diff --git a/budget.cabal b/budget.cabal
index 90ea7b0..80c9495 100644
--- a/budget.cabal
+++ b/budget.cabal
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ library
   ghc-options: -Wall -Wcompat -Widentities -Wincomplete-record-updates -Wincomplete-uni-patterns -Wredundant-constraints -Wpartial-fields -Werror -O2
   build-depends:
       base >=4.12 && <10
+    , bytestring
     , cassava
     , conduit >=1.3.4.2
     , containers >=0.6.4.1
@@ -71,6 +72,7 @@ executable pwncash
   build-depends:
       base >=4.12 && <10
     , budget
+    , bytestring
     , cassava
     , conduit >=1.3.4.2
     , containers >=0.6.4.1
diff --git a/lib/Internal/Types.hs b/lib/Internal/Types.hs
index 7e1c2a0..1dcde73 100644
--- a/lib/Internal/Types.hs
+++ b/lib/Internal/Types.hs
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import Dhall hiding (embed, maybe)
 import Dhall.TH
 import Language.Haskell.TH.Syntax (Lift)
 import RIO
+import qualified RIO.ByteString as B
 import qualified RIO.Map as M
 import qualified RIO.Text as T
 import RIO.Time
@@ -517,8 +518,8 @@ data AcntPath = AcntPath
 data TxRecord = TxRecord
   { trDate :: !Day
   , trAmount :: !Rational
-  , trDesc :: !T.Text
-  , trOther :: !(M.Map T.Text T.Text)
+  , trDesc :: !B.ByteString
+  , trOther :: !(M.Map T.Text B.ByteString)
   , trFile :: !FilePath
   }
   deriving (Show, Eq, Ord)
@@ -586,7 +587,7 @@ data InsertError
   | MatchValPrecisionError !Natural !Natural
   | InsertIOError !T.Text
   | ParseError !T.Text
-  | ConversionError !T.Text
+  | ConversionError !B.ByteString
   | LookupError !LookupSuberr !T.Text
   | BalanceError !BalanceType !CurID ![RawSplit]
   | IncomeError !DatePat
diff --git a/lib/Internal/Utils.hs b/lib/Internal/Utils.hs
index aa3446b..d23b98b 100644
--- a/lib/Internal/Utils.hs
+++ b/lib/Internal/Utils.hs
@@ -38,16 +38,18 @@ module Internal.Utils
   )
 where
 
+import qualified Data.ByteString.Char8 as B8
 import Data.Time.Format.ISO8601
 import GHC.Real
 import Internal.Types
 import RIO
+import qualified RIO.ByteString as B
 import qualified RIO.List as L
 import qualified RIO.Map as M
 import qualified RIO.Text as T
 import RIO.Time
 import Text.Regex.TDFA
-import Text.Regex.TDFA.Text
+import Text.Regex.TDFA.ByteString
 
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 -- dates
@@ -172,7 +174,7 @@ toTx sc sa toSplits r@TxRecord {..} =
      in Tx
           { txTags = []
           , txDate = trDate
-          , txDescr = trDesc
+          , txDescr = decodeUtf8Lenient trDesc
           , txSplits = fromSplit : ss_
           }
   where
@@ -196,7 +198,7 @@ valMatches MatchVal {..} x
 dateMatches :: MatchDate -> Day -> Bool
 dateMatches md = (EQ ==) . compareDate md
 
-otherMatches :: M.Map T.Text T.Text -> MatchOtherRe -> EitherErr Bool
+otherMatches :: M.Map T.Text B.ByteString -> MatchOtherRe -> EitherErr Bool
 otherMatches dict m = case m of
   Val (Field n mv) -> valMatches mv =<< (readRational =<< lookup_ MatchNumeric n)
   Desc (Field n (_, md)) -> (`matchMaybe` md) =<< lookup_ MatchText n
@@ -226,13 +228,13 @@ resolveCurrency = resolveSplitField CurField
 resolveSplitField :: SplitIDType -> TxRecord -> SplitAcnt -> EitherErrs T.Text
 resolveSplitField t TxRecord {trOther = o} s = case s of
   ConstT p -> Right p
-  LookupT f -> plural $ lookup_ f o
+  LookupT f -> decodeUtf8Lenient <$> plural (lookup_ f o)
   MapT (Field f m) -> plural $ do
     k <- lookup_ f o
-    lookup_ k m
+    lookup_ (decodeUtf8Lenient k) m
   Map2T (Field (f1, f2) m) -> do
     (k1, k2) <- concatEither2 (lookup_ f1 o) (lookup_ f2 o) (,)
-    plural $ lookup_ (k1, k2) m
+    plural $ lookup_ (decodeUtf8Lenient k1, decodeUtf8Lenient k2) m
   where
     lookup_ :: (Ord k, Show k) => k -> M.Map k v -> EitherErr v
     lookup_ = lookupErr (SplitIDField t)
@@ -242,46 +244,58 @@ lookupErr what k m = case M.lookup k m of
   Just x -> Right x
   _ -> Left $ LookupError what $ showT k
 
