Database building questions from a novice

[Magna]

I would like to create a database using free software to track all personal expenditures by category, etc. Pre-covid, I used to collect all receipts from anything purchased by me or my family and I would keep the receipts in manilla envelopes by month. I started creating a spreadsheet to enter every purchase, but stopped collecting receipts at the beginning of Covid.

I would like to create a simple form/database to make the data entry easier and then be able to run queries to track spending in general categories as well as specific types of purchases.

So far I have an idea of having General Categories such as:

• Food
• Clothing
• Vehicle
• Home
• Garden
• Health
• Pet
• Entertainment

For each general category, I'd have Item Categories such as:

FOOD

• Fruit
• Vegetable
• Meat
• Dairy/Eggs
• Frozen Foods
• Candy/Treats
• Food Preservation & Supplies

I was Windows as an OS. Is there any database building app/software that's free other than Google Sheets/Forms that anyone would recommend?

My data analysis would consist mainly of running queries to determine the amount we spend in a month or year for a specific item such as peanut butter, sales tax, fuel, etc.

I would like to also be able to do simple graphs to visualize spending trends, etc.

I would like to create my own database if possible rather than buying some sort of budgeting software.

 

[Judge]

Libre Office Suite. Where you may find most people consider it second only to MS Office. It comes with a number of Linux distros, so that's how I learned about it. Database, spreadsheet, presentations, word processing and lots of templates. All seem to operate much like MS Office.

But it's all freeware and available for multiple operating systems.

Home | LibreOffice - Free Office Suite - Based on OpenOffice - Compatible with Microsoft

 

[Alexej]

I have been doing something similar - but not so detailed.

Beware of the time it takes to input the info in order to do the kind of analysis you are talking about.

 

[Brian B]

If you do online banking, your bank might allow you to save your spending history as a spreadsheet. You can import a spreadsheet into Microsoft access and build views and forms on that spreadsheet. Doing something like this will mean that you don't have to manually enter the data. Good luck.