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Lunch Money Review: Get Detailed Stats On Your Budget
Lunch Money is a web-based budgeting platform that comes with a lot of unique features, including detailed reports and the ability to track your finances in multiple different currencies.
It’s one of the newest budgeting apps to hit the market and its is designed to make budgeting easier while building a community around like-minded people who want to build better financial habits.
Is Lunch Money right for you? This review will dive deeper into Lunch Money, how it compares with other budgeting platforms, and a few things to consider if you’re looking for a better way to budget.
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Quick Summary
* Lunch Money is a web-based budgeting app designed to make the budgeting process as easy as possible.
* The key to Lunch Money’s success is the number of features it provides.
* Lunch Money offers a 30-day trial to start using the platform without requiring you to submit credit card information to open an account.
GET STARTED
Lunch Money Details
Product Name
Lunch Money
Pricing
$10/month or $100/year
Platform
Web-based budgeting app
Promotions
30-day free trial
Table of Contents
What Is Lunch Money?What Does It Offer?Are There Any Fees?How Does Lunch Money Compare?How Do I Open An Account?Is It Safe And Secure?How Do I Contact Lunch Money?Is It Worth It?Greenlight Features
What Is Lunch Money?
Lunch Money is a web-based budgeting app designed for budgeters who want something that’s more enjoyable to use than spreadsheets. It offers a number of customizable functions including budgeting in different currencies and a crypto portfolio tracker.
The platform connects with a number of financial institutions using Plaid. Alternatively, you can manually upload a CSV file of important data from your bank.
Once you’ve populated your account with your transaction history, Lunch Money allows you to split, group, categorize, and tag transactions however you want. From there you can create rules to make it easier to manage how your transactions are organized moving forward.
The platform was founded in 2019 by Jen Yip, a solopreneur who wanted to make a budgeting tool for the modern-day spender. It has users in 30 different countries and allows its user base to budget in multiple different currencies. Lunch Money users can track day-to-day expenses, as well as evaluate trends around their own spending habits.
What Does It Offer?
Lunch Money offers a range of tools and features beyond simple budgeting. It can split transactions across multiple categories, create budgeting reports, help you set goals, and manage transactions in multiple currencies. It’s a versatile budgeting tool that you can tailor to meet your budgeting needs.
Budgeting
Similar to other budgeting apps like YNAB, Tiller, and Every Dollar, Lunch Money is a budgeting platform that helps you keep your spending in check. You can do that by evaluating every transaction that hits your bank account or by pulling reports to assess your spending in aggregate.
Like most budgeting apps on the market, you can group and categorize your spending. This allows you to prioritize your spending when you’re creating a budget while seeing how your money is actually being spent as the month progresses.
From there you can set up rules to automate the budgeting process. This frees up more of your time to spend evaluating your spending habits to ensure they stay aligned with your bigger financial goals.
Related: Best Budgeting Apps
Trackers And Calculators
Lunch Money comes with a number of trackers and calculators to help you plan your finances. One of the trackers is a multi-currency tracker. This is great for budgeters based outside of the United States or solopreneurs and freelancers who work with clients who pay in different currencies.
For crypto enthusiasts, Lunch Money also has a crypto tracker. Rather than keeping your crypto transactions separate from everything else, Lunch Money rolls up all of your financial transactions – including crypto – into one place.
For users looking to develop a long-term plan for their finances, Lunch Money includes a net worth tracker. This is a powerful tool that allows you to see how reducing your monthly expenses affects your ability to increase your net worth.
Trend Analysis
Another notable feature of Lunch Money is the ability to evaluate your spending habits and financial trends. This can help you incrementally adjust your budget over time so that you change your habits to become more aligned with your goals.
Lunch Money comes with a monthly summary to show you exactly where your money is going. This takes the guesswork out of having to evaluate your financial data by yourself.
Discord Community
While Lunch Money is still a relative newcomer on the budgeting scene, it’s striving to build a reputation for itself as a go-to-budget tool. Aside from the robust features it offers, Lunch Money users can also join the Lunch Money Discord community.
On Discord users can swap budgeting tips with one another. The community aspect of the platform can provide accountability, making it easier for you to stick to your financial goals.
Are There Any Fees?
Lunch Money comes with two pricing options. Users can pay monthly membership fee of $10 per month or they can sign up for an annual membership that costs $100 for the full year.
New users can test out Lunch Money before committing to a subscription with a 30-day free trial.
How Does Lunch Money Compare?
Lunch Money is positioned as an alternative to apps like YNAB and complex spreadsheet-based tools like Tiller Money.
