Showerthought: I bought a $25 'smart' budget planner app that just told me to spend less money.

Nancy Kim · 2026-03-09T16:40:06.850704+00:00

I wasted a whole Saturday setting it up only for its big tip to be 'eat out less', which my free notes app could have told me, so has anyone found a tool that actually gives useful advice?

adamp676mo ago

Spent twenty-five bucks on that advice? That's wild. You could have just asked a friend for free. Those apps are a total scam sometimes.

6

christophermorgan6mo ago

Twenty-five bucks for that advice is honestly painful to hear!

3

maxw346mo ago

Been there, done that (and still have the app icon mocking me from my home screen). What actually worked was tracking every single dollar for a month in a spreadsheet, no app needed. You see the real patterns, like how much that daily coffee actually adds up to. Then you can make your own rules, like a cash-only system for fun money.

3