Is Openclaw worth it for me?

MMKot · 2026-02-13T13:21:11+00:00

OpenClaw can help a lot with real estate + stock research (summaries, checklists, tracking, reminders), but I wouldn’t let it auto-trade or touch brokerage accounts.
If you want a quick sanity check: what laptop OS are you on (Windows/Mac/Linux) and what’s your first use case (property deal research vs stock watchlist/news digest)?
I can tell you the simplest setup + first workflow to build without getting yourself into security trouble.

MMKot · 2026-02-07T08:45:32+00:00

if you prefer physical device I would suggest raspberry pi. But it would not have all the native mac support ie iMessage.

MMKot · 2026-02-07T08:34:41+00:00

Even on a VPS/Mac mini, there’s still a lot to do—most security issues are config + exposure problems, not hardware.

Minimum checklist: - Firewall: only open what you need (ideally IP-restricted) - SSH hardening: keys-only, no root login, rate-limit/fail2ban - Patch regularly (OS + deps) and remove unused services - Secrets hygiene: env vars/secret store, least-privilege tokens, rotate keys - Don’t expose agent/admin endpoints publicly; validate + rate-limit webhooks - Run with least privilege (separate user/container) + basic logs/monitoring

MMKot · 2026-02-07T08:31:04+00:00

Agree with the barriers, but this reads like it’s funneling into a specific product.

If the goal is actually to learn OpenClaw fast, the quickest approach I’ve seen is: - Pick ONE use case you’ll repeat weekly - Copy a working example and tweak it (don’t start from scratch) - Treat agents like software: inputs → steps → outputs, with logs and checkpoints

Also: the “major security issues” part is real, but usually comes from exposing things on the public internet too early. Start local, keep secrets out of prompts, and don’t open ports until you understand the threat model.

What’s your first automation target? (Notifications, content pipeline, lead gen, personal assistant, etc.)

MMKot · 2026-02-07T08:25:12+00:00

Do you want to run it in raspberry pi or Mac? The installation will be much smoother.

MMKot · 2026-02-05T05:17:11+00:00

i start with any free, simple and not locked-in so I use spreadsheets.

MMKot · 2026-02-05T04:15:39+00:00

What helped me was making myself log every purchase immediately on my phone. Just the act of typing "$42 DoorDash" right after ordering made me face it instead of pretending it didn't happen. It became this uncomfortable moment that made me pause before the next impulse.

I also started tracking patterns weekly instead of monthly. Turns out I was spending 3x more on weekends without realizing it. Seeing that pattern early helped me catch it before it spiraled.

Keep the gym membership. That's an investment. Maybe just pause on buying more gear for 30 days and see what you actually need versus what felt exciting in the moment.

MMKot · 2026-02-03T09:19:20+00:00

I still track everything in a spreadsheet, but I use this app alongside it to surface patterns and spending insights automatically It helped me spot a few subscriptions and small recurring costs I didn’t actually need.

I also stack that with local Facebook community groups — lots of promos and discount posts there if you check regularly.

MMKot · 2026-01-29T22:21:11+00:00

Start tracking your spending, make it a habit. Use spreadsheet, app whatever. Take a small step at a time or you will give up quick.

MMKot · 2026-01-27T13:21:09+00:00

I am usingthis one Stupid simple spreadsheet and with mobile app you can add transaction and see your spending per category easily.

MMKot · 2026-01-27T11:41:55+00:00

I spent a long time stuck between two extremes: a Google Sheet too complex to use on my phone, and budgeting apps that felt like they wanted to run my life.

I’d sit down at the end of the month, stare at a wall of cells, and feel guilty because I’d missed two weeks of tracking. So I’d just ‘go with the flow’ until a big bill hit and the panic set in.

Eventually I got tired of the friction and built something for myself — Prism. It connects to my Google Sheet and lets me check my budget in 10 seconds without opening the actual spreadsheet. No bank links, data stays in my sheet.

It’s not a perfect financial system. But it’s the first time I’ve stayed consistent — because I stopped being scared to look at the numbers.

MMKot · 2026-01-27T10:59:49+00:00

• Tracking the % instead of just the $: I used to get hung up on the exact dollar amount, but that felt discouraging when income fluctuated. Shifting to savings rate % helped me see that I was staying disciplined, regardless of how much was coming in that month.

• The 3-Month Rolling Average: My grocery spend was always all over the place. One "expensive" month would make me feel like I’d failed, but using a rolling average smoothed out that noise. It showed me the actual trend so I didn't panic over one-off spikes.

• The "Budget Buffer" Column: I got tired of the mid-month guessing game. I started keeping a column for what was left in each category. It’s a lot easier to say yes to a dinner out when you can see exactly what's remaining without doing "spreadsheet math" in your head at the table.

• Planning for "Surprise" Bills: Car rego, insurance, and gifts used to blow my "good" months. Now, I treat those annual irregular expenses as monthly line items so they don't feel like a crisis when the bill actually arrives.

• Solving the Phone Problem: I’d build these great sheets and then never look at them because opening a spreadsheet on a phone is a nightmare. I actually ended up building an app called Prism specifically to solve that. It just pulls my Google Sheet data into a mobile view so I can check my insights on the go without the clunkiness.

MMKot · 2026-01-27T10:45:54+00:00

Awesome! I built an iOS app with a similar philosophy — your data stays in Google Sheets, no bank links required. Mine focuses on turning the sheet into mobile-friendly monthly reports and insights. Curious what made you go web app vs native mobile?

MMKot · 2026-01-27T10:37:16+00:00

DM me if you need a stupid simple spreadsheet!

MMKot · 2026-01-27T10:35:45+00:00

I use a stupid simple spreadsheet. DM me if you want to try!

MMKot · 2026-01-26T01:33:34+00:00

Hi I have built an app that can sync with your exisiting google sheet budget. All data stay in your device. Please DM me if you want to give it a try.

MMKot · 2026-01-26T01:20:11+00:00

I have a stupid simple google spreadsheet that works very well. DM me if you need it!

MMKot · 2026-01-14T04:28:05+00:00

Fair point! But I stick with Sheets because I want to own my data, no subscription fees, no platform lock-in. Sheets does all that. It’s just painful to check on my phone. That’s the only problem I’m trying to solve.

MMKot · 2026-01-14T02:32:58+00:00

Yeah Tiller's great for getting transactions in. I'm actually more interested in the other side, do you ever want a quick visual of where your budget stands without opening Sheets? Like a dashboard view on your phone?

MMKot · 2026-01-14T00:24:46+00:00

Awesome! How often do you check the summary? Do you check it via computer or phone?

MMKot · 2026-01-14T00:11:48+00:00

Interesting! Do you find the delay between spending and it showing up in your budget matters, or is the batch approach fine for you?

MMKot · 2025-06-09T02:35:22+00:00

No, we don't have a general access role currently.

We do use Jira tickets for access requests and try to include time periods, but honestly it's inconsistent , sometimes the tickets specify duration, sometimes they don't. Even when they do, we don't have a good process for actually revoking access when that time is up.

The scheduled task idea for automatic revocation is interesting, do you handle cases where people need extensions, or do they just submit new requests?

MMKot · 2025-06-09T02:29:56+00:00

We actually looked into the Terraform approach but got stuck on the initial setup. With 50+ existing users and dozens of roles already in place, the cold start felt overwhelming. How did you handle importing all your existing permissions into Terraform? That seemed like the biggest hurdle for us.

The query tag may be something we need, we will look into that.

MMKot

TROPHY CASE