According to user feedback, Lunch Money is a better option that doesn’t come with the learning curve associated with YNAB’s zero-based budgeting approach. While Lunch Money does offer a large suite of features, it is more expensive than a lot of similar budgeting platforms out there.
Header
Rating
Pricing
$10/month or $100/per year
$14.99/month or $98.99/year
$79/year
Budgeting
Yes
Yes
Yes
Net Worth Tracking
Yes
Yes
Yes
Retirement Planning
No
No
Yes
Cell
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READ THE REVIEW
READ THE REVIEW
How Do I Open An Account?
To get started with Lunch Money opt into the 30-day free trial by creating an account. All you need to do is create a username, set up a password, and choose your preferred currency to get started. You won’t need to provide a credit card to set up your account.
Is It Safe And Secure?
Lunch Money stores information in their databases and doesn’t sell your information to third-parties. The platform gives you the option to connect your financial accounts with Plaid or to upload a CSV file directly onto the platform.
How Do I Contact Lunch Money?
Lunch Money is operated by a one-woman team and doesn’t have a lot of customer support options. Users can join Discord or send an email to support@lunchmoney.app.
Customer Service
Lunch Money’s founder is proactive about sharing development updates. The website maintains a robust changelog as well as a documentation library to find answers to questions about how to use the platform.
Is It Worth It?
Depending on what you are looking for in a budgeting app, Lunch Money may very well be worth it. With an easy-to-use web interface and the ability to budget in different currencies, it’s a budgeting tool that appeals to a globally diverse audience.
It also offers trend analysis for you which can alleviate a major pain point that’s often associated with budgeting. This data can give you more control over how you set up future budgets, allowing you to change your habits over time.
That being said, Lunch Money isn’t for everyone. It’s priced a little higher than many of its competitors and lacks a few key features like a mobile app. It is also limited in its tracking functionality. While it’s really good at tracking expenses, it isn’t good at tracking income or investments.
Lunch Money Features
Prices
$10/month or $100/year
Budgeting
Yes
Income Tracking
No
Custom Packages Available
No
Expense Tracking
Yes
Bank Integration
Yes
Credit Score Monitoring
No
Bill Pay
No
Tax Preparation
No
Import Bank Data Files
Yes
Customer Support Options
Email or Discord
Mobile App Availability
Web-only
Web/Desktop Account Access
No
Mobile App
No
Promotions
30-day free trial
Editor: Ashley Barnett
Reviewed by: Robert Farrington
The post Lunch Money Review: Get Detailed Stats On Your Budget appeared first on The College Investor. | BidBuddy.com
Formerly a Garage: A 400-Square-Foot One-Bedroom House in LA
We brake for grottages: garages converted into cottages (our own Michelle Slatalla invented the term for her own place). This one is the work of LA house flipper-turned designer-builder Shanty Wijaya of Allprace. Wijaya replaced the crumbling dwelling on the property with a spec construction, and rebuilt the remains of its one-car garage as this companion ADU for use as a guest house, pool house, work space, or rental.
The new main house takes its inspiration from Catalan modernism and the ADU is a mini-me version, filled with a high/low mix of solutions for small-space living. Join us for a tour.
Photography by Michael P.H. Clifford, courtesy of Allprace (@allprace). Styling by @EthanKotch and @A1000XBetter.
Above: The 400-square-foot structure in West Adam, near Culver City, occupies what had been a derelict one-car garage (the sofa wall is what was preserved of the 1930s original). It stands alongside a pool, and has an all-in-one living area at one end (scroll down to see the floor plan). The herringbone floor is composed of brick tile from Arto, a longstanding local business. The archways and mix of warm oak and pale concrete echo the detailing in the main house.
Above: The custom kitchen has rift-sawn oak cabinets set in a framework finished in Concretta, a concrete plaster or microcement also used on the island, which as a Fisher & Paykel induction cooktop. The Jeanneret-style Round Counter Stools are on sale for $250 each from France&Son.
Above: The dishwasher and fridge door panels have Massey Appliance Pulls in aged brass from Rejuvenation.
Above: The CB2 dining bench has under-seat storage. The throw pillows and leather-topped Jack Stool are from Lostine. The vintage Murano glass pendant light was found on Etsy.
Above: The French door entry opens off a side yard. The sofa and coffee table are from Urban Outfitters.
Above: The bathroom is situated off the kitchen—and a few steps from the bedroom.
Above: The compact bath is wallpapered in Milton & King’s Cactus pattern. The sink has a mirrored vanity, Henry marble-topped basin and Ludlow faucet, all from Waterworks.
