Expense tracker

Chapter 1 :

INTRODUCTION

An expense tracker app in Java is a software application that helps individuals or businesses
manage their financial expenses effectively. It provides a convenient and organized way to
record, track, and analyze expenses, enabling users to gain insights into their spending habits,
make informed financial decisions, and maintain better control over their finances.

The expense tracker app allows users to input various expense details such as the amount spent,
date, category (e.g., food, transportation, entertainment), payment method, and any additional
notes or descriptions. It may also include features for tracking income sources, setting budgets,
generating reports, and providing reminders for bill payments or upcoming expenses.

The app utilizes Java programming language to develop the backend logic and functionality,
making use of Java libraries, frameworks, and databases for efficient data management and
processing. The user interface of the app can be developed using Java's Swing, JavaFX, or web
frameworks like Spring MVC or Vaadin, ensuring a user-friendly and intuitive experience for
interacting with the app.

By using an expense tracker app in Java, users can gain a better understanding of their financial
situation, identify areas of excessive spending, track progress towards financial goals, and
ultimately achieve greater financial stability and control.

 Key Features of an Expense Tracker App in Java:

1) Expense Recording: Users can easily input and record their expenses, including details
such as amount, date, category, and payment method.
2) Income Tracking: The app allows users to track their income sources, providing a
comprehensive view of their financial inflows and outflows.
3) Categorization and Classification: Expenses can be categorized into different predefined
or custom categories for better organization and analysis.
4) Budgeting and Goal Setting: Users can set budgets for different expense categories and
monitor their progress towards staying within those budgets.
5) Reporting and Analysis: The app generates reports and visualizations to analyse spending
patterns, track expenses over time, and identify trends.
6) Reminders and Notifications: Users can set reminders for bill payments or receive
notifications for upcoming expenses, ensuring timely payments.
7) Data Security: The app prioritizes the security of user data, implementing measures like
password hashing, secure storage, and protection against common vulnerabilities.

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An expense tracker app in Java provides users with a powerful tool to manage their finances,
promote responsible spending habits, and achieve their financial goals. With its robust features
and user-friendly interface, it becomes an essential companion for individuals and businesses
striving for better financial management.

Chapter 2 :

LITERATURE SURVEY

A. Intelligent Online Budget Tracker The development of this application has been conducted in
a stepwise manner using the well-defined methodology, RUP, customized according to the
requirements of the system. Most of the goals set at the start of the development phase have been
met. Security problems like web security or network security have also been treated in the design
and development of the system, thus increasing the reliability of the system. Quality
management issues have also been handled satisfactorily.
B. Online Income and Expense Tracker This project is work more efficient than the other income
and expense tracker. The project successfully avoids the manual calculation for calculating the
income and expense per month. The modules are developed efficiently and also in an attractive
manner.
C. Family Expense Manager Application As the result, the user can make use of this application
in his/her daily life. After being used it can be a part of daily life to update and view daily
expenses and family expenses. This helps to keep track of expenses & manage it for the user as
they are busy in their daily routine, they are not able to keep track of their incomes & expenses.
D. Personalized Expense Managing Assistant Using Android Some of the features are like
enabling users to register to the application using an existing email or social network account, it
will synchronize the user's profile information to the application. Apart from this, the application
can be used to gather samples of data related to user's expenses with consents and use those
sample data as parameters to assess patterns of spending. Using some data mining techniques
expenses can be classified and can be used in market analysis and planning.

E. Mobiwik Expense Tracking Application Mobikwik came up with a new feature in their app
called Expense Manager. With this feature, you can track and manage your
expenditures(expenses), savings, reminders and bill payments. This is a personal budget
management app that tracks your expenditures and income and gives you recommendations to
make you economically strong. The main idea of developing this feature for giving users a clear
picture that how much they are spending and where they are spending and when. We remind
them to pay their utilities and card bills before the due date by using the same platform in just
one tap, instead of going any other way. Also serving them by giving saving tips for their good
future investment

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Chapter 3:

RESEARCH

As stated in the previous section, for most of the people expense tracking is still a manual
process being conducted on pieces of
paper. Copybooks and notebooks are used for this purpose where the daily expenses are written
as per the willingness of the person.
At the end of the month, the total for the income/expenses made is then calculated so that a
comparison can be made against
previous months. A sample page from these copybooks is shown below:

In addition to expenses management shown, income management is also done which consumes
more pages of the notebook.
The problems identified with the actual system being used by most of the people are as follows:
1) Much detail cannot be kept as there is much rewrite to be done which makes the task tedious.
2) Involves much paperwork which:
a) Occupy lots of space
b) can be easily lost or stolen,
c) May become dirty or get damaged thus causing loss of information.
3) Searching and referencing is difficult and time-consuming.
4) Analysis and comparison of data become difficult.
5) Reports generation is a tedious process.
6) The work being done is not accurate.
A. Proposed Solution
In this project, we develop an application that keeps track of user personal expenses. The
proposed application would eliminate
sticky notes, spreadsheets, and ledgers that cause confusion, data inconsistency problems while
recording and splitting expenses.
With our application, users can manage their expenses more effectively.

