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Building a money app for people who stop using budgeting apps after 1 day

I’ve been working on a side project called Spending Pulse.

I tried a bunch of expense trackers and budgeting apps before. The problem is I’m kind of lazy with this stuff, so I would use them for maybe 1 to 3 days, then forget about them completely. They’d just sit in my app drawer collecting dust.

What I really wanted was something simpler:

How much can I spend today without feeling guilty or messing up the next few days?

That’s basically why I built this app.

You put in your current balance, add recurring or planned expenses and incomes, and the app gives you a simple daily safe-to-spend number. Then during the day, if you spend money, you quickly log it and it gets deducted from your daily allowance.

So yeah, it’s not really a traditional budgeting app.

Okay, maybe a little bit. You can also set a safety floor for your balance over the next 30 days if you want. But that’s pretty much it.

For extra lazy people like me, there are also widgets, so the safe-to-spend amount is right in your face on the Home Screen or Lock Screen.

It’s an iPhone + Apple Watch app right now.

Here it is if anyone wants to take a look:
Spending Pulse on the App Store

I’m still trying to figure out if this is actually clearer than traditional budgeting, or if it only makes sense in my own head. So blunt feedback is welcome.

posted to Icon for group Building in Public
Building in Public
on April 13, 2026
  1. 1

    I’m guilty of this exact pattern.

    Download a budgeting app → use it for a few days → forget it exists.

    I think the “daily safe-to-spend” idea is interesting because it removes the mental overhead. Traditional budgeting always felt like something I had to maintain, not something that helped me in the moment.

    do you feel people stick with it longer because of that simplicity?

  2. 2

    The "how much can I spend today" framing is exactly right. Most budgeting apps make you feel like an accountant. Nobody wants that.

    One thing worth testing, a streak or small nudge when someone logs 3-4 days in a row. Not gamification for the sake of it, just enough to make the habit click before people forget about it again.

    Also curious, do you show the safe-to-spend going up when income comes in, or only down when you spend? That positive feedback might help with retention more than people expect.

    1. 1

      Hi, thank you for taking an interest in the idea. To answer your questions:

      1. The streak is already there, it will be available in the insights tab. It will show you exactly what you mentioned, how many days in a row you didn't overspend and how many days you didn't go below your minimum floor for a selected balance

      2. Yes, the safe-to-spend number will adjust accordingly based on planned and actual income and expenses. For expenses it will automatically reserve that amount so the safe-to-spend is your actual guilt free spending money. For the income it will not be included in the calculations until that amount is marked as received.

      There is also an option to mark both income & expenses automatically on the due date. In that case everything is automatically included in calculations.

      I hope it makes things a bit clearer. Feel free to ask any follow-up questions, I am more than happy to answer all of them.

  3. 2

    Love the “lazy-friendly” angle — the daily safe-to-spend number is actually super intuitive. Feels way easier than traditional budgeting apps.

    I think you’re onto something with reducing it to one decision per day. Curious how users stick with it over time.

    Also, if you’re testing ideas like this — you have an idea, $19 puts it in real competition. Winner gets a Tokyo trip (flights + hotel, $500 min guaranteed).
    Round just opened: tokyolore.com 🚀

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  5. 1

    This is a smart angle. Most budgeting apps seem built for the version of people who are perfectly disciplined, and most people are not. Reducing it to “how much can I safely spend today” feels a lot more usable than asking users to manage an entire financial system every day. Feels like a product built around actual behavior instead of aspirational behavior.

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