Above: The small bedroom overlooks the pool. The Cove Canopy Bed was sourced from DWR, where it’s currently on sale for $1,922.50, down from $3,845. The hanging light is the Sardinia Plaster Chandelier from Crate & Barrel.
Floor Plan
Above: Allprace constructed the 400-square-foot ADU from what had been the garage, and was able to fit in complete living—or lounging—quarters.
Go to Allprace to see the adjoining main house. And here’s another Allprace Backyard ADU.
More converted garage inspiration:
* The Studio Apartment, Garage Edition
* Blackwood: A Garage Turned Multitasker, Now Available for Stays
* Edinburgh Bolthole: A Stylish One-Room Vacation Apartment Converted from a Garage
* A Garage Converted into a Compact Guest Cottage, Courtesy of Mark Lewis | BidBuddy.com
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Kitchen of the Week: ‘Cotswold Charm and Japanese Simplicity’ in New Jersey
Interior designer Hollie Velten-Lattrell, of SPACES by Hollie Velten, has a unique of getting to know her clients. She doles out a deck of cards with prompts like “I left my heart in . . . ” and “The first thing I do in this space is . . . ” to sleuth out what what makes their souls soar and how they live their lives. The process is part investigative and part intuitive. “Some of the questions also create a sensorial story,” says Hollie. “We have a tray that represents how they answer cues around sight, sound, taste, hear, and touch in our concept meeting. We listen to a custom playlist while we design.”
By the time clients have completed all of her onboarding requests, she has everything she needs to deliver a highly personalized redesign. For this sweeping kitchen remodel for a young couple in Maplewood, NJ, Hollie honed in on their love for “Cotswold charm” and “Japanese simplicity.” The two spent much of Covid lockdown in the English countryside (he is British) and both are drawn to Japanese design. Additionally, Hollie was inspired by the show-and-tell objects they brought to their design meeting, another of her get-to-know-you assignments; he chose his Leica film camera for its simple functionality and she selected a cherished glazed Majorca pottery vessel for its timeless, rustic appeal.
Hollie and her design director, Victoria Bailey-Adamson, absorbed all these personal details and poured them into a thoughtful redesign of their clients’ small suburban kitchen. They installed beadboard walls and traditional cabinetry for a cottage kitchen look; they commissioned a banquette that channels the simplicity of Japanese millwork; they improved the room’s functionality and augmented its storage; and they focused on unfussy, enduring materials in natural tones.
Below, Hollie walks us through the newly transformed room.
Photography by Thomas Leonczik, courtesy of SPACES by Hollie Velten.
Above: The former kitchen felt dark and heavy (scroll to the bottom for the before image). The cure: new skylights from Velux and a light, neutral palette courtesy of Farrow & Ball. The walls are painted in Shadow White; the trim, in Wevet. “It took us a few attempts to land on the wall color for the right layered mushroom feel,” says Hollie.
Above: Speckled Clé tiles from its Eastern Elements collection form the backsplash behind the stove. The flooring is composed of slate-like porcelain tiles.
Above: Caesarstone, in Fresh Concrete, was chosen for the countertop and backsplash. The clients wanted something easy to clean but with character. Note the curved backsplash, a signature SPACES design move and, in this case, intended “to temper the industrial engineered workhorse sensibilities with something soft that shows hand,” says Hollie.
Above: Every inch of the compact kitchen was designed with storage in mind. This hardworking corner includes a glass-fronted hutch, two appliance garages, and a nook for small cutting boards.
Above: The clients, expecting their first child when the project began, wanted their kitchen to be the heart of the home. Hollie designed the banquette with that request in mind. RBW’s Mori Pendant hangs over the Marin Pedestal Table by Hedge House and Oxbend Chairs by Fernweh. (N.B.: The project wrapped up just in time for the newborn’s arrival.)
Above: The clients wanted to be able to look out onto their garden without others looking in—hence, the Roman shades, for which Hollie chose a sweet Hizakura cherry blossom pattern from Robert Kime.
Above: Floor-to-ceiling pantry cabinets and the banquette flank the doorway to the home’s entry, which Hollie and her team redesigned with hexagonal Pantry Pavers, in Sand, from Clé.
Above: Like the shades, the cushions reference Japanese design. They are upholstered in Zak+Fox’s outdoor Nawa fabric “woven with thick cording in a chevron formation.”
Before
Above: Prior to the renovation, the space was dark and dated.
For more of Hollie’s work, see:
* Kitchen of the Week: English Country Charm in a NJ Suburb (Plus the Prettiest Pantry)
* From Chaos to Calm: A 900-Square Foot House Reimagined for a Family of 4
* Studio Visit: California Style in an East Coast Enclave | BidBuddy.com
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