Simple household accounting

Ralf · 2025-12-29 10:50:51

Hi,

is there any simple software for Linux with a German translation that can be used for small, straightforward private accounting tasks, is easy to use without a manual, and lists income and expenses? If it doesn't have childish graphics, I would be happy to use software that is actually intended for children.

I have something in mind that looks something like this:
https://www.chip.de/ii/2/5/5/2/4/6/7/a5 … 425d74.jpg

Definitely not something like this:
https://eqonomize.github.io/images/accounts.png

The software must work offline.
It doesn't have to be free as in beer software.

I have little hope that there is a simple app that provides a clear overview of income and expenditure tables side by side without being graphically overloaded and without treating the user as if they were incapable of handling their own money responsibly.

Regards,
Ralf

Mod edit: replaced oversized images with URLs. Please read the image posting guidelines. -- WorMzy

Last edited by WorMzy (2025-12-29 15:07:01)

StarWolf3000 · 2025-12-29 14:13:49

GnuCash? https://archlinux.org/packages/extra/x86_64/gnucash/
Project page: https://www.gnucash.org/

Last edited by StarWolf3000 (2025-12-29 14:14:48)

Ralf · 2025-12-29 15:47:21

Thank you,

but no.

I would like to enter what has happened by hand.

Housekeeping money
Income                      Expenses
------------------------------------------------------------------------
01.Jan1970 Foo +  5.00 €    10.Mar1970 food shopping - 9.00 €
02.Jan1970 Bar +  5.00 €
------------------------------------------------------------------------
               + 10.00 €                             - 9.00 € = + 1.00 €

I would like to receive such comparisons automatically for the decade, year, quarter, month, or week upon request.

I enter every single income or expense manually, no automatic standing orders, no automatic credit payments, no different bank accounts, no charts, no budget, no securities, no bells and whistles, just grandma's household account book, with a little convenience.

I want to be able to create different grandma's household account books.
The household account books do not need to be able to be merged.

Piggybank
Income                       Expenses
-------------------------------------------------------------------
03.Jan1970 This +  5.00 €    10.Mar1970 toy car - 5.00 €
10.Jan1970 That +  5.00 €
-------------------------------------------------------------------
                + 10.00 €                       - 5.00 € = + 5.00 €

IOW, I want a household account book or several household account books, not business accounting, and I don't need a nanny to monitor my budget.

It should be as simple as pen and paper, with the minimal added convenience of being able to request comparisons for specific periods. It would be great, but not essential, if the whole thing could be integrated into the desktop theme and if the GUI didn't have to be configured via the app's own settings dialog, as is the case with Eqonomize, for example.

GNUCash, Eqonomize, and similar programs completely miss the point. They are far too complicated for me.

Regards,
Ralf

StarWolf3000 · 2025-12-29 16:18:24

How about setting up a LibreOffice Calc sheet with some formulas? Since only you know what you need, so you could only add the formulas you need. Can be extended using your own Macros and Dialogs (Form Editor).

Ralf · 2025-12-29 16:53:57

Setting up LibreOffice Calc in this way seems too complicated to me, as I have never done anything like this with LibreOffice Calc, Excel, etc. I had to work with many Excel lists created by people who do this kind of thing every day, and yet they were much less flexible than I would like. I don't want to spend time learning how to do this with an office suite. I think I'll stick with paper, pen, and calculator after all. It could be that someone has already written a simple program of this kind.

Today, I had to smile when I saw a highly praised app that is supposed to help people who can't manage their money avoid getting into debt by recording every coffee-to-go purchase on their smartphone. Anyone who is at risk of getting into debt because of coffee-to-go should not use an app, but should take something to drink with them from home instead of buying it on impulse.

And that's not a misogynistic joke on my part, there really are accounting apps for women. I guess I'm behind the times when it comes to my expectations of such software.

Of course, you're right, basically I need something like an Excel spreadsheet. I'm surprised that there aren't any programs that are a little more flexible than an Excel spreadsheet, but not as complicated as software that could be used to do accounting for a company.

seth · 2025-12-29 17:57:52

Spreadsheet: https://www.heise.de/download/product/t … buch-78246
Looks basic enough to be compatible w/ freeoffice or libreoffice.

Ralf · 2025-12-29 18:27:44

Clicking on the file opens it in LibreOffice. I still need to test it, but it might actually meet my needs. Thank you very much!

Ralf · 2025-12-30 13:25:43

Update:

I revised the template as much as possible using OpenOffice without any knowledge of Excel/OpenOffice, but I was unable to eliminate some limitations and an error, as well as a strange print preview. Since I am not a millionaire, one of the limitations is meaningless to me. The print preview is irrelevant, but I may not be able to enter enough monthly transactions. The white number above the word "Summe" is not a big deal, but still a little strange. Something is supposed to have been lost in the conversion to .ods format, but I don't notice anything. The flaws are already apparent in the original .xls file. I'm not sure if incompatibility is the cause of the irregularities. I suspect sloppy work, since the transfer date in the original is always the 1st and could easily be changed to the 1st to 12th, for example.

