About My Money Center
Built to answer the money question a bank balance cannot.
My Money Center began as a personal tool and grew into a private personal money management app for people who want a clearer picture of their checking account, upcoming bills and income, and the money actually available for everyday spending.
Why I built it
I have used budgets, spreadsheets, banking apps, and plenty of mental arithmetic. What I kept wanting was a clearer answer to a very ordinary question: after everything that still has to happen, how much can I spend today without coming up short before my next paycheck?
That became the heart of My Money Center. Forecast looks ahead. Safe Spending turns that look-ahead into a practical daily amount based on the bills, expenses, and optional cushion that need to last until your next primary income. The rest of the app grew around those ideas, with budgeting available when you want it rather than required as the center of the system.
Why the browser version matters
The original My Money Center was a Linux desktop app. That worked well for me, but it also meant Windows and Mac users had an unnecessary obstacle.
The current version runs in the browser instead. The app itself can be opened from the website, while each user's financial data remains stored locally in that person's browser profile rather than in a My Money Center account on the server.
How I wanted it to feel
- Plain language instead of accounting jargon
- Useful without connecting to a bank
- Private by default
- Calm rather than judgmental
- Focused on decisions, not just charts
- Simple enough to use without a finance degree
- Backups that the user controls
- Useful even when the internet is temporarily unavailable
What it cannot do, and what it can
My Money Center cannot create more money. I remain annoyed that software has not cracked that feature.
But it can make personal money management easier to understand. It can help you track income and expenses, see what is coming before your next primary income deposit, reduce constant mental subtraction, and make everyday spending decisions with better information.
— Donna