-parseRational :: MonadFail m => (T.Text, Regex) -> T.Text -> m Rational
+parseRational :: MonadFail m => (T.Text, Regex) -> B.ByteString -> m Rational
 parseRational (pat, re) s = case matchGroupsMaybe s re of
   [sign, x, ""] -> uncurry (*) <$> readWhole sign x
   [sign, x, y] -> do
     d <- readT "decimal" y
-    let p = 10 ^ T.length y
+    let p = 10 ^ B.length y
     (k, w) <- readWhole sign x
     return $ k * (w + d % p)
   _ -> msg "malformed decimal"
   where
-    readT what t = case readMaybe $ T.unpack t of
+    readT what t = case readWholeInteger t of
       Just d -> return $ fromInteger d
-      _ -> msg $ T.unwords ["could not parse", what, t]
+      _ -> msg $ T.unwords ["could not parse", what, decodeUtf8Lenient t]
     msg m =
       fail $
         T.unpack $
-          T.unwords [m, "-", keyVals [("pattern", pat), ("query", s)]]
+          T.unwords [m, "-", keyVals [("pattern", pat), ("query", decodeUtf8Lenient s)]]
     readSign x
       | x == "-" = return (-1)
       | x == "+" || x == "" = return 1
-      | otherwise = msg $ T.append "invalid sign: " x
+      | otherwise = msg $ T.append "invalid sign: " $ decodeUtf8Lenient x
     readWhole sign x = do
       w <- readT "whole number" x
       k <- readSign sign
       return (k, w)
 
-readRational :: T.Text -> EitherErr Rational
-readRational s = case T.split (== '.') s of
+readRational :: B.ByteString -> EitherErr Rational
+readRational s = case B.split 46 s of -- 46 is '.'
   [x] -> maybe err (return . fromInteger) $ readT x
   [x, y] -> case (readT x, readT y) of
     (Just x', Just y') ->
-      let p = 10 ^ T.length y
+      let p = 10 ^ B.length y
           k = if x' >= 0 then 1 else -1
        in return $ fromInteger x' + k * y' % p
     _ -> err
   _ -> err
   where
-    readT = readMaybe . T.unpack
+    readT i = case B8.readInteger i of
+      Just (x, "") -> Just x
+      _ -> Nothing
     err = Left $ ConversionError s
 
+readWholeInteger :: B.ByteString -> Maybe Integer
+readWholeInteger s = case B8.readInteger s of
+  Just (x, "") -> Just x
+  _ -> Nothing
+
+-- readWholeInt :: B.ByteString -> Maybe Int
+-- readWholeInt s = case B8.readInt s of
+--   Just (x, "") -> Just x
+--   _ -> Nothing
+
 -- TODO smells like a lens
 -- mapTxSplits :: (a -> b) -> Tx a -> Tx b
 -- mapTxSplits f t@Tx {txSplits = ss} = t {txSplits = fmap f ss}
@@ -332,7 +346,8 @@ showError other = (: []) $ case other of
         ZeroLength -> "Zero repeat length"
         ZeroRepeats -> "Zero repeats"
   (RegexError re) -> T.append "could not make regex from pattern: " re
-  (ConversionError x) -> T.append "Could not convert to rational number: " x
+  (ConversionError x) ->
+    T.append "Could not convert to rational number: " $ decodeUtf8Lenient x
   (InsertIOError msg) -> T.append "IO Error: " msg
   (ParseError msg) -> T.append "Parse Error: " msg
   (MatchValPrecisionError d p) ->
@@ -375,7 +390,7 @@ showTx TxRecord {trDate = d, trAmount = v, trDesc = e, trFile = f} =
       [ ("path", T.pack f)
       , ("date", T.pack $ iso8601Show d)
       , ("value", showT (fromRational v :: Float))
-      , ("description", doubleQuote e)
+      , ("description", doubleQuote $ decodeUtf8Lenient e)
       ]
 
 showMatch :: MatchRe -> T.Text
@@ -584,14 +599,14 @@ compileRegex groups pat = case res of
       compile
         (blankCompOpt {newSyntax = True})
         (blankExecOpt {captureGroups = groups})
-        pat
+        (encodeUtf8 pat)
 
-matchMaybe :: T.Text -> Regex -> EitherErr Bool
+matchMaybe :: B.ByteString -> Regex -> EitherErr Bool
 matchMaybe q re = case execute re q of
   Right res -> Right $ isJust res
   Left _ -> Left $ RegexError "this should not happen"
 
-matchGroupsMaybe :: T.Text -> Regex -> [T.Text]
+matchGroupsMaybe :: B.ByteString -> Regex -> [B.ByteString]
 matchGroupsMaybe q re = case regexec re q of
   Right Nothing -> []
   Right (Just (_, _, _, xs)) -> xs
diff --git a/package.yaml b/package.yaml
index fe911f1..2d68c2b 100644
--- a/package.yaml
+++ b/package.yaml
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ dependencies:
 - recursion-schemes
 - data-fix
 - filepath
+- bytestring
 
 library:
   source-dirs: lib/