How to track your income and expenses
1. What to write down
Write down every payment you make, by transfer, QR code or cash, and all the money that comes in. Each entry needs the amount, the date and who you paid, or who paid you.
Income is money that comes in, such as your salary or money someone sends you. Expenses are what you pay for. At the end of the month, income minus expenses is what you have left.
2. Use a few categories
Categories show where the money went. Start with a short list and add more only when you need them. A good first list: food and drinks, groceries, transport, bills and utilities, rent and home, shopping, health, and family and friends.
Slip Tracker starts with these categories and knows over 1,000 Thai shops, each with a category. When a slip names a shop it knows, the category is filled in for you. Change it, and the app can remember your choice for that shop.
3. Let your slips do the typing
Most payments in Thailand are bank transfers or PromptPay, and each one gives you a slip with the amount, date and names already on it. Save each slip to your photos instead of copying it into a notebook.
In Slip Tracker, open Add, then Scan slips, and select the slips you saved. The app fills in the amount, date and names. It adds the slips it is sure of and marks anything uncertain Needs review. Slips already added are skipped.
On Android, it reads Thai and English text and the QR code on supported slips. When a name is written in Thai, it fills it in and asks you to check it against the slip. See what a transfer slip shows and which bank slips it reads.
4. Add cash and money in by hand
Cash, paper receipts and anything else without a slip need a manual entry. Add them the same day, while you still remember the amount. In Slip Tracker, open Add, then Enter manually.
If someone sends you the slip for money they paid you, save it and import it too, then check that it is saved as money in. Income without a slip can be added by hand.
5. Pick a routine you can keep
Choose a time that fits your day, such as after dinner or once a week. If you skip a few days, import the slips from those dates and add the cash you remember.
Slip Tracker can remind you once a day. The reminder asks you to add slips and never shows amounts.
6. Check the month
At the end of the month, compare income with expenses. If spending looks too low, look for a missing slip or cash entry before you trust the total.
A made-up month
| Item | Type | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Salary | Income | ฿25,000 |
| Rent and home | Expense | ฿7,500 |
| Food and drinks | Expense | ฿5,400 |
| Groceries | Expense | ฿2,600 |
| Transport | Expense | ฿1,800 |
| Bills and utilities | Expense | ฿1,450 |
| Shopping | Expense | ฿1,200 |
Expenses add up to ฿19,950, so ฿5,050 is left from the ฿25,000 that came in.
Home shows the month’s spending, and Summary shows the categories and merchants behind it. See how to read your monthly spending.
Want a number to aim for? Set a monthly spending guide, and Slip Tracker shows whether you are on track. It never stops a payment.
7. Common questions
Is an app better than a notebook or a spreadsheet?
Any method works if you keep it up. When most of your payments leave a slip, an app saves the typing and adds up the month for you. A notebook or a spreadsheet needs every amount typed in.
Do I have to connect my bank account?
No. Slip Tracker has no bank login and no sign-up. It reads the slips saved on your phone and keeps your transactions on the phone, encrypted.
I forgot to add a payment. What now?
Add it when you remember, with the date you paid. It counts in the month you paid, not the day you added it.
8. Get Slip Tracker
Free on Android.
Android 8.0 or later iPhone coming soon