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Chapter 4 :

Objectives

The objective of an expense tracker app in Java is to help users effectively manage their personal
or business expenses. The app allows users to record and track their income and expenses,
providing them with valuable insights into their spending habits and financial health. Here are
some specific objectives of an expense tracker app:

 Expense Recording: The app should allow users to easily input their expenses, including
the amount, date, category, and any additional details. This information can be stored in a
database or file for future reference.
 Income Tracking: Users should be able to record their income sources, such as salaries,
investments, or other forms of income. This allows for a comprehensive view of their
financial situation.
 Categorization and Classification: The app should provide predefined expense categories
(e.g., food, transportation, entertainment) or allow users to create custom categories. This
helps users organize and analyze their expenses, enabling them to identify areas where
they can reduce spending.
 Budgeting and Goal Setting: The app can assist users in setting budgets for different
categories and track their progress towards those budgets. It can provide visual
representations of their spending patterns, helping them stay within their financial limits.
 Data Analysis and Visualization: The app should offer various tools to analyze and
visualize expenses over time. This could include generating charts, graphs, or reports that
summarize spending patterns, trends, or comparisons between different periods.
 Reminders and Notifications: Users can set reminders or receive notifications to ensure
they don't forget to record expenses or miss important payment deadlines.
 Data Security: The app should prioritize the security of user data, implementing
appropriate measures like encryption and user authentication to protect sensitive financial
information.
 User-Friendly Interface: The app should have an intuitive and user-friendly interface,
making it easy for users to navigate, record expenses, and access various features.
By achieving these objectives, an expense tracker app in Java can provide users with a
comprehensive tool for managing their finances, promoting financial discipline, and helping
them make informed decisions about their spending habits.

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Chapter 5 :

Modules and Design

When designing an expense tracker app in Java, you can divide it into several modules or
components to ensure a modular and organized structure. Here are some common modules and
design considerations for an expense tracker app:

1. User Management Module:

 User registration and login functionality.
 User authentication and authorization.
 User profile management (e.g., updating personal information, password reset).

2. Expense Recording Module:

 Capture expense details such as amount, date, category, description, and payment
method.
 Validation of input data (e.g., ensuring valid date format, positive amount).
 Storage of expense data in a database or file.

3. Income Tracking Module:

 Ability to record different income sources.
 Calculation of total income and expense balance.
 Integration with expense recording module to provide an overview of financial status.

4. Category Management Module:

 Predefined expense categories and the ability to create custom categories.
 Categorization of expenses for better organization and analysis.

5. Budgeting Module:
 Setting budgets for different expense categories.
 Tracking and visualizing budget progress.
 Sending notifications or alerts when nearing or exceeding budget limits.

6. Reporting and Analysis Module:

 Generating reports and summaries of expenses over a specified time period.
 Data analysis to identify spending patterns and trends.

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 Visualizations such as charts and graphs to present financial information.

7. Reminder and Notification Module:

 Setting reminders for upcoming bill payments or recurring expenses.
 Sending notifications or reminders to users at specified times.

8. Data Persistence Module:

 Storing and retrieving expense data from a database or file system.
 Implementing data access layer to interact with the database.

9. Security Module:
 Implementing user authentication and authorization mechanisms.
 Ensuring secure storage of sensitive user data, such as passwords.
 Protecting against common security vulnerabilities, like SQL injection or cross-site
scripting (XSS).

10. User Interface (UI) Module:

 Designing a user-friendly and intuitive interface for inputting expenses, managing
categories, and viewing reports.
 Implementing responsive design to support different devices and screen sizes.
 Providing smooth navigation and interaction with the app.
It's important to note that the design and specific modules may vary depending on the
requirements and complexity of your expense tracker app. Additionally, you can further enhance
the app by considering features like data backup, data synchronization across devices, or
integration with financial APIs for automatic expense tracking.

