger 1.99.4 (& 1.52.4)](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/ann-hledger-1-99-4-1-52-4/886)
**Author:** [@simonmic](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/simonmic)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [September 13, 2026, 9:29pm UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/ann-hledger-1-99-4-1-52-4/886 "2026-09-13T21:29:23Z")
I'm pleased to announce two hledger releases! hledger 1.52.4: dependency updates, for packagers. hledger 1.99.4 (2.0 preview 4): new holdings report, better lot tracking, command aliases, reorganised help command, run/… --- ## [Is AI slop killing the Beancount community? (beancount mail list)](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/is-ai-slop-killing-the-beancount-community-beancount-mail-list/830)
**Author:** [@simonmic](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/simonmic)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [September 11, 2026, 11:49pm UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/is-ai-slop-killing-the-beancount-community-beancount-mail-list/830 "2026-09-11T23:49:38Z")
--- ## [Balance, a native iOS/Mac app for ledger-cli and hledger journals, looking for beta testers](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/balance-a-native-ios-mac-app-for-ledger-cli-and-hledger-journals-looking-for-beta-testers/880)
**Author:** [@simonmic](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/simonmic)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [September 11, 2026, 5:50pm UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/balance-a-native-ios-mac-app-for-ledger-cli-and-hledger-journals-looking-for-beta-testers/880 "2026-09-11T17:50:10Z")
https://www.reddit.com/r/plaintextaccounting/comments/1w8rfxz/balance\_a\_native\_iosmac\_app\_for\_ledgercli\_and/ announcement A closed-source macos and ios GUI app, available in TestFlight, free for the first 50 testers Ba… --- ## [Hope for food budget](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/hope-for-food-budget/887)
**Author:** [@hledgerfan](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/hledgerfan)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [September 11, 2026, 4:04pm UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/hope-for-food-budget/887 "2026-09-11T16:04:16Z")
In this week's blog, I look at an example of hope in budgeting, specifically regarding food expenses. I include a link to a useful YouTube video on the subject, but I include a quick summary in case you want to skip the … --- ## [Tracking a shared allowance pool that spans several payment accounts](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/tracking-a-shared-allowance-pool-that-spans-several-payment-accounts/865)
**Author:** [@tlrand](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/tlrand)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [September 4, 2026, 11:54pm UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/tracking-a-shared-allowance-pool-that-spans-several-payment-accounts/865 "2026-09-04T23:54:20Z")
New to PTA, and a few weeks into hledger (1.52). I have a setup that mostly works, but one problem I can't solve cleanly. My wife and I each get a fixed monthly allowance to spend however we see fit. Mostly small things… --- ## [Hope and Plain Text Accounting](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/hope-and-plain-text-accounting/877)
**Author:** [@hledgerfan](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/hledgerfan)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [September 4, 2026, 3:41pm UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/hope-and-plain-text-accounting/877 "2026-09-04T15:41:04Z")
In this week's hledger fan blog, I look at the importance of hope. Naturally, turn the discussion to plain text accounting. Read about it at https://hledgerfan.com/hope/ . --- ## [Visualizing your Ledger](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/visualizing-your-ledger/863)
**Author:** [@igbanam](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/igbanam)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [September 3, 2026, 8:27pm UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/visualizing-your-ledger/863 "2026-09-03T20:27:58Z")
Given the recent advances in analysis machines and visualizers, I wonder what people are up to these days with visualizing their books. I got a lot of mileage from HLedger SQL export -\> Sqlite3 -\> Metabase. The way thi… --- ## [Hledger - counting transactions](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/hledger-counting-transactions/870)
**Author:** [@parseaus](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/parseaus)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [September 2, 2026, 1:00pm UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/hledger-counting-transactions/870 "2026-09-02T13:00:25Z")
I want to count the amount of transactions in a few accounts. Similar to part of what hledger stats does, bit with particular accounts and a custom period. How would I go about this in the simplest possible way? --- ## [3 things that work well for me with hledger](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/3-things-that-work-well-for-me-with-hledger/869)
**Author:** [@hledgerfan](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/hledgerfan)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [August 28, 2026, 3:55pm UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/3-things-that-work-well-for-me-with-hledger/869 "2026-08-28T15:55:26Z")
In this week's hledger fan blog, I look at 3 things I use with hledger. Read about it at https://hledgerfan.com/3-things-that-work-well-with-hledger/ . --- ## [ANN: hledger 1.52.2](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/ann-hledger-1-52-2/868)
**Author:** [@simonmic](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/simonmic)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [August 24, 2026, 8:03pm UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/ann-hledger-1-52-2/868 "2026-08-24T20:03:26Z")
I'm (not so) pleased to announce hledger 1.52.2. This contains only a fix for an XSS vulnerability in hledger-web. All hledger-web users should upgrade, to avoid this bug. https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/rele… --- ## [Plain Text Accounting is Pretty Cool](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/plain-text-accounting-is-pretty-cool/867)
**Author:** [@simonmic](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/simonmic)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [August 21, 2026, 4:56pm UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/plain-text-accounting-is-pretty-cool/867 "2026-08-21T16:56:07Z")
A nice getting-started-with-hledger article, and discussion (lobsters, reddit) --- ## [Remembering to do the two-step when importing csv from my mutual fund](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/remembering-to-do-the-two-step-when-importing-csv-from-my-mutual-fund/866)
**Author:** [@hledgerfan](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/hledgerfan)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [August 21, 2026, 1:56pm UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/remembering-to-do-the-two-step-when-importing-csv-from-my-mutual-fund/866 "2026-08-21T13:56:13Z")
In this week's hledger fan blog post, I fix a couple of things in my Emacs Lisp csv import code. Also, for the first time, one of our blog sponsors has a jingle. Read about it (and perhaps even sing along) at https://hl… --- ## [ANTLR grammar for hledger format (partial) support](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/antlr-grammar-for-hledger-format-partial-support/853)
