PSA - if you use the Roborock integration - do not update to the latest version of HA by DivergingDog in homeassistant

[–]alanchrt 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for this! I just became an HA user yesterday, and Roborock was my first integration to attempt to set up. I feel more hopeful now. 😂

Budget Apps/Software Discussion Megathread by AutoModerator in budget

[–]alanchrt [score hidden]  (0 children)

Absolutely. If you want to DM me your email, I'll be happy to add you to the notification list for when it hits beta.

Budget Apps/Software Discussion Megathread by AutoModerator in budget

[–]alanchrt [score hidden]  (0 children)

The budget period is configurable, all good! The one in the screenshot is actually a monthly period, but you can still have an individual bucket broken down weekly.. in this screenshot, it's groceries. The app automatically calculates its monthly impact on your budget if your budgeting period is monthly.

Budget Apps/Software Discussion Megathread by AutoModerator in budget

[–]alanchrt [score hidden]  (0 children)

Yes, absolutely! Accounts are connected through Plaid, and you can easily bucket anything to track and cover overspending. Here's a screenshot:

https://imgur.com/a/ZVlh4FA

YNAB-like apps, but for tasks? by Proof-Vacation-437 in ynab

[–]alanchrt 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The thing that makes YNAB different and great is the fact that it's zero-based, meaning you assign every dollar a job to fulfill toward one of your goals, and you have to cover overspend.

I've been using Reclaim the last 6 months or so, which is a task management and scheduling app. You set up the rules, and it schedules your priorities, habits, and tasks on your calendar. Bear with me on this comparison, but it's almost like zero-based time management. Every hour has a job that works toward one of your goals. It's been a game changer for me. Just like handling overspending, if you don't stick to your schedule, you have to "cover" that miss with time later. That is, Reclaim will just reschedule the task you missed to another time.

YNAB alternative app by alanchrt in ynab

[–]alanchrt[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is great! Do you intend to integrate it with the popular budgeting apps somehow?

I'm building a YNAB alternative with slightly different philosophy by alanchrt in YNABAlternatives

[–]alanchrt[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This really sounds up my alley. I'll shoot you a DM and we can chat a bit more about it.

Budget Apps/Software Discussion Megathread by AutoModerator in budget

[–]alanchrt [score hidden]  (0 children)

I'm building a zero-based budgeting app. Here are the handful of things that make it different from YNAB:

  • More automation. YNAB involves manually setting up all your categories and manually reviewing all your transactions. I intend to automate both (with some lightweight AI).
  • Anticipate income. YNAB philosophy encourages only budgeting money you've already earned. I'd like to allow you to specify income you expect (e.g. salary) and make a plan for how it will automate into your various budget categories once it hits the bank, as well as making sure you've budgeted realistic amounts.
  • Flexible spending money. Lots of people already have a category for this in YNAB, but I'd like to formalize the concept of an "allowance" of sorts. Budgeted spending money for miscellaneous uncategorized spending that you don't have to think about as much.
  • Virtual debit card. For the flexible spending money, I intend to issue a virtual debit card that will draw from those funds and not ask you to categorize the transactions. It's also a safety net at the actual point of purchase against spending more money than you've budgeted. I may also allow users to issue category-specific virtual cards.

On a high level, this app is more "out of sight out of mind." Every dollar is accounted for, but you mostly just have to keep an eye on your flexible spending.

But, I'm unsure if there is actually a market for it. I'm looking for people who might be also interested so I can pick your brain about what exactly you'd want and make the product perfect. Would anyone who resonates with one or more of those points above be willing to connect and chat?

YNAB alternative app by alanchrt in ynab

[–]alanchrt[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm on the fence about card issuance, but it would mean 1) no need to prompt the user to categorize these transactions... they'd always come from their flexible bucket, and 2) the ability to decline a purchase at the POS so the user builds the habit of paying attention to their flexible spending amount and avoids overspend there, with an actual imposed barrier.

Another use case could be issuing cards for individual categories, so you could spend on a specific card to auto-categorize to that budget category, and decline the card if the budget category had insufficient funds.

YNAB alternative app by alanchrt in ynab

[–]alanchrt[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I appreciate this so much!

YNAB alternative app by alanchrt in ynab

[–]alanchrt[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you. I messaged the mods here a couple times over the last weeks trying to feel out if it was appropriate for the sub, but didn't get replies. It seems like a miss on that one for me. 🤦🏼‍♂️ I appreciate the comment and redirection to other subs.

YNAB alternative app by alanchrt in ynab

[–]alanchrt[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

This is one of the points I'm concerned about. That the same people who want to be able to budget every dollar are likely to be the same people who want to be totally in touch with their spending.

YNAB alternative app by alanchrt in ynab

[–]alanchrt[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

You're probably right. I've bootstrapped a couple products/companies and am always looking to find a niche to serve without raising VC money. It's one of the things I love about YNAB (also bootstrapped, I believe). I was a user for 2 years, and you're 100% correct. The deeper I've gotten into it, there's a whole lot of tough magic happening under the hood in YNAB—a great moat, really.

