Building My First Side Project : Daily Expense Tracker – A Journey

The Beginning: A Personal Problem

Every month-end felt like a mystery. Where did my money go? Sure, I was using spreadsheets and notes apps, but they were cumbersome and easy to forget. My friend had the same problem – we’d often discuss how we needed something simpler, something that would take seconds to record an expense.

That’s when it hit me: why not build something ourselves?

The Vision

I wanted to create something that would be:

• Lightning fast to use (under 5 seconds to add an expense)
• Mobile-first (because who carries a laptop to record coffee expenses?)
• Simple enough that we’d actually use it daily
• Smart enough to give insights about our spending

The Tech Stack

As a self-taught developer working at a tech startup, I chose technologies I was comfortable with:

• Frontend: Vue.js with Tailwind CSS for a clean, mobile-friendly interface
• Backend: Laravel for robust API development
• PWA Features: Service workers for offline capability
• Database: MySQL for reliable data storage

Key Features

1. Quick Add: Add expenses in seconds with smart categorization
2. Insights Dashboard: Visual breakdown of where your money goes
3. PWA Installation: Install on your phone like a native app
4. Offline Support: Add expenses even without internet
5. Multi-currency: Support for different currencies

Challenges Faced

Challenge #1: Making It Lightning Fast

The biggest challenge was speed. If it took more than 5 seconds to add an expense, we knew we wouldn’t use it. The solution? A minimalist interface focused on quick input with smart defaults.

Challenge #2: PWA Implementation

Getting the PWA to work smoothly across different devices was tricky. Service workers, caching strategies, and offline support took several iterations to get right.

Challenge #3: User Experience

Making something simple is hard. I went through multiple iterations of the UI, constantly asking:

• Can this be simpler?
• Can we remove this step?
• Is this really necessary?

Real-World Testing

The best part about building this was having immediate feedback. My friend and I used it daily, which led to quick iterations based on real usage:

• Found that category selection needed to be faster
• Added quick shortcuts for common expenses
• Improved the dashboard based on actual needs

Current State and Future Plans

The app (dailyexpensetracker.in) is now live and being used daily. Future plans include:

• AI-powered insights for better financial decisions
• Bank API integration for automatic tracking
• Smart receipt scanning
• Cloud backup for data security

Lessons Learned

1. Start Small: Having just two users (my friend and me) was perfect for initial development
2. Real Problems > Perfect Code: Solving a real problem is more important than having perfect code
3. User Feedback is Gold: Daily usage by real users provides invaluable insights
4. Simple > Feature-rich: People prefer simple solutions that work well over complex ones with many features

For New Developers

If you’re just starting out, here’s my advice:

1. Build something you’ll actually use
2. Start with a small, specific problem
3. Launch early, iterate often
4. Don’t worry about scaling until you need to
5. Focus on speed and simplicity

Try It Out

The app is free to use at dailyexpensetracker.in. I’m actively developing it and would love feedback from the community. Whether you’re a developer interested in the technical aspects or someone looking for a simple expense tracker, feel free to check it out.

Remember, every big journey starts with a small step. This is my first step into building products that solve real problems, and I’m excited to keep improving and building more.

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Have feedback or suggestions? Feel free to reach out to gurpreetkait.codes@gmail.com or contribute to making the app better!

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