Vibecode EveryDollar Premium
track this build5 steps, step by step0%A consolation build is possible, but the paid product's decisive value sits outside a solo rebuild. For EveryDollar Premium, build a manual zero-based budget and import bank CSV files. The hard boundary is bank connectivity, mobile sync, coaching ecosystem, and ramsey content, plus financial integrations, compliance, and trust.
You are building a lean indie version of EveryDollar Premium. Create the following project files first, then implement the application by following them. Keep the files updated as decisions change. Do not collapse this into a single README or prompt. ===== README.md ===== # EveryDollar Premium indie build ## Goal Build the smallest trustworthy replacement for the core EveryDollar Premium workflow for one developer or a tiny team. ## Scope Build a manual zero-based budget, import bank CSV transactions, categorize them with transparent rules, reconcile balances, and export clean reports without moving money. ## Quick start 1. Install the documented dependencies. 2. Copy `.env.example` to `.env`. 3. Run the development command chosen during implementation. 4. Complete the acceptance checks in `BUILD_PLAN.md`. ## Honest limits This build deliberately does not replace: - bank connectivity, mobile sync, coaching ecosystem, and Ramsey content - direct bank feeds - tax filing guarantees - payroll and payments - accountant ecosystem and support If those capabilities are essential, use Actual Budget instead of pretending the gap is solved. ===== AGENTS.md ===== # Agent instructions - Optimize for a working, understandable weekend build. - Prefer the fewest moving parts that satisfy the brief. - Do not invent cryptography, security guarantees, APIs, or compliance claims. - Keep secrets out of source control and logs. - Add focused tests for destructive, security-sensitive, and data-loss paths. - Run the project checks before declaring the build complete. - Record any deliberate shortcut in the README under "Tradeoffs". ===== BUILD_PLAN.md ===== # Build plan ## Original build brief Build a closest honest personal substitute for EveryDollar Premium in an empty repository. Use Next.js 15, TypeScript, SQLite, Drizzle ORM, and local-first encryption; do not offer alternative stacks. The core loop is: build a manual zero-based budget, import bank CSV transactions, categorize them with transparent rules, reconcile balances, and export clean reports without moving money. Make the first run work locally with one documented command. Store all user data locally by default and make export straightforward. Put secrets in .env, ship .env.example, and never commit credentials. Support CSV and OFX import with saved column mappings and duplicate detection. Implement accounts, transactions, transfers, categories, payees, notes, and split transactions. Add deterministic categorization rules whose matches can be inspected and undone. Provide reconciliation, monthly budget, cash-flow, net-worth, and export views. Keep an immutable import log and require explicit confirmation before destructive changes. Encrypt local data, create automatic backups, and document restore on a fresh machine. Include clear empty, loading, success, and recoverable error states. Add input validation, safe filenames, and graceful handling of unavailable APIs. Write focused tests for the core transformation and one end-to-end happy path. Create a README with setup, architecture, permissions, data location, and backup steps. Do not add accounts, billing, telemetry, analytics, or a hosted control plane. Do not claim to reproduce proprietary data, network liquidity, regulated access, or frontier infrastructure. Deliberately leave out initiating payments or moving money. Deliberately leave out tax, payroll, or accounting compliance guarantees. Deliberately leave out screen-scraped bank access and commercial institution aggregation. Finish by running the tests and listing the exact commands used. ## Required capabilities - CSV or OFX exports from financial institutions - local encrypted storage - optional exchange-rate API key ## Delivery order 1. Scaffold the smallest runnable application and document its commands. 2. Implement the primary data model and core workflow. 3. Add validation, safe failure states, and persistence. 4. Cover the critical path with automated tests. 5. Exercise a clean install from the README and fix every missing step. ## Done when - A new user can go from clone to first successful workflow using only the README. - The core workflow works without paid infrastructure unless the brief requires it. - Tests cover the highest-risk behavior. - Known limitations are explicit rather than hidden. ===== .env.example ===== # Copy to .env and document every variable when it is introduced. # Never put real credentials in this file. APP_ENV=development # Add only values required by the selected implementation.
