Create a script to categorize expenses

Here’s a simple and effective Python script to categorize expenses based on predefined categories. You can run this in a local Python environment or enhance it further for integration with spreadsheets or web apps.

python
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# Expense Categorization Script

# Define categories and associated keywords
categories = {
    "Groceries": ["supermarket", "grocery", "walmart", "costco", "aldi"],
    "Utilities": ["electric", "water", "gas", "internet", "utility"],
    "Transportation": ["uber", "lyft", "bus", "train", "gasoline", "fuel", "taxi"],
    "Entertainment": ["netflix", "movie", "cinema", "spotify", "concert", "game"],
    "Dining Out": ["restaurant", "dining", "cafe", "mcdonald", "starbucks", "pizza"],
    "Rent": ["rent", "landlord", "apartment"],
    "Healthcare": ["pharmacy", "doctor", "hospital", "clinic", "medicine"],
    "Shopping": ["amazon", "shopping", "mall", "clothes", "electronics"],
    "Other": []
}

# Sample expense data (description, amount)
expenses = [
    ("Uber ride downtown", 15.50),
    ("Walmart grocery purchase", 82.30),
    ("Netflix subscription", 13.99),
    ("Gas station refill", 45.00),
    ("Starbucks coffee", 5.75),
    ("Rent payment", 1200.00),
    ("Doctor visit", 110.00),
    ("Amazon order", 56.49),
    ("Electric bill", 89.60),
    ("Bus pass", 25.00),
    ("Concert tickets", 120.00),
]

# Function to categorize an expense based on its description
def categorize_expense(description):
    description_lower = description.lower()
    for category, keywords in categories.items():
        for keyword in keywords:
            if keyword in description_lower:
                return category
    return "Other"

# Categorize and display each expense
categorized_expenses = []

for description, amount in expenses:
    category = categorize_expense(description)
    categorized_expenses.append((description, amount, category))

# Display results
print(f"{'Description':<30} {'Amount':<10} {'Category'}")
print("-" * 60)
for desc, amt, cat in categorized_expenses:
    print(f"{desc:<30} ${amt:<10.2f} {cat}")

# Optional: Summarize expenses by category
print("nExpense Summary by Category:")
summary = {}
for _, amt, cat in categorized_expenses:
    summary[cat] = summary.get(cat, 0) + amt

for cat, total in summary.items():
    print(f"{cat:<15}: ${total:.2f}")

Key Features:

• Keyword-based classification.

• Expense summary by category.

• Easily extendable with more categories or input formats (e.g., CSV file, user input, etc.).

Let me know if you want this adapted for CSV import/export, GUI input, or monthly summaries.