Why We Built Something Different
Most budget apps didn't work for us. They were either too expensive, too complicated, or required giving up control of our financial data. So we built something different—a system that has helped users achieve financial independence, travel extensively, and build substantial emergency funds, all while costing nothing per month and keeping financial data completely private.
We started with a simple Google Sheets spreadsheet focused on awareness rather than restriction. But this isn't just a budget tracker—it helps you track net worth, subscriptions, and income over the long term and analyze your financial patterns over time. Most spreadsheet alternatives focus on one month only, so you can never see how you're actually doing over time.
The system worked so effectively that it was eventually developed into a proper app using Google Apps Script. But the core philosophy remained unchanged: provide complete visibility into spending without the drama, subscriptions, or privacy violations that plague the budget app industry.
The results demonstrate the approach's effectiveness. Users know exactly where their money goes, never get surprised by expenses, and can make informed decisions about spending and saving. Most importantly, they own their financial data completely—no company analyzes spending patterns or holds financial information hostage.
Why people abandon their budget apps
Every budget app wants $10-30 per month to track your money. They promise to "automate your finances" while harvesting your most sensitive data. Family tracking either doesn't work or costs extra per user. And somehow, despite all this automation and monthly fees, people still get surprised by their own subscription charges.
Meanwhile, the apps that don't charge monthly fees often need so much maintenance and reconciliation that you just give up doing it.
Smart automation we embrace
- Recurring expenses appear automatically on their due dates
- All calculations for budget and analytics are done automatically
- Net worth data copies automatically to the next month
- Multiple family members can track expenses in the same sheet
Broken automation we avoid
- Bank syncing that imports transactions wrong
- Auto-categorization that requires constant correction
- "Automated" systems that need weekly manual reconciliation
- AI that tries to guess your spending intentions
Why subscription budget apps fail
Good automation handles predictable, mechanical tasks
Bad automation tries to replace human judgment about spending decisions
We automate the boring stuff so you can focus on what matters: conscious spending decisions with full awareness of their impact.
Perfect example of bad automation:
You pay monthly for budget apps that can't properly warn you about your other monthly subscriptions. Your Netflix charge just appears as another line item after it hits—no advance warning, no context, no chance to cancel beforehand.
Plus they monetize your data:
Budget apps with bank syncing know everything—income, debt, spending patterns, investments. Many sell "anonymized" data or earn affiliate commissions by recommending financial products.
Your data becomes their product. The app making money from credit card referrals has obvious conflicts when giving you spending advice.
Our approach
Our approach is manual tracking that's fast and flexible. It works across all devices and handles your complete personal finance picture—expenses, net worth, and income—without the rigidity that makes other systems fail.
Track as you spend, not after
Enter expenses when they happen to create real-time awareness. The awareness happens when it can actually influence decisions.
Smart recurring expenses
Set up recurring expenses once—they automatically appear on due dates with advance visual warning.
Visual spending patterns
Monthly and yearly calendar grids with categories on top, days/months on the side. See all your spending patterns at a glance in one visual grid.
You own your data
All data lives in your Google Sheets. We provide the interface, you own the information forever. Family members can track together from the same sheet.
Net worth and income tracking
Track your complete financial picture over time—assets, debts, and income trends. Previous month's data copies over automatically.
Works on all your devices
Browser-based app works on iPhone, Android, laptop, tablet—any device with internet. No separate apps to download or sync.
The key insight is that successful manual tracking requires removing friction, not adding discipline. Most manual systems fail because they're too rigid and create perfectionist anxiety.
Our system acknowledges that life is messy. If you forget to log a $4 coffee, that's fine—the goal isn't accounting precision, it's spending awareness. The system is designed to capture the major patterns that actually affect your financial life.
See How It Actually Works
Get a detailed walkthrough of the visual grid system, smart fixed expense handling, and family collaboration features.
Why this approach works
Most people avoid manual tracking because it's genuinely painful—spreadsheets aren't mobile-friendly, each month requires a new sheet with no connection to previous data, and you have to manually enter the same recurring expenses over and over.
We removed all that friction. Our system works on mobile, connects data across months automatically, maps recurring subscriptions, and handles the boring stuff so you can focus on the decisions that matter.
You get the awareness benefits of manual tracking without the traditional pain points that make people give up.
The most important result isn't any single financial decision—it's the compound effect of thousands of small decisions made with better information.
When you have real-time awareness of your spending patterns, you naturally make different choices. Not because an app told you not to spend, but because you can see the cumulative impact of your decisions.
Who Simplify Budget is for
Great for
- Privacy-conscious individuals who don't want companies analyzing their spending habits
- Families needing shared financial visibility without per-user fees
- People frustrated with subscription budget apps tired of monthly fees
- Anyone who wants to OWN their financial data in a format they control
- Small business owners tracking project expenses needing flexible categorization
- Couples who've struggled with existing family budget solutions
Better alternatives if you want
- Fully automated tracking without any manual engagement
- Traditional envelope budgeting with strict category limits
- Complex investment tracking features like portfolio analysis
- Zero manual data entry or Google Sheets integration
Financial awareness vs automation
The fitness industry understands something fintech has forgotten: automation removes the very engagement that creates results. No one tries to automate away the actual workout because the "pain" of lifting weights IS what builds strength.
The automated tracking crowd is essentially trying to get financially fit by having someone else do their workouts and texting them the results.
Manual tracking works because it creates the "pain of payment"—the psychological discomfort that comes from consciously parting with money. Just like people spend less with cash than cards, consciously recording each purchase creates awareness that influences future decisions.
This awareness compounds over time into an intuitive understanding of your spending patterns.
Why automation isn't always good
The fintech industry has convinced people that the ideal financial system is one they never think about. "Set it and forget it" has become the gold standard, as if conscious engagement with your money is a bug rather than a feature.
But financial independence isn't achieved by forgetting about money—it's achieved through conscious, informed decisions over time.
Here's the dirty secret: "automated" budget apps create MORE manual work, not less. YNAB has a 2,000+ word help guide for weekly reconciliation because their automation imports transactions wrong, messes up categories, creates duplicates, and misses charges entirely.
How to Get Started
If this approach resonates with you, getting started is straightforward:
Demo app with example data
There's a fully functional demo available that doesn't require any authorization or signup. You can explore the visual grid system, see how the interface works, and get a feel for the approach without committing to anything.
Open Demo AppStart tracking your money today
Connect a Google Sheet and track your first expense in under 2 minutes. No payment required—decide later if you want lifetime access. Your data stays in your Google Sheets forever.
Get your AppFamily Setup
If you want to track finances as a family, one person purchases the app and shares their Google Sheet with family members. Everyone else can then connect their own free version of the app to the shared sheet.
Your Data, Your Terms
Everything lives in your Google Drive. You can export, modify, or analyze your data using any tools you prefer. If you decide to stop using the app, your financial history remains accessible in the most universal format possible.
Conclusion: Your Money Deserves Better
Good money management requires awareness, not automation. It requires flexibility, not rigid category systems. It requires ownership of your data, not dependence on subscription services.
You don't need an app to control your spending—you need clear visibility into the consequences of your decisions and the patterns they create over time.