Why We Built Macdeso — And How We Use It Every Day

When my partner and I decided to get serious about our finances, we ran into a familiar problem: nothing out there really worked for us.

We didn’t want to keep relying on spreadsheets. Excel started to feel too limiting for our everyday tracking — more of a hassle than a help. And while there were plenty of budgeting apps out there, none of them hit the mark. We were specifically looking for something that was both high-quality and free — and that combination was surprisingly hard to find. Who would’ve guessed?

At the time, we were both unemployed, so money was something we really couldn’t afford to lose track of. Every dollar mattered, and having a clear picture of where it was going became essential.

So we built our own: Macdeso.

And after using it daily for almost a year now, we can confidently say it’s completely changed the way we manage our money.

Manual on Purpose — And Why That Matters

Macdeso is designed for manual input — not because we love extra work, but because we believe being actively involved in every transaction creates stronger awareness and better habits.

At first, it was a bit of a learning curve. We had to remind ourselves to log purchases, and it took some time to get consistent. But over time, that small act of entering each expense started to feel meaningful — like a quick pause to check in. Being unemployed at the time, we didn’t have any income coming in, so keeping close track of every dollar became a real priority.

What We Track

We use Macdeso to track:

• Fun activities

• Groceries

• Debt payments

• Transportation

• Housing expenses

• Travel spending

• Project budgets (like our DIY projects and party costs) This is an actual peek at our main page! We’ve blurred out some personal info, but the rest is just how we use it day to day.

The Power of Seeing Trends

One of the most rewarding parts of sticking with Macdeso has been looking back at our reports month to month. We’ve started to notice patterns — like when certain categories spike or how our spending shifts during different seasons.

Those insights have helped us make better decisions without feeling restricted. We’re not cutting out joy; we’re just making sure we’re spending intentionally.

Here’s a snapshot of one of our reports spanning 12 months.

Over time, our tracking has evolved — you’ll notice some categories that were used earlier and later archived, which don’t appear on our main page anymore. We blurred out personal details (sorry for all the gray boxes!), but we still wanted to give you a real example of what long-term tracking can look like in Macdeso. You’ll also see some of our total spending sums, which we’re currently keeping an eye on as part of our ongoing budget check-ins.

More Clarity, Less Stress

At the end of the day, Macdeso helps us stay accountable — to ourselves and each other. It’s made our finances more transparent, our spending more thoughtful, and our goals more achievable.

If you’re tired of Excel spreadsheets or limited free apps, we get it — that’s exactly why we built this tool in the first place. 🙂