You are building a lean indie version of EveryDollar Premium. Create the following project files first, then implement the application by following them. Keep the files updated as decisions change. Do not collapse this into a single README or prompt. ===== README.md ===== # EveryDollar Premium indie build ## Goal Build the smallest trustworthy replacement for the core EveryDollar Premium workflow for one developer or a tiny team. ## Scope Build a manual zero-based budget, import bank CSV transactions, categorize them with transparent rules, reconcile balances, and export clean reports without moving money. ## Quick start 1. Install the documented dependencies. 2. Copy `.env.example` to `.env`. 3. Run the development command chosen during implementation. 4. Complete the acceptance checks in `BUILD_PLAN.md`. ## Honest limits This build deliberately does not replace: - bank connectivity, mobile sync, coaching ecosystem, and Ramsey content - direct bank feeds - tax filing guarantees - payroll and payments - accountant ecosystem and support If those capabilities are essential, use Actual Budget instead of pretending the gap is solved. ===== AGENTS.md ===== # Agent instructions - Optimize for a working, understandable weekend build. - Prefer the fewest moving parts that satisfy the brief. - Do not invent cryptography, security guarantees, APIs, or compliance claims. - Keep secrets out of source control and logs. - Add focused tests for destructive, security-sensitive, and data-loss paths. - Run the project checks before declaring the build complete. - Record any deliberate shortcut in the README under "Tradeoffs". ===== BUILD_PLAN.md ===== # Build plan ## Original build brief Build a closest honest personal substitute for EveryDollar Premium in an empty repository. Use Next.js 15, TypeScript, SQLite, Drizzle ORM, and local-first encryption; do not offer alternative stacks. The core loop is: build a manual zero-based budget, import bank CSV transactions, categorize them with transparent rules, reconcile balances, and export clean reports without moving money. Make the first run work locally with one documented command. Store all user data locally by default and make export straightforward. Put secrets in .env, ship .env.example, and never commit credentials. Support CSV and OFX import with saved column mappings and duplicate detection. Implement accounts, transactions, transfers, categories, payees, notes, and split transactions. Add deterministic categorization rules whose matches can be inspected and undone. Provide reconciliation, monthly budget, cash-flow, net-worth, and export views. Keep an immutable import log and require explicit confirmation before destructive changes. Encrypt local data, create automatic backups, and document restore on a fresh machine. Include clear empty, loading, success, and recoverable error states. Add input validation, safe filenames, and graceful handling of unavailable APIs. Write focused tests for the core transformation and one end-to-end happy path. Create a README with setup, architecture, permissions, data location, and backup steps. Do not add accounts, billing, telemetry, analytics, or a hosted control plane. Do not claim to reproduce proprietary data, network liquidity, regulated access, or frontier infrastructure. Deliberately leave out initiating payments or moving money. Deliberately leave out tax, payroll, or accounting compliance guarantees. Deliberately leave out screen-scraped bank access and commercial institution aggregation. Finish by running the tests and listing the exact commands used. ## Required capabilities - CSV or OFX exports from financial institutions - local encrypted storage - optional exchange-rate API key ## Delivery order 1. Scaffold the smallest runnable application and document its commands. 2. Implement the primary data model and core workflow. 3. Add validation, safe failure states, and persistence. 4. Cover the critical path with automated tests. 5. Exercise a clean install from the README and fix every missing step. ## Done when - A new user can go from clone to first successful workflow using only the README. - The core workflow works without paid infrastructure unless the brief requires it. - Tests cover the highest-risk behavior. - Known limitations are explicit rather than hidden. ===== .env.example ===== # Copy to .env and document every variable when it is introduced. # Never put real credentials in this file. APP_ENV=development # Add only values required by the selected implementation.