The version I revised is somewhat better than the template, with no advertising, a font size that is easier for me to read, etc., but it's not great either.

When I have time, I might look for better templates on the internet.

Last edited by Ralf (2025-12-30 13:26:40)

seth · 2025-12-30 17:42:51

I may not be able to enter enough monthly transactions

If you're running > 300 transactions/month you maybe need some proper accounting after all

The white number above the word "Summe" is not a big deal

Conversion problem after all? I opened it in freeoffice planmaker and get no such thing.

since the transfer date in the original is always the 1st and could easily be changed to the 1st to 12th, for example.

err … what?

The pages are btw. not password protected.
http://0x0.st/P-Nz.xls is a version w/ the ads removed.

Ralf · 2025-12-30 20:44:13

I removed the ads myself and corrected the incorrect date entries, etc., which was no problem. Some changes were easy to implement, while others are tricky. Removing the variables for the white number has undesirable side effects. Please note that I changed the colors of my template and a few other things:

https://limewire.com/d/GFA4D#0QuFZgKeQ5

The link contains a screenshot and my edited spreadsheet, but it will expire in a week.

Update:

I saved my .ods file as .xls using OpenOffice and opened it with chaotic-aur/freeoffice 1228-1, and the white number above the "Summe" disappeared, just like in your file and in the original. Obviously, OpenOffice is not compatible with Exel.

Last edited by Ralf (2025-12-30 21:12:21)

seth · 2025-12-30 22:59:46

Is this actually openoffice or libreoffice?
Also sorry, I see what you meant by "the original is always the 1st and could easily be changed to the 1st to 12th", the carryover has a static month instead of "BLATT() - 3" or sth. like that - sure looks like copypasta.

Freeoffice is btw. not OSS and the aur just packages the upstream binary, so no need for chaotic and also to be mindful of.
If you don't want to register, you can reset the 10 day test period by deleting some obvious keys in ~/Softmaker/Settings/offo24config.ini

Ralf · 2025-12-31 07:54:01

What I accidentally called OpenOffice is actually extra/libreoffice-fresh 25.8.4-1.

tethys · 2025-12-31 08:24:16

I don't know exactly your needs but I have (for household accounting as well) used for many years now Gnumeric.
In any case, Gnumeric seems to be smaller in size than libreoffice-fresh, especially if you are using a gtk graphical environment.

Ralf · 2025-12-31 15:23:49

On the one hand, Gnumatic does not have the same display issues that LibreOffice and FreeOffice have in various aspects. On the other hand, after editing with Gnumatic and then saving, the next time you open the file, a window with warnings appears that you have to close manually before the file is loaded, followed by a slightly modified display of a diagram, and the problem of commas and periods being reversed and not displayed in German does not seem to be solvable. Particularly critical is that after each new opening, I have to relock all spreadsheet tabs, as they are automatically unlocked.
★ ☆
Have a great start to the new year! ? *
★

Last edited by Ralf (2025-12-31 15:28:17)

tethys · 2025-12-31 16:41:03

Thank you, Happy New Year!

It is called Gnumeric, I hope you got the right one.

The party must have already started ...

Ralf · 2025-12-31 17:15:43

Thank you! Yes, it's Gnumeric. I haven't started yet. I just shaved, which is best done with a clear head. Gnumatic is probably a robot gnu.

Last edited by Ralf (2025-12-31 17:16:11)

Arch Linux

#1 2025-12-29 10:50:51

Simple household accounting

#2 2025-12-29 14:13:49

Re: Simple household accounting

#3 2025-12-29 15:47:21

Re: Simple household accounting

#4 2025-12-29 16:18:24

Re: Simple household accounting

#5 2025-12-29 16:53:57

Re: Simple household accounting

#6 2025-12-29 17:57:52

Re: Simple household accounting

#7 2025-12-29 18:27:44

Re: Simple household accounting

#8 2025-12-30 13:25:43

Re: Simple household accounting

#9 2025-12-30 17:42:51

Re: Simple household accounting

#10 2025-12-30 20:44:13

Re: Simple household accounting

#11 2025-12-30 22:59:46

Re: Simple household accounting

#12 2025-12-31 07:54:01

Re: Simple household accounting

#13 2025-12-31 08:24:16

Re: Simple household accounting

#14 2025-12-31 15:23:49

Re: Simple household accounting

#15 2025-12-31 16:41:03

Re: Simple household accounting

#16 2025-12-31 17:15:43

Re: Simple household accounting

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