Column Book
The same two-column habit this journal writes about, kept on a phone between paper sessions. Column Book is not sold here and it does not replace the ledger — it is the pocket version of it.
What It Does
7 featuresTwo Columns, Not One
An entry column sits beside a running balance column, the way the paper version does, so a skipped line or a doubled entry tends to show up as a broken balance instead of hiding in a long list.
A Guided Monthly Close
A short screen walks through the same steps as a paper close — total in, total out, carry the balance forward — instead of leaving the month open indefinitely.
Categories You Set Once
A short, fixed list of headings you choose yourself. Nothing is auto-categorized, and nothing is renamed behind your back between months.
A Margin for Notes
A short note field sits beside the entry for context — who it was for, why it was split — without folding that context into the number itself.
A Page You Can Print
Export a plain page formatted like a ledger sheet, with a blank margin included, for readers who still copy entries into a physical book at the end of the week.
Works Without a Connection
An entry saves on the device first. Recording something at the register does not depend on a live connection.
One Shared Ledger
Invite one other person to the same ledger with a short activity note on each entry, rather than reconciling two separate lists later.
How It Works
5 stepsStart a ledger
Open a new ledger or continue one you already have, and pick the categories you plan to use.
Add entries as they happen
Date, description, amount. The running balance updates itself, the same as a second column would on paper.
Add a margin note when it helps
A short note beside the entry, kept separate from the amount itself.
Close the month
Work through the guided close, check the totals line, and carry the balance forward.
Export or carry forward
Print a ledger-formatted page if you keep a paper copy, or simply carry on to the next month.
A Monthly Close, in Miniature
exampleA Few Questions
mini-FAQDoes Column Book replace a paper ledger?
Not by design. It is meant to sit alongside one, for entries that happen away from the notebook. See the full FAQ for how readers here tend to combine the two.
Is anything sold inside the app?
No. There is no store, no upsell screen, and nothing to purchase from within Column Book.
Can two people use one ledger?
Yes, with an activity note on each entry so it stays clear who logged what.
What happens if I skip a few days?
Nothing is lost. You can add entries out of order and the running balance recalculates from the dates you enter.
About availability
Column Book is a small, ongoing project of this journal, currently in a limited private trial rather than a public release. The pages here describe how it is meant to work; the writing on the Journal does not depend on it and stands on its own.
Back to the Journal