You are building a production product version of EveryDollar Premium. Create the following project files first, then implement the application by following them. Keep the files updated as decisions change. Do not collapse this into a single README or prompt. ===== PRODUCT.md ===== # EveryDollar Premium product brief ## Problem A consolation build is possible, but the paid product's decisive value sits outside a solo rebuild. For EveryDollar Premium, build a manual zero-based budget and import bank CSV files. The hard boundary is bank connectivity, mobile sync, coaching ecosystem, and ramsey content, plus financial integrations, compliance, and trust. ## Product outcome Build a manual zero-based budget, import bank CSV transactions, categorize them with transparent rules, reconcile balances, and export clean reports without moving money. ## Target user A serious builder who needs a maintainable product foundation rather than a one-off demo. ## Required capabilities - CSV or OFX exports from financial institutions - local encrypted storage - optional exchange-rate API key ## Explicit non-goals for v1 - bank connectivity, mobile sync, coaching ecosystem, and Ramsey content - direct bank feeds - tax filing guarantees - payroll and payments - accountant ecosystem and support ## Success criteria - The primary workflow is measurable end to end. - Setup is reproducible in a clean environment. - Failure, recovery, and support paths are documented. - Product claims match what the implementation actually guarantees. ===== ARCHITECTURE.md ===== # Architecture ## Starting brief Build a closest honest personal substitute for EveryDollar Premium in an empty repository. Use Next.js 15, TypeScript, SQLite, Drizzle ORM, and local-first encryption; do not offer alternative stacks. The core loop is: build a manual zero-based budget, import bank CSV transactions, categorize them with transparent rules, reconcile balances, and export clean reports without moving money. Make the first run work locally with one documented command. Store all user data locally by default and make export straightforward. Put secrets in .env, ship .env.example, and never commit credentials. Support CSV and OFX import with saved column mappings and duplicate detection. Implement accounts, transactions, transfers, categories, payees, notes, and split transactions. Add deterministic categorization rules whose matches can be inspected and undone. Provide reconciliation, monthly budget, cash-flow, net-worth, and export views. Keep an immutable import log and require explicit confirmation before destructive changes. Encrypt local data, create automatic backups, and document restore on a fresh machine. Include clear empty, loading, success, and recoverable error states. Add input validation, safe filenames, and graceful handling of unavailable APIs. Write focused tests for the core transformation and one end-to-end happy path. Create a README with setup, architecture, permissions, data location, and backup steps. Do not add accounts, billing, telemetry, analytics, or a hosted control plane. Do not claim to reproduce proprietary data, network liquidity, regulated access, or frontier infrastructure. Deliberately leave out initiating payments or moving money. Deliberately leave out tax, payroll, or accounting compliance guarantees. Deliberately leave out screen-scraped bank access and commercial institution aggregation. Finish by running the tests and listing the exact commands used. ## Boundaries Separate the product into replaceable modules for interface, application logic, persistence, external integrations, and operational concerns. Keep domain logic independent from delivery frameworks and vendors. ## Production baseline - Configuration: validated at startup with safe local defaults where possible. - Security: least privilege, input validation, secret redaction, rate limits on abuse-prone paths, and no invented security primitives. - Data: explicit schema and migrations, transactional writes where integrity matters, backup and restore instructions. - Integrations: adapters around third-party providers, idempotent webhook or job processing, bounded retries, and timeouts. - Observability: structured logs with request or operation IDs, an error-tracking hook, and health/readiness checks where a server exists. - Quality: unit tests for domain rules, integration tests at module boundaries, and one end-to-end critical-path test. ## Decision records For each major dependency, document why it was chosen, its failure mode, and how it can be replaced. Do not introduce infrastructure until a requirement justifies it. ===== AGENTS.md ===== # Agent instructions - Read `PRODUCT.md` and `ARCHITECTURE.md` before changing code. - Implement milestone by milestone; keep each change reviewable and leave the application runnable. - Treat authentication, payments, encryption, imports, webhooks, and destructive actions as high-risk boundaries when present. - Never invent cryptography or silently weaken a requirement to make a test pass. - Use provider interfaces for external services and deterministic fakes in tests. - Add migrations and rollback or recovery notes for persistent data changes. - Log useful operational context without credentials, tokens, passwords, or personal data. - Update documentation and run all checks before completing a milestone. ===== MILESTONES.md ===== # Delivery milestones ## M0 — Decisions and scaffold - Confirm the runtime, persistence model, threat boundaries, and deployment target. - Create a reproducible local environment and continuous checks. ## M1 — Core workflow - Implement the smallest end-to-end product path with validation and tests. - Keep integrations behind interfaces. ## M2 — Trust layer - Add secure failure behavior, recovery paths, audit-relevant events, and data safeguards. - Test abuse cases and destructive operations. ## M3 — Operability - Add structured logs, error reporting hooks, health signals, backup/restore documentation, and deployment configuration. ## M4 — Release gate - Run a clean-install test, critical-path end-to-end test, dependency review, and documented rollback exercise. - Compare the shipped behavior with `PRODUCT.md` and publish remaining limitations. ===== OPERATIONS.md ===== # Operations ## Before release - Validate configuration and secrets at startup. - Define backup, restore, and rollback procedures and test them. - Document logs, error tracking, health signals, and alert ownership. - Set dependency update and vulnerability review expectations. ## Incident checklist 1. Contain the issue without destroying evidence or user data. 2. Record the timeline and affected scope. 3. Rotate exposed secrets and revoke compromised sessions or credentials. 4. Restore from a verified source when needed. 5. Document the root cause, remediation, and regression test. ## Launch constraint Do not market omitted EveryDollar Premium capabilities as implemented. The v1 non-goals in `PRODUCT.md` remain user-visible limitations until they are deliberately delivered.
