Petty Cash 1.2
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John Linn, May 1997

Petty Cash is a simple program that allows you to keep track of the cash you spend from your wallet.  Where does your money go?  Find out with Petty Cash!

I wrote this program because I often was asking myself "where did all the money go?".  I needed to find a way to quickly and easily keep a record of expenses, and then be able to get a picture of what I spend money on:

- How much do I spend on average for groceries?
- What is my daily cost for gasoline for the car?
- How much is in my wallet (with out looking into it?)

My objective was to develop a program that would allow me to make an entry in less than 10 seconds,  I wanted the program to keep tabs on categories of expense, and I wanted the program  give me a per day cost for each of the expense categories.

The second use I have found for Petty Cash is to use it to keep track of cash expenses when I am traveling.  When I get back to the office and I do my expense report, all the information is there for cabs, tips, my lunch that I paid cash for, etc.

My friend, Ad Bosch, also tells me he uses Petty Cash to keep track of  his "wallet chip" (small amounts 
credit card).  

Hopefully you will find a use for the program as well.


New with this release: Petty Cash version for the Siena
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Ad Bosch has kindly modified the original Petty Cash program so it runs on the Siena.  For this reason there are now 2 versions of the OPA: PCASH.OPA for the Psion 3A/3C and SPCASH.OPA for the Siena.  If you have any questions about the Siena version please contact Ad at the following e-mail address:

adbosch@worldaccess.nl


Installing the program
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For Psion 3A or 3C: Copy PCASH.OPA to any /APP directory and install from the System Screen using [PSION]-I.

For Psion Siena: Copy SPCASH.OPA to any /APP directory and install from the System Screen using [PSION]-I.

The first time you run the program, 2 files will be created on the internal disk in the \OPD\ directory.  These files are: PCASH.INI which holds the starting balance and category names (see below), and PCASH.OPD which holds the expense register.


Using the Petty Cash program
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When you first run the program it prompts you for an opening balance.  Count up the money you have in your wallet and enter it here.  Next it asks you to enter the categories of funds you want to track.  You need to enter at least one category.  You can add more later.  Possible category names you might choose to use might be:

- Grocery
- Gas (Petrol)
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Movies
- Vending machine
- Other

For "Other" use the note field to specify what it is.

Once you have the program up an running use the following hot keys (either with or with out the [PSION] key:

- Press E  or the [Enter] key to enter an Expense
- Press A to Add dollars to register
- Press D to Delete last entry in register
- Press L to List full register
- Press C to add more expense Categories
- Press N to erase register and create New
- Press X to eXit Petty Cash

Tip: To enter a new expense simply press the [Enter] key, type in the amount, then [arrow down] and press the first letter of the expense category (for example press "G" for grocery), and finally press [Enter].  If you want you can [arrow down] and enter a Note before you press [Enter].

The left side of the display shows the most recent 17 lines of the register.  The right side shows category totals and daily averages.

This program was not intended to be something you would use everyday, but I have found it valuable to help me get a handle on my budget.  I might use it for a few weeks to check my spending and then not use for 6 or 8 months.

This is Freeware
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You can use this program as you see fit at no charge.  I do retain copyright.  This program cannot be sold without my permission.  I have used the program extensively and fixed all problems that I have found, however I cannot be responsible...  You know what I mean.

My only ask from you is to e-mail me a quick note telling me if you find the program useful.  Also report any bugs.

I can be reached at the following e-mail address:

	JLinn@compuserve.com

The modifications made to the 3A/3C program to enable it to run on the Siena are copyright Ad Bosch.  Questions or bugs reports can be addressed to Ad at the following e-mail address:

	adbosch@worldaccess.nl

If you write to Ad about Petty Cash I would appreciate being copied in.

Thanks for taking the time to evaluate and use Petty Cash.
