Inspiration

As students living in Chicago, we realized how much money we was spending every month on bills like mobile, internet, and transportation. Most of the time, we never questioned whether we was overpaying or if better options existed. we noticed that many people around me had the same problem—they were stuck paying high prices simply because they didn’t know cheaper alternatives were available. We wanted to build something that could help people clearly see their expenses and find ways to save money. That idea became WindyWallet.

What it does

WindyWallet helps users analyze their monthly bills and shows them how much they could save by switching to better alternatives. Users enter their current bill details, and the platform calculates potential monthly and yearly savings. It also recommends better plans and explains why the recommendation is cheaper. Since the project focuses on Chicago, it also connects the savings to real local experiences, helping users understand the real impact of saving money.

How we built it

We built WindyWallet using Next.js, TypeScript, and Tailwind CSS. We used Prisma and SQLite to store user submission data. The application has a multi-step form where users enter their ZIP code, select bill categories, input their current costs, and choose discounts they qualify for. We then built a custom recommendation engine that compares their current bills with alternative plans and calculates the savings. The frontend and backend are integrated using Next.js API routes.

Challenges we ran into

One of the biggest challenges was building the logic for the recommendation engine. We had to make sure the savings calculations were accurate and realistic. Another challenge was designing the project structure so both frontend and backend worked smoothly together. I also spent time improving the user interface to make sure the experience felt simple and easy to use.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are proud that we were able to build a complete full-stack application from scratch. we are especially proud of the recommendation engine because it provides useful and meaningful results. we are also proud of creating a clean and professional user interface that makes the platform easy to use.

What we learned

Through this project, we learned how to design and build a full-stack application. we improved my skills in Next.js, API development, database integration, and application architecture. We also learned how to turn an idea into a working product that solves a real-world problem.

What's next for Windy Wallet

In the future, We plan to improve WindyWallet by adding real-time pricing data and expanding it beyond Chicago. We also want to make the recommendations more personalized and intelligent. Our goal is to turn WindyWallet into a complete platform that helps people save money on their everyday expenses.