George Washington called this small, leather-bound book a "pocket day book." He used it to record small personal expenditures and receipts of cash. It also includes some entries documenting the larger business of his plantation, such as hiring. Washington later transferred most of the entries in these volumes to his ledger and account books. The blank pages that appear are blotter pages.

This pocket book begins with his expenses at the Second Continental Congress, which opened in Philadelphia in May, 1775. Washington continued to use a "pocket day book" through his first year as commander in chief of the Continental Army, noting that his first purchase on reaching Cambridge to assume command of the Army was "a ribbon to distinguish myself." Washington broke off after January, 1776, for the duration of the Revolutionary War. Then he started again in September, 1783 as the war came to an end. His diaries follow the same pattern, breaking off during the Revolutionary War, then starting again near the end of the war.

There are 66 pages.

Washington, George. George Washington Papers, Series 5, Financial Papers: Pocket Book of Cash Expenses, May, 1775 - January,1776; September, 1783 - December, 1784. 05-/12-1784, 1775. Manuscript/Mixed Material. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/mgw500016/. (Accessed February 16, 2017.)