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Tags

Tags in Arthalekha provide a flexible way to categorize and organize your transactions. Unlike rigid category systems, tags let you create whatever organizational structure makes sense for you.

What are Tags?​

Tags are labels you can attach to transactions (incomes, expenses, and transfers). They help you:

  • Categorize transactions by type
  • Group related transactions together
  • Filter and analyze spending patterns
  • Create custom organizational systems

Why Use Tags?​

Flexible Categorization​

Traditional expense trackers force you into predefined categories. Tags let you create your own:

  • "Food" for all food-related expenses
  • "Work" for business-related transactions
  • "Vacation-2024" for a specific trip
  • Any combination that works for you

Multiple Categories​

A single transaction can have multiple tags:

  • A business lunch could be tagged: "Food", "Work", "Client Meeting"
  • A gift could be tagged: "Shopping", "Birthday", "For-Mom"

Easy Analysis​

Filter by any tag to see:

  • Total spent on "Food" this month
  • All "Subscription" expenses
  • "Emergency" expenditures over time

Creating Tags​

Tags are simple - they just have a name:

PropertyDescription
NameA descriptive label (e.g., "Food", "Transport", "Bills")

Tag Naming Tips​

  • Keep names short but descriptive
  • Use consistent naming conventions
  • Consider using prefixes for grouping: "Bill-Electric", "Bill-Water"

Using Tags with Transactions​

Adding Tags​

When creating or editing a transaction:

  1. Find the Tags field
  2. Select one or more tags from the list
  3. Tags are immediately associated with the transaction

Viewing Tagged Transactions​

Tags appear on transaction listings, making it easy to see how each transaction is categorized.

Filtering by Tag​

Use the Tag filter to view only transactions with a specific tag:

  1. Go to Incomes, Expenses, or Transfers list
  2. Select a tag from the filter dropdown
  3. View all transactions with that tag

Suggested Tag Systems​

By Category (Most Common)​

Food
Transport
Bills
Entertainment
Shopping
Health
Education
Home
Personal

By Necessity​

Essential
Important
Optional
Luxury

By Frequency​

Daily
Weekly
Monthly
Yearly
One-time

By Project or Goal​

Home-Renovation
Vacation-Goa
Wedding
Emergency
Investment

Combined Approach​

You can use tags from multiple systems on the same transaction:

TransactionTags
Electricity billBills, Essential, Monthly
Movie ticketsEntertainment, Optional, Weekly
Vacation hotelVacation-Goa, Travel, One-time

Tags for Different Transaction Types​

Income Tags​

Common income tags:

  • Salary
  • Freelance
  • Investment
  • Refund
  • Gift
  • Rental

Expense Tags​

Common expense tags:

  • Food
  • Transport
  • Bills
  • Shopping
  • Entertainment
  • Health
  • Education

Transfer Tags​

Common transfer tags:

  • Savings
  • Investment
  • Card-Payment
  • Emergency-Fund

Best Practices​

Start Simple​

Begin with a few broad categories:

  • Food, Transport, Bills, Shopping, Other
  • Add more specific tags as needed

Be Consistent​

Use the same tag for similar transactions:

  • Always use "Food" not sometimes "Food" and sometimes "Groceries"
  • Create separate tags if you need to distinguish (e.g., "Food-Groceries", "Food-Restaurant")

Review Periodically​

  • Check if your tags still make sense
  • Merge similar tags if they're redundant
  • Add new tags for new spending patterns

Don't Over-Tag​

Not every transaction needs multiple tags:

  • One or two relevant tags is usually enough
  • Too many tags makes analysis confusing

Use Tags for Goals​

Create tags for financial goals:

  • "Save-For-Car" on relevant savings transfers
  • "Reduce-This" on expenses you want to minimize
  • "Track-Carefully" on variable expenses

Analyzing with Tags​

Monthly Tag Summary​

Filter by tag and date range to see:

  • Total food expenses this month
  • Entertainment spending trends
  • Bill totals over time

Tag Comparisons​

Compare spending across tags:

  • Food vs Entertainment
  • Essential vs Optional
  • This month vs last month

Exporting Tagged Data​

Export filtered data to CSV for deeper analysis:

  1. Filter by the desired tag
  2. Export to CSV
  3. Analyze in your preferred spreadsheet tool

Tags vs People​

Both tags and people help organize transactions, but they serve different purposes:

FeaturePurposeExample
TagsWHAT type of transaction"Food", "Entertainment"
PeopleWHO made the transaction"Dad", "Mom"

You can use both together: An expense tagged "Food" made by "Mom".

Managing Tags​

Creating New Tags​

Create tags as you need them:

  1. Go to Tags section
  2. Create a new tag with a descriptive name
  3. Use it immediately on transactions

Editing Tags​

Change a tag name to update it across all transactions:

  1. Edit the tag
  2. Change the name
  3. All transactions with that tag are updated

Deleting Tags​

Remove tags you no longer need:

  1. Delete the tag
  2. It's removed from all transactions
  3. The transactions themselves remain unchanged