# EveryDollar Premium indie build ## Goal Build the smallest trustworthy replacement for the core EveryDollar Premium workflow for one developer or a tiny team. ## Scope Build a manual zero-based budget, import bank CSV transactions, categorize them with transparent rules, reconcile balances, and export clean reports without moving money. ## Quick start 1. Install the documented dependencies. 2. Copy `.env.example` to `.env`. 3. Run the development command chosen during implementation. 4. Complete the acceptance checks in `BUILD_PLAN.md`. ## Honest limits This build deliberately does not replace: - bank connectivity, mobile sync, coaching ecosystem, and Ramsey content - direct bank feeds - tax filing guarantees - payroll and payments - accountant ecosystem and support If those capabilities are essential, use Actual Budget instead of pretending the gap is solved.
# Agent instructions - Optimize for a working, understandable weekend build. - Prefer the fewest moving parts that satisfy the brief. - Do not invent cryptography, security guarantees, APIs, or compliance claims. - Keep secrets out of source control and logs. - Add focused tests for destructive, security-sensitive, and data-loss paths. - Run the project checks before declaring the build complete. - Record any deliberate shortcut in the README under "Tradeoffs".
# Build plan ## Original build brief Build a closest honest personal substitute for EveryDollar Premium in an empty repository. Use Next.js 15, TypeScript, SQLite, Drizzle ORM, and local-first encryption; do not offer alternative stacks. The core loop is: build a manual zero-based budget, import bank CSV transactions, categorize them with transparent rules, reconcile balances, and export clean reports without moving money. Make the first run work locally with one documented command. Store all user data locally by default and make export straightforward. Put secrets in .env, ship .env.example, and never commit credentials. Support CSV and OFX import with saved column mappings and duplicate detection. Implement accounts, transactions, transfers, categories, payees, notes, and split transactions. Add deterministic categorization rules whose matches can be inspected and undone. Provide reconciliation, monthly budget, cash-flow, net-worth, and export views. Keep an immutable import log and require explicit confirmation before destructive changes. Encrypt local data, create automatic backups, and document restore on a fresh machine. Include clear empty, loading, success, and recoverable error states. Add input validation, safe filenames, and graceful handling of unavailable APIs. Write focused tests for the core transformation and one end-to-end happy path. Create a README with setup, architecture, permissions, data location, and backup steps. Do not add accounts, billing, telemetry, analytics, or a hosted control plane. Do not claim to reproduce proprietary data, network liquidity, regulated access, or frontier infrastructure. Deliberately leave out initiating payments or moving money. Deliberately leave out tax, payroll, or accounting compliance guarantees. Deliberately leave out screen-scraped bank access and commercial institution aggregation. Finish by running the tests and listing the exact commands used. ## Required capabilities - CSV or OFX exports from financial institutions - local encrypted storage - optional exchange-rate API key ## Delivery order 1. Scaffold the smallest runnable application and document its commands. 2. Implement the primary data model and core workflow. 3. Add validation, safe failure states, and persistence. 4. Cover the critical path with automated tests. 5. Exercise a clean install from the README and fix every missing step. ## Done when - A new user can go from clone to first successful workflow using only the README. - The core workflow works without paid infrastructure unless the brief requires it. - Tests cover the highest-risk behavior. - Known limitations are explicit rather than hidden.
