Intermediate⏱ 1 hour
Telegram Expense Tracker with Google Sheets
Log expenses instantly by sending a Telegram message. AI parses the amount, category, and description, then adds a row to your Google Sheet automatically.
🛠️ Tools Required
Telegram Botn8n or MakeOpenAI APIGoogle Sheets
📋 Step-by-step Guide
- 1
Create a Telegram bot using @BotFather and get your API token
- 2
Set up a webhook in n8n or Make to receive Telegram messages
- 3
Parse the incoming text message (e.g., "Coffee 3.50 EUR work")
- 4
Send the text to an AI model to extract: amount, currency, category, description
- 5
Validate and format the extracted data as a structured JSON object
- 6
Append the data as a new row to your Google Sheets expense tracker
- 7
Send a confirmation message back to Telegram with the logged entry
⚡ Benefits
- ✓Log any expense in under 10 seconds
- ✓No app switching required — just send a Telegram message
- ✓Automatic categorization with AI
- ✓Full expense history in Google Sheets for analysis
🎯 Use Cases
- Freelancers tracking business expenses
- Travelers logging daily spending
- Small business owners recording costs
- Anyone who wants frictionless expense logging
Ready to build this workflow?
Start with the tools listed above. Most can be set up in under an hour.