Getting Started With Ledger - Sample transactions

sample_journal.txt

; https://gist.github.com/rolfschr/318f1f91f8f845864568
;
; The opening balance sets up your initial financial state.
; This is needed as one rarely starts with no money at all.
; Your opening balance is the first "transaction" in your journal.
; The account name is not special. We only need something convenient here.
2041/12/31 * Opening Balance
    Assets:Checking                        $1000.00
    Equity:OpeningBalances

; The money comes from the employer and goes into the bank account.
2041/01/31 * Salary
    Income:Salary                            -$1337
    Assets:Checking                           $1337

; Groceries were paid using the bank account's electronic cash card
; so the money comes directly from the bank account.
2042/02/15 * Shopping
    Expenses:Food:Groceries                  $42.00
    Assets:Checking

; Although we know the cash sits in the wallet, everything in cash is
; considered as "lost" until recovered (see next transaction and later chapters).
2042/02/15 * ATM withdrawal
    Expenses:Unknown                        $150.00
    Assets:Checking

; Paying food with cash: Moving money from the Expenses:Unknown
; account to the food account.
2042/02/15 * Shopping
    Expenses:Food:Groceries                 $23.00
    Expenses:Unknown

; Ledger automatically reduces 'Expenses:Unknown' by $69.
2042/02/22 * Shopping
    Expenses:Food:Groceries                 $23.00
    Expenses:Clothing                       $46.00
    Expenses:Unknown

; You can use positive (add money to an account) or negative
; (remove money from an account) amounts interchangeably.
2042/02/22 * Shopping
    Expenses:Food:Groceries
    Expenses:Unknown                       -$42.00