As my project for the first semester, I developed HomeBudget+, a personal finance management mobile application designed to help users track and organize their expenses in a simple, secure, and offline-first way.
The app is intended for individuals or households who want to monitor their financial activities—such as rent, groceries, utilities, transportation, and personal expenses—in one centralized place.

Unlike many existing budgeting applications that rely on online accounts and cloud storage, HomeBudget+ works entirely offline using a local database on the user’s device. This approach ensures maximum privacy while still offering practical features such as login functionality, structured expense tracking, and a clean mobile user interface.

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Project Goals and Scope

The primary goal of the first semester was to establish a solid technical foundation and implement the core functionality of the application. The defined scope included:

• Implementing a secure user login system.
• Building an expense tracking system with categorized entries.
• Enabling full CRUD operations (create, edit, delete expenses).
• Allowing users to define budgets per category and time period.
• Storing all financial data locally on the device for offline usage.
• Designing a responsive and mobile-optimized user interface.

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Tools and Technologies

To implement HomeBudget+, the following tools and technologies were used:

• Framework: Ionic + Angular – for cross-platform mobile development.
• Database: SQLite or Capacitor Storage – for secure local data storage.
• Authentication: Local login system.
• Design & Prototyping: Figma – for UI mockups and user flow planning.
• Version Control: Git and GitHub.
• Development Tools: Visual Studio Code, Chrome DevTools, Android Emulator.

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Implementation Process

Due to the limited timeframe of approximately 100 hours, the development process focused primarily on functionality and system architecture. The first step was planning the application structure, database schema, and expense categories.

After that, the login functionality and core expense management logic were implemented. This included adding, editing, and deleting expense entries as well as defining budgets per category. All data was stored locally to ensure offline functionality.

The final phase consisted of testing, basic UI refinement, and documentation.

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What’s Included in the First Semester

• User login functionality.
• Expense tracking with multiple categories (e.g., Rent, Food, Transport, Utilities, Insurance, Entertainment).
• Budget definition per category and time range.
• Local offline data storage.
• Core application logic and data handling.
• A clean and responsive mobile UI foundation.

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What’s Next

In the next development phases, the focus will be on automation, analytics, and improved user experience. Planned future features include:

• Bank integration:
  The app will connect directly to the user’s bank software or banking APIs. Expenses will be imported automatically and assigned to the correct categories without manual input.
• Visual expense reports using bar and pie charts.
• Payment reminders and notification system.
• Further improvements to the simple and responsive user interface.
• Optional advanced features such as data export, backups, and AI-based budgeting suggestions.

Overall, the first semester successfully established a strong foundation for a privacy-focused and scalable personal finance application. With the core logic, login system, and offline architecture in place, HomeBudget+ is well prepared for future expansion.