# Copy to .env and document every variable when it is introduced. # Never put real credentials in this file. APP_ENV=development # Add only values required by the selected implementation.
# EveryDollar Premium product brief ## Problem A consolation build is possible, but the paid product's decisive value sits outside a solo rebuild. For EveryDollar Premium, build a manual zero-based budget and import bank CSV files. The hard boundary is bank connectivity, mobile sync, coaching ecosystem, and ramsey content, plus financial integrations, compliance, and trust. ## Product outcome Build a manual zero-based budget, import bank CSV transactions, categorize them with transparent rules, reconcile balances, and export clean reports without moving money. ## Target user A serious builder who needs a maintainable product foundation rather than a one-off demo. ## Required capabilities - CSV or OFX exports from financial institutions - local encrypted storage - optional exchange-rate API key ## Explicit non-goals for v1 - bank connectivity, mobile sync, coaching ecosystem, and Ramsey content - direct bank feeds - tax filing guarantees - payroll and payments - accountant ecosystem and support ## Success criteria - The primary workflow is measurable end to end. - Setup is reproducible in a clean environment. - Failure, recovery, and support paths are documented. - Product claims match what the implementation actually guarantees.
# Architecture ## Starting brief Build a closest honest personal substitute for EveryDollar Premium in an empty repository. Use Next.js 15, TypeScript, SQLite, Drizzle ORM, and local-first encryption; do not offer alternative stacks. The core loop is: build a manual zero-based budget, import bank CSV transactions, categorize them with transparent rules, reconcile balances, and export clean reports without moving money. Make the first run work locally with one documented command. Store all user data locally by default and make export straightforward. Put secrets in .env, ship .env.example, and never commit credentials. Support CSV and OFX import with saved column mappings and duplicate detection. Implement accounts, transactions, transfers, categories, payees, notes, and split transactions. Add deterministic categorization rules whose matches can be inspected and undone. Provide reconciliation, monthly budget, cash-flow, net-worth, and export views. Keep an immutable import log and require explicit confirmation before destructive changes. Encrypt local data, create automatic backups, and document restore on a fresh machine. Include clear empty, loading, success, and recoverable error states. Add input validation, safe filenames, and graceful handling of unavailable APIs. Write focused tests for the core transformation and one end-to-end happy path. Create a README with setup, architecture, permissions, data location, and backup steps. Do not add accounts, billing, telemetry, analytics, or a hosted control plane. Do not claim to reproduce proprietary data, network liquidity, regulated access, or frontier infrastructure. Deliberately leave out initiating payments or moving money. Deliberately leave out tax, payroll, or accounting compliance guarantees. Deliberately leave out screen-scraped bank access and commercial institution aggregation. Finish by running the tests and listing the exact commands used. ## Boundaries Separate the product into replaceable modules for interface, application logic, persistence, external integrations, and operational concerns. Keep domain logic independent from delivery frameworks and vendors. ## Production baseline - Configuration: validated at startup with safe local defaults where possible. - Security: least privilege, input validation, secret redaction, rate limits on abuse-prone paths, and no invented security primitives. - Data: explicit schema and migrations, transactional writes where integrity matters, backup and restore instructions. - Integrations: adapters around third-party providers, idempotent webhook or job processing, bounded retries, and timeouts. - Observability: structured logs with request or operation IDs, an error-tracking hook, and health/readiness checks where a server exists. - Quality: unit tests for domain rules, integration tests at module boundaries, and one end-to-end critical-path test. ## Decision records For each major dependency, document why it was chosen, its failure mode, and how it can be replaced. Do not introduce infrastructure until a requirement justifies it.