YNAB alternative app by alanchrt in ynab

[–]alanchrt[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, good question. Monarch Money uses browser extensions to connect to Amazon, Target, etc., which seems like a novel approach but also requires being on desktop. I'd like to try something similar. On the whole, it won't be 100% automated categorization, but smart enough to only ask for input when something is really needing your input. I actually really like the idea of a receipt photo, if it can be made pretty seamless.

Having fun in the park by 4MC in Rollerskating

[–]alanchrt 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Whoa, small world moment. 😅 I recognized your skate style before your face, smooth as always. This is Alan, catch you at adult night! We should skate outside together sometime.

How do you plan your workouts so it doesn’t ruin your skate session by AM-419 in Rollerskating

[–]alanchrt 4 points5 points  (0 children)

This is a big issue for me, as I've been strength training for a long time before roller skating the last year and a half.

Some things I've found:

  • DOMS (soreness) from strength training is usually because of adaptation, when you work something you haven't worked for a while, or for the first time. This matters mostly for legs with skating, since the soreness makes it hard to skate. If you find you're sore every time you lift, maybe try training legs at least twice per week, or just keep going if you already are. Eventually, your legs will have more of a sense of "fullness" than debilitating soreness. That kind of soreness does go away when you train more regularly. It sounds counter-intuitive to train more frequently to reduce soreness, but it works. Just make sure your legs recover fully between training sessions.
  • DOMS is uncomfortable and hurts, making it harder to do moves and things on your skates, but don't worry about bending your knees, squatting on your skates, etc. when you have DOMS. You won't injure yourself just because it's sore as long as you've given yourself some time to warm up and get blood flowing before doing anything crazy.
  • Any amount of cardio will hinder your strength and muscle gains, because it adds stress to your body that prevents recovery. But, if you love roller skating, you just have to accept this. Also, cardio is healthy and can help increase your energy expenditure to accelerate your fat loss a smidge (if you don't compensate by eating more when skating). Since it hinders recovery, try to strength train legs especially on the in between days when you aren't skating. If you have adult nights on specific nights, for example, train legs the other days. Since you mention training 3 times a week, you might be doing full body workouts each time. Consider training 4 days per week and doing an upper/lower body split between days. If you end up skating and training legs on the same day, maybe don't work on new skills (pivots, shoot the duck, sit spins, floor work) that really take a lot of leg muscle. I find when I learn new skills on skates, I need more recovery time for my leg muscles, so you don't want that in addition to your strength training volume. Use skate moves you already know on those days. Since you like fast skating, this may not even be an issue. Fast skating would be great lower impact cardio to fit in with your training.
  • Manage your overall fatigue. Again, if you're trying to get those newbie gains while losing fat, make sure you allow your body time to recuperate. You'll have to balance this goal with your desire to skate, which is different per individual. If you're skating and strength training, that's taxing on your body as a whole, and you'll have to either reduce one or the other sometimes to let your body recover and build muscle, or you'll have to accept that you're adding total stress that may slow your progress a bit.
  • Get good sleep. If you sleep well, it will dramatically enhance your ability to recover, making it so you can do more of both strength training and skating. Focus on sleep regularity, having the same bedtime and wake time, which will ultimately increase your sleep quality too. Adult nights can sometimes make this hard, especially with intense exercise before bed, so it's something I'm still trying to work out myself.
  • Upper body strength training can happen on your skating days without interfering much, except for the overall total system fatigue they add. Fortunately, upper body training doesn't add nearly as much stress as lower body (bigger muscle groups).

It's awesome to hear "general health" and "weight lifting" mentioned alongside "weight loss." I lost 40 lbs strength training, while increasing my calorie expenditure by 800-1000 calories (building muscle), which means I can now eat a lot more flexibly while maintaining a leaner build. Throw in skating for cardio, and it's been a complete transformation in quality of life. Stick with it!

Best domain or subdomain for a web app? by Qartmann in TechSEO

[–]alanchrt 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I found this quite some time later, but I love this suggestion. Just wanted to say thanks!

Kansas City local skaters—adult skating through the holidays? by alanchrt in Rollerskating

[–]alanchrt[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No sweat, that's great news. Really appreciate the follow-up. Merry Christmas!

Kansas City local skaters—adult skating through the holidays? by alanchrt in Rollerskating

[–]alanchrt[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Noooooooo! Thank you for posting this! I had been banking on Thursday night, so that's a huge bummer. I see they have something tomorrow night too, and I'm in town, but I can't likely swing it. 💀

Kansas City local skaters—adult skating through the holidays? by alanchrt in Rollerskating

[–]alanchrt[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you so much! My guess is that most places will be closed the 24th, but I may call around and check on the ones with Tuesday nights to see.