SaveYourStack

💡 Inspiration

We wanted to reimagine budgeting for people who usually get left out of financial literacy apps—especially first-gen college students from immigrant families. Most tools feel cold, complex, or just boring. So we asked: what if saving money felt like leveling up in a video game?

⚙️ What it does

Save Your Stack is a gamified budgeting app that helps users quickly calculate their yearly savings based on a monthly budget and a chosen savings rate. It reframes budgeting as something fun and interactive, using a retro game-inspired design to keep things engaging.

🛠️ How we built it

We built the frontend using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, hosted on CodeSandbox. We designed a pixel-art-inspired UI for a retro feel, and coded features like an interactive savings jar, impulse alerts, and a "what if" simulator. Everything is lightweight, accessible, and beginner-friendly.

🧩 Challenges we ran into

Making the design both functional and aesthetically pleasing
Keeping the code clean while experimenting with gamification features
Using GitHub and CodeSandbox to collaborate on the project

🏆 Accomplishments that we're proud of

Gave budgeting a playful and non-intimidating feel
Built a savings simulator that connects habits to real impact
Created a smooth user experience with interactive elements

📚 What we learned

How to build and structure a responsive webpage from scratch
How to connect HTML elements with JavaScript to update output live
How small design choices (fonts, spacing, button styling) affect user engagement
How to manage scope and work under pressure

🚀 What’s next for Save Your Stack

Add more avatars and personalized goals
Build mobile responsiveness + backend for saved data
Finish implementing other gamified features, such as rewards, friends, and a leaderboard