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Chapter 6:

Implemetation

Implementing an expense tracker app in Java involves writing the code and building the
necessary components to achieve the desired functionality. Here's a general implementation
theory to guide you:

1) Define the Data Model:

 Identify the data entities needed for the app, such as User, Expense, Category, and
Income.
 Define the structure and attributes of each entity, including relationships between them
(e.g., a User can have multiple Expenses).
 Set Up the Development Environment:
 Install Java Development Kit (JDK) and an Integrated Development Environment (IDE)
like IntelliJ or Eclipse.
 Create a new Java project and set up the project structure.

2) Implement User Management:

 Create classes for user registration, login, and profile management.
 Implement user authentication and authorization mechanisms, such as password hashing
and session management.

3) Implement Expense Recording:

 Create classes for capturing expense details (amount, date, category, description, etc.).
 Implement validation logic to ensure the data entered is valid (e.g., check for positive
amount, valid date format).
 Implement functionality to store expense data in a database or file.

4) Implement Income Tracking:

 Create classes to record and manage different income sources.
 Implement logic to calculate the total income and expense balance.
 Integrate the income tracking functionality with the expense recording module to provide
an overview of financial status.

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5) Implement Category Management:

 Define predefined expense categories and provide the ability to create custom categories.
 Implement functionality to assign categories to expenses for better organization and
analysis.

6) Implement Budgeting:
 Create classes for setting and managing budgets for different expense categories.
 Implement logic to track budget progress and provide notifications or alerts when nearing
or exceeding budget limits.

7) Implement Reporting and Analysis:

 Develop classes to generate reports and summaries of expenses over a specified time
period.
 Implement data analysis algorithms to identify spending patterns and trends.
 Use charting or graphing libraries to visualize financial information.

8) Implement Data Persistence:
 Choose a database system (e.g., MySQL, PostgreSQL) and set up the database.
 Implement a data access layer using Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) or an Object-
Relational Mapping (ORM) framework like Hibernate to interact with the database.

9) Implement the User Interface:

 Design and develop the user interface using Java's Swing, JavaFX, or web frameworks
like Spring MVC or Vaadin.
 Create screens and forms for expense recording, category management, budget setting,
and report generation.
 Implement event handling and user input validation on the UI components.

10) Test and Debug:

 Write unit tests to ensure each module's functionality is working as expected.
 Perform integration testing to verify the interaction between different modules.
 Debug and fix any issues or errors that arise during testing.

11) Deploy and Maintain:

 Package the application for deployment, creating executable files or a web application
archive (WAR) file.
 Deploy the app to a production environment, such as a web server or cloud platform.
 Monitor and maintain the app, addressing any bugs or adding new features as needed.

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Chapter 7

CONCLUSION

Tracking your expenses daily can not only save your amount, but it can also assist you set
financial goals for the longer term. If you know exactly where your amount goes every month,
you will easily see where some cutbacks and compromises can be made. The project that we
have developed is more efficient than the other income and expense trackers. The project
successfully avoids the manual calculation which is performed usually in the absence of an
expense tracker. The modules are developed efficiently and also in an attractive manner. The
application will eliminate sticky notes, spreadsheets, and ledgers that cause confusion, data
inconsistency problems while recording and splitting expenses. With our application users can
manage their expenses more effectively and they will be better at managing the expenses.

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Chapter 8

REFERENCES

[1] Access Consultants. (1998). the final report on the analysis of the household budget and
expenditure survey for St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Atlanta GA. Retrieved August 15,2006,
from http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Library/3954/svghbes.pdf

[2] Central Statistics Office. (2001). Household budget survey. Government of Ireland. Retrieved
August 15, 2006, from http://www.cso.ie/releasespublications/documents/housing/hbs.pdf

[3] European Countries. (2004). Household budget surveys in candidate countries:

Methodological analysis 2003. European Countries. Luxembourg. Retrieved February 19,2007,
http://europa.eu.int/estatref/info/sdds/en/hbs/hbs_meth2003_cand_countries.pdf

[4] International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET)

[5] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237448489_Intelligent_Online_Budget_Tracker
(Bekaroo, Girish & Sunhaloo, Sameer. (2007). Intelligent Online Budget Tracker.)

[6] https://www.irjet.net/archives/V6/i3/IRJET-V6I31110.pdf

[7] M N Rajaprabha 2017 IOP Conf. Ser.: Mater. Sci. Eng. 263 042050

[8] https://easychair.org/publications/preprint/73S7

[9] https://medium.com/@rajotiya.ravi2/case-study-of-expense-tracking-app-get-daily-alerts-of-
your-expense-a0561526973d

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