SmartBudge

Inspiration

The idea for SmartBudge was inspired by the need to manage personal finances effectively and avoid overspending. With many people relying on credit cards, it’s easy to lose track of transactions and exceed budgets.

What it does

I wanted to create a tool that not only tracks expenses but also proactively helps users by setting limits, sending alerts, and using AI to analyze spending and offer personalized suggestions. This ensures financial discipline while making budgeting smarter and more accessible. Additionally, it automatically tracks transactions directly from your bank, so you don’t have to manually input anything. The web uses AI to provide personalized suggestions on how users can reduce spending. For example, it might recommend cheaper yet popular restaurants based on user preferences and budget constraints. This adds value to BudgetBuddy by offering actionable advice that helps users make smarter financial decisions.

How we built it

Built using React for an interactive and responsive user interface.
Utilized Material-U, TailwindCss for sleek and modern styling, leveraging its pre-built components for forms, alerts, and dashboards.
Implemented a chart library (Chart.js) to visualize spending trends and budgets.

Challenges we ran into

We needed to maintain a budget limit across the website to ensure users could track and manage their expenses effectively.
We created mock data to simulate real-world user behavior and test the website's budget management features.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Successfully implemented a system to manage and display the user's budget across different sections of the website.
Developed a mock data set that closely mimics real usage, allowing for effective testing and improvement of the platform's performance.

What we learned

Gained experience in handling budget constraints within a web application, ensuring the user experience remains smooth and consistent.
Learned how to generate and use mock data effectively for testing purposes, which is crucial for simulating realistic scenarios without relying on real data.

What's next for SmartBudge

We will integrate AI to provide personalized suggestions on how users can reduce spending. For example, the AI might recommend cheaper yet popular restaurants based on user preferences and budget constraints. This will enhance the value of BudgetBuddy by offering actionable advice that helps users make smarter financial decisions.