# Agent instructions - Read `PRODUCT.md` and `ARCHITECTURE.md` before changing code. - Implement milestone by milestone; keep each change reviewable and leave the application runnable. - Treat authentication, payments, encryption, imports, webhooks, and destructive actions as high-risk boundaries when present. - Never invent cryptography or silently weaken a requirement to make a test pass. - Use provider interfaces for external services and deterministic fakes in tests. - Add migrations and rollback or recovery notes for persistent data changes. - Log useful operational context without credentials, tokens, passwords, or personal data. - Update documentation and run all checks before completing a milestone.
# Delivery milestones ## M0 — Decisions and scaffold - Confirm the runtime, persistence model, threat boundaries, and deployment target. - Create a reproducible local environment and continuous checks. ## M1 — Core workflow - Implement the smallest end-to-end product path with validation and tests. - Keep integrations behind interfaces. ## M2 — Trust layer - Add secure failure behavior, recovery paths, audit-relevant events, and data safeguards. - Test abuse cases and destructive operations. ## M3 — Operability - Add structured logs, error reporting hooks, health signals, backup/restore documentation, and deployment configuration. ## M4 — Release gate - Run a clean-install test, critical-path end-to-end test, dependency review, and documented rollback exercise. - Compare the shipped behavior with `PRODUCT.md` and publish remaining limitations.
# Operations ## Before release - Validate configuration and secrets at startup. - Define backup, restore, and rollback procedures and test them. - Document logs, error tracking, health signals, and alert ownership. - Set dependency update and vulnerability review expectations. ## Incident checklist 1. Contain the issue without destroying evidence or user data. 2. Record the timeline and affected scope. 3. Rotate exposed secrets and revoke compromised sessions or credentials. 4. Restore from a verified source when needed. 5. Document the root cause, remediation, and regression test. ## Launch constraint Do not market omitted EveryDollar Premium capabilities as implemented. The v1 non-goals in `PRODUCT.md` remain user-visible limitations until they are deliberately delivered.
$ choose a build depth, inspect the files, then open the complete pack in your agent · this prompt is generated from the build plan · improve it via PR
People still pay for EveryDollar Premium because people pay because accurate money records and dependable institution connections are worth more than the visible charts. The recurring cost buys import normalization, reconciliation, rule drift, exchange rates, backups, audit trails, tax changes, bank APIs, and support, not just the visible interface.
xbank connectivity, mobile sync, coaching ecosystem, and Ramsey content
xdirect bank feeds
xtax filing guarantees
xpayroll and payments
xaccountant ecosystem and support
Don't feel like building it? These folks already made it free.
no votes, no pay-to-list · just what's real
EveryDollar Premium pricing
| plan | monthly | annual (per mo) | what you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| free | $0 | $0 | Unlimited budget categories and lines; manual transactions; sinking funds; transaction splits; bill due dates |
| premium | $17.99 | $6.67 | Bank sync, reports, CSV export, financial roadmap, projected net worth, live Q&A and coaching |
free tierUnlimited budget categories and lines; manual transaction entry; 1 household budget can be shared with separate logins
billingmonthly + annual ($79.99/year; 14-day trial)
hidden costsApple/Google subscriptions are billed and refunded by those stores; one-on-one/group coaching is included but any separate Ramsey products are outside this subscription.
verified 2026-08-13 · source ↗
Vibecode EveryDollar Premium
Not really. EveryDollar Premium's value is not the code: Recheck price before merge. See the honest breakdown above.
How much does EveryDollar Premium cost?
EveryDollar Premium costs about $6.67/month (Premium, checked 2026-07-31), which is $80.03999999999999 per year.
What do I lose by replacing EveryDollar Premium?
Honestly: bank connectivity, mobile sync, coaching ecosystem, and Ramsey content; direct bank feeds; tax filing guarantees; payroll and payments; accountant ecosystem and support. If any of those are load-bearing for you, keep paying.
Is there an open-source alternative to EveryDollar Premium?
Yes: Actual Budget (Envelope budgeting, CSV imports and rules on your own disk; bank sync is optional, not the landlord.) OpenBudgeteer (YNAB-style buckets with transaction imports in a Docker box; bank sync and coaching did not make the container.) The prompt is for when you want it exactly your way.