First post of the journey
How I started the journey and where I am at.
Ideas for an app
For over a decade, Python has been my primary programming language. I’ve always believed that learning any new language builds on the fundamentals of programming, making the language itself less important than how you use it. With this mindset, I decided to challenge myself by creating a new app for my phone and chose Swift as the language to learn. The only question left was what type of app to make.
About a year ago, I already had some ideas in mind when I discovered that Mint, the budgeting app I relied on, was shutting down. With only four months to find an alternative for tracking my budget, I explored options like YNAB. However, its high cost and reliance on a third-party library for bank integration left me uncertain. That’s when it clicked: I could build my own budgeting app. It was the perfect solution—a tool tailored to my needs while also serving as a hands-on way to learn Swift.
Even though the budgeting app market is crowded, I was excited by the idea of creating something personal. If nothing else, I’d be its first user—me. This project became more than just a way to transition from Mint; it turned into an opportunity to build a tool I truly wanted while growing my programming skills.
Money Map app
My app is called Money Map and is currently available only for macOS (I’m working on the iOS version). This decision stems from my preference not to support bank linking—I’ve never been comfortable with having my bank credentials stored on potentially vulnerable servers. At the same time, I didn’t want to manually input every transaction, so I started with support for CSV files. Later, I created a Python script (Transactify) that converts Quicken files into JSON, providing more detailed data than standard CSV files. Currently, the app supports both JSON and CSV file types.
After testing with friends, I realized the app needed additional features. Some users wanted to manually add transactions, others needed recurring transactions, and some requested app protection through authentication. These, and other features, have all been implemented in the latest release.
I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished with Money Map. It’s still a work in progress, but seeing it in the Apple Store is incredibly rewarding. There’s so much more I could share—like the libraries I’ve used and the technical challenges I’ve faced—but this is a great start for my first blog.
How am I doing currently?
Having an app in the Apple Store has been a fun and enlightening experience. I’ve learned that creating an app isn’t just about development; it’s also about marketing and getting the word out. So far, I haven’t excelled in that aspect—I’ve had a few downloads but earned $0. I’m optimistic that the iOS version will improve conversions once it’s released.
Thank you for reading
This blog is part of my New Year’s resolution to be more public about what I’m working on. It’s both a way to market Money Map and to document my journey as an indie developer. With any luck, I’ll soon achieve the coveted "ramen profitability" status :).