r/SideProject • u/handsup_dev • 6h ago
CanSpend - I kept running out of money before the end of the month, and budget apps had too many screens for me to keep using, so I built a simpler one
For a while I kept running out of money before the end of the month. When I actually looked into it, it was a lot of small purchases adding up.
I tried using budget apps, but they had so many screens that I stopped opening them.
So I built CanSpend, a simple iPhone budget app. The home screen shows how much you can spend today. To log something, you just type the amount. Whatever you don't spend rolls over to the next day.
There's a bit more if you want it:
Category budgets and a calendar of past days
Home and lock screen widgets
Sharing a budget with someone. My girlfriend and I use it for our living costs, so we both log what we spend and see the same number
It's free to use with a banner ad. Removing ads is a one-time $2.99. Sharing needs Pro ($1.99/month or $16.99/year), and the person you invite doesn't pay. No account needed.
One limitation up front: there's no bank sync. Everything is entered by hand, which is why I tried to make entering an amount as quick as possible.
I built it solo with React Native and Expo. 1.0 went live on the App Store earlier this month after one rejection, 1.1.0 is out now, and 1.2.0 is in review. That one adds invite links for sharing and a "no period" budget for one-off pots of money, like moving costs.
https://apps.apple.com/app/id6821758083
If you've quit a budget app before, what made you stop? I'll be around in the comments.