**Author:** [@Olivier\_Cailloux](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/Olivier_Cailloux)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [August 18, 2026, 8:39pm UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/antlr-grammar-for-hledger-format-partial-support/853 "2026-08-18T20:39:14Z")
Here is an ANTLR grammar that I built a few months ago for the hledger format. I hope it can be useful! Suggestions about where to announce this are welcome as well! --- ## [Chart of accounts - How does yours look?](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/chart-of-accounts-how-does-yours-look/51)
**Author:** [@munksgaard](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/munksgaard)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [August 18, 2026, 5:41pm UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/chart-of-accounts-how-does-yours-look/51 "2026-08-18T17:41:55Z")
After having used ledger for a few years, I recently decided to start again from scratch using hledger. This gave me an opportunity to revisit the accounts I have specified for my private journal and it got me thinking:… --- ## [Envelope Budgeting and Plain Text Accounting \[reddit\]](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/envelope-budgeting-and-plain-text-accounting-reddit/564)
**Author:** [@simonmic](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/simonmic)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [August 18, 2026, 5:41am UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/envelope-budgeting-and-plain-text-accounting-reddit/564 "2026-08-18T05:41:22Z")
https://www.reddit.com/r/plaintextaccounting/comments/1l3p2f4/envelope\_budgeting\_and\_plain\_text\_accounting: I just created a new GitHub repository for the Python scripts I use for my accounting workflow. It has a new a… --- ## [Checklists](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/checklists/862)
**Author:** [@hledgerfan](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/hledgerfan)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [August 14, 2026, 3:48pm UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/checklists/862 "2026-08-14T15:48:12Z")
In this week's hledger fan blog, I look at checklists. Need to get excited about using checklists? If so, read my recommendation for a book at https://hledgerfan.com/checklists/ . --- ## [Meal planning, Emacs, and reconciling accounts](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/meal-planning-emacs-and-reconciling-accounts/861)
**Author:** [@hledgerfan](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/hledgerfan)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [August 7, 2026, 5:55pm UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/meal-planning-emacs-and-reconciling-accounts/861 "2026-08-07T17:55:58Z")
In this week's hledgerfan blog, a discussion of meal planning leads to Emacs and then to reconciling accounts. Read about it at https://hledgerfan.com/meals-emacs-and-reconciling-accounts/ . --- ## [Scam snail mail](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/scam-snail-mail/860)
**Author:** [@hledgerfan](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/hledgerfan)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [July 31, 2026, 2:39pm UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/scam-snail-mail/860 "2026-07-31T14:39:19Z")
In this week's hledger blog, I tell about a scam letter, why it looked legitimate and why it wasn't. See https://hledgerfan.com/scam-mail/ . --- ## [Introducing Hledger-BTC: Import and manage your Bitcoin with PTA](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/introducing-hledger-btc-import-and-manage-your-bitcoin-with-pta/856)
**Author:** [@brh28](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/brh28)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [July 25, 2026, 8:13pm UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/introducing-hledger-btc-import-and-manage-your-bitcoin-with-pta/856 "2026-07-25T20:13:03Z")
Hey all, Bitcoin empowers people to truly own their money, but this comes at the cost of having to personally account for that money. Often times, people have multiple wallets and, of course, transact with many counter-… --- ## [Ledger CLI: Plain Text Accounting | ElnurBDa](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/ledger-cli-plain-text-accounting-elnurbda/859)
**Author:** [@simonmic](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/simonmic)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [July 24, 2026, 8:38pm UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/ledger-cli-plain-text-accounting-elnurbda/859 "2026-07-24T20:38:16Z")
(reddit discussion) --- ## [Low cost = high cost](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/low-cost-high-cost/857)
**Author:** [@hledgerfan](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/hledgerfan)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [July 24, 2026, 1:46pm UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/low-cost-high-cost/857 "2026-07-24T13:46:20Z")
In this week's blog, a failing fridge leads to a discussion of how inexpensive items can turn out to be expensive. Read about it at https://hledgerfan.com/low-cost-high-cost/ . --- ## [Tagging pay-period with inclusive date-range](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/tagging-pay-period-with-inclusive-date-range/855)
**Author:** [@ivan](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/ivan)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [July 22, 2026, 5:28pm UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/tagging-pay-period-with-inclusive-date-range/855 "2026-07-22T17:28:54Z")
I'm entering payslips into my hledger journal, and I'd like to record the pay period that each one covers. My first thought was to use a tag like: pay-period:2025-01-01..2025-01-15 Each payslip explicitly lists its pay… --- ## [How to organize all the tags in Hledger (including sub-tags)?](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/how-to-organize-all-the-tags-in-hledger-including-sub-tags/854)
**Author:** [@joviwu](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/joviwu)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [July 21, 2026, 3:14am UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/how-to-organize-all-the-tags-in-hledger-including-sub-tags/854 "2026-07-21T03:14:17Z")
Hi everyone, Using hledger tags only shows the top-level tags, and doesn't display any sub-tags. For example, if I have tags like vehicle : A, vehicle : B, vendor : AA, vendor : BB, running hledger tags only shows veh… --- ## [The Main Thing](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/the-main-thing/849)
**Author:** [@hledgerfan](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/hledgerfan)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [July 18, 2026, 11:32pm UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/the-main-thing/849 "2026-07-18T23:32:45Z")
In this week's blog, I apply a quote from Stephen Covey to personal accounting. Read about it at https://hledgerfan.com/the-main-thing/ . [Next page](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/latest.md?page=1)