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Make a C# Personal Budget Tracker with Console UI and JSON

Suzan Kara

Keeping track of personal spending is crucial, and creating a budget tracker is a fantastic way for beginners to master C# file handling, serialization, and console user interface. This tutorial explains how to create a basic budget tracker that allows you to enter, view, and delete expenses as well as display your overall spending. It stores data in JSON.

Prerequisites

  • .NET SDK installed
  • Basic C# knowledge
  • Visual Studio or any C# editor

1. Project Setup

dotnet new console -n BudgetTrackerApp
cd BudgetTrackerApp

2. Create the Expense Model (Expense.cs)

public class Expense
{
    public int Id { get; set; }
    public string Description { get; set; }
    public decimal Amount { get; set; }
    public DateTime Date { get; set; }
}

3. Add JSON Storage Helpers (Program.cs)

using System.Text.Json;

public static class BudgetHelper
{
    private const string FilePath = "expenses.json";

    public static List<Expense> LoadExpenses()
    {
        if (!File.Exists(FilePath))
            return new List<Expense>();

        var json = File.ReadAllText(FilePath);
        return JsonSerializer.Deserialize<List<Expense>>(json) ?? new List<Expense>();
    }

    public static void SaveExpenses(List<Expense> expenses)
    {
        var json = JsonSerializer.Serialize(expenses, new JsonSerializerOptions
        {
            WriteIndented = true
        });

        File.WriteAllText(FilePath, json);
    }
}

4. Console Application Logic (Program.cs)

class Program
{
    static List<Expense> expenses = BudgetHelper.LoadExpenses();
    static int idCounter = expenses.Count > 0 ? expenses.Max(e => e.Id) + 1 : 1;

    static void Main()
    {
        while (true)
        {
            Console.Clear();
            Console.WriteLine("=== Personal Budget Tracker ===");
            Console.WriteLine("1. Add Expense");
            Console.WriteLine("2. View Expenses");
            Console.WriteLine("3. Delete Expense");
            Console.WriteLine("4. Total Spent");
            Console.WriteLine("5. Exit");
            Console.Write("Select an option: ");

            var input = Console.ReadLine();

            switch (input)
            {
                case "1": AddExpense(); break;
                case "2": ViewExpenses(); break;
                case "3": DeleteExpense(); break;
                case "4": ShowTotal(); break;
                case "5": return;
                default: Console.WriteLine("Invalid option"); break;
            }

            Console.WriteLine("Press any key to continue...");
            Console.ReadKey();
        }
    }

    static void AddExpense()
    {
        Console.Write("Description: ");
        var desc = Console.ReadLine();

        Console.Write("Amount: ");
        decimal amt = decimal.TryParse(Console.ReadLine(), out amt) ? amt : 0;

        expenses.Add(new Expense
        {
            Id = idCounter++,
            Description = desc,
            Amount = amt,
            Date = DateTime.Now
        });

        BudgetHelper.SaveExpenses(expenses);
        Console.WriteLine("Expense added!");
    }

    static void ViewExpenses()
    {
        Console.WriteLine("\n--- Expenses ---");
        foreach (var e in expenses)
        {
            Console.WriteLine($"{e.Id}. {e.Description} - ₹{e.Amount} on {e.Date:dd/MM/yyyy}");
        }
    }

    static void DeleteExpense()
    {
        ViewExpenses();
        Console.Write("Enter ID to delete: ");
        if (int.TryParse(Console.ReadLine(), out int id))
        {
            var item = expenses.FirstOrDefault(e => e.Id == id);
            if (item != null)
            {
                expenses.Remove(item);
                BudgetHelper.SaveExpenses(expenses);
                Console.WriteLine("Deleted!");
            }
            else
            {
                Console.WriteLine("ID not found.");
            }
        }
    }

    static void ShowTotal()
    {
        var total = expenses.Sum(e => e.Amount);
        Console.WriteLine($"\nTotal Spent: ₹{total}");
    }
}

Output Example

Extensions (Optional)

  • Add monthly limits
  • Use categories (e.g., food, rent)
  • Export to CSV
  • Convert to GUI using WPF or MAUI

Conclusion

This simple budget tracker project demonstrates how to use C# and JSON to manage personal finance data. It’s beginner-friendly and provides a strong foundation for learning file I/O, serialization, and structured application logic.

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