Create Your Own Budgeting App
My prompts for ChatGPT or Claude · Setup checked October 20, 2026
I used Mint when it first came out. After it shut down, I couldn't find a replacement that checked all my boxes. So I built my own with ChatGPT, and connected my bank accounts with ChatGPT's Finances plugin, which links them through Plaid.
I wanted budgets that made sense for my family, purchases with names I actually recognize, and a way to split one Target run between groceries, kids and household stuff. You can build your own in ChatGPT or Claude with the prompts below.
And you can change anything, anytime. Budgets, categories, colors, even whole features. Just ask in plain words, like “Add a Coffee budget with a $40 target” or “Make the dashboard pink.” No code needed.
Already paying for ChatGPT or Claude? Try this before you sign up for another budgeting app. Bank connections and some features have their own requirements, so check what your account has before you buy anything.
Unlock all my prompts and guides
- 100+ prompts and guides
- Everything new I add to this library
You’ll also get practical AI tips from me by email. Unsubscribe anytime.
Before you paste anything:
- Use your own personal account. Never paste bank passwords, security codes or full card or account numbers into the chat.
- It starts with fake sample data. Add your real transactions only after the review, the tests and the privacy check pass (Steps 4 and 5).
- Every time you build or change something, ask your AI to review the work for errors. The review prompt is in Step 4.
- Connect your bank only through the official Plaid screen inside the Finances plugin. You sign in to your bank there, never in the chat.
- This tracks your spending. It doesn't move money, pay bills or replace your bank's records.
What your app will have
Overview: Income and spending together at the top, with budget remaining and pending purchases shown separately.
Your real accounts: In ChatGPT, the Finances plugin connects your bank and cards through Plaid, and ChatGPT copies that activity into your tracker when you ask. No plugin? A CSV (a spreadsheet file you can download from your bank) works too.
Budgets and buckets: Main budgets like Food or Kids, with buckets inside them like groceries and dining out. Rename, reorder and set monthly targets.
Readable purchases: Rename “AMZN MKTP US” to “Amazon - kids' books” and still keep the bank's original description.
Split purchases: Split one Target run into groceries, kids' clothes and cleaning supplies. The pieces always add up to the real charge.
Category rules: Teach it once that the preschool goes to Childcare, and future matches sort themselves.
Saved and backed up: Your edits stay after you close it, plus CSV export and a full backup you can restore.
Before you start
Pick one. You don't need both.
ChatGPT: You'll build it with ChatGPT Sites and connect your bank with the Finances plugin. Sites is on Plus, Pro and supported workspaces like Business and Enterprise. It isn't available on Free or Go. Finances is US only, on Free, Go, Plus and Pro, and still rolling out. OpenAI doesn't list it for Business or Enterprise workspaces, so use a personal account. Check current Sites availability.
Claude: You'll build it as a Claude artifact, a little app right in your chat. Saving your data between visits needs a paid plan (Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise), on the web or desktop app. On Free you can still build it, but it won't remember your transactions. Claude doesn't have its own bank plugin like Finances. Its connector directory does have third-party money apps like PocketSmith, Tiller and Era Context, but each is a separate service with its own account, and some need a paid subscription. Or bring transactions in with a CSV from your bank. How Claude artifacts work.
Setup details checked October 20, 2026. Menus and plans can change, so the prompts ask your AI to check what your account can actually do.
How it works
- Start: open ChatGPT or Claude and paste its starting prompt.
- Make it yours: fill in the short worksheet with your categories and colors.
- Build it: paste the main build prompt. It starts with fake sample data, so nothing real goes in yet.
- Check its work: have your AI review it for errors, then try a few fake purchases.
- Keep it private: make sure it saves and only you can see it.
- Connect your accounts: the Finances plugin in ChatGPT, or a CSV from your bank.
- Make it work for you: set budgets, rename purchases, split mixed orders and sort out refunds.
You don't have to do it all in one sitting. Stop after any step and pick up in the same chat later. And you can change anything, anytime, just by asking. Run the review prompt again after every change.
The prompts show up right here.
Enter your first name and email in the form at the top of this page, and every prompt shows up in this spot.
Take me to the formIf something goes wrong
Do I need a paid plan?
For ChatGPT, yes, because Sites isn't on Free or Go. The Finances plugin itself is on Free, Go, Plus and Pro, in the US only, but OpenAI doesn't list it for Business or Enterprise workspaces. For Claude, you can build on Free, but saving your data between visits needs Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise. If you already pay for one of them, you probably have what you need to build it.
How does it connect to my bank?
In ChatGPT, through the Finances plugin, which links your accounts with Plaid. ChatGPT then copies your activity into your tracker when you ask. The tracker itself never gets your bank login. That connection doesn't carry over to Claude, so in Claude you'd use a CSV from your bank, or a third-party connector like PocketSmith, Tiller or Era Context.
Does Claude have a finance plugin?
Not one made by Anthropic. Claude's connector directory has third-party money apps like PocketSmith, Tiller and Era Context. Each is a separate service with its own account, and some need a paid subscription. A CSV from your bank is free and works with any plan.
Can I change things after it's built?
Yes, anything. Budgets, categories, colors, screens and features. Just ask in plain words in the same chat, like “Add a Pets budget” or “Show my spending as a pie chart.” Then run the review prompt from Step 4 again.
Can it check itself every day?
Maybe. ChatGPT and Claude both have scheduled tasks, but it depends on whether a scheduled task can open your saved tracker. The daily check-up prompt in Step 4 asks it to confirm that first and tell you if it can't.
Do I need to set up Plaid myself?
No. Plaid is built into the Finances plugin. You just sign in to your bank when Plaid's screen opens. No coding, API keys or Plaid account needed.
Is it safe to connect my bank?
You sign in to your bank on Plaid's screen, not in the chat, and you pick which accounts to share. Finances can read your accounts but can't move money or pay bills, and you can disconnect anytime in Settings, then Apps, then Finances. Keep your tracker private to you, and do Step 5 before you connect anything.
I can't find Finances.
It's US only, still rolling out, not in the desktop app, and not listed for work accounts like Business or Enterprise. Try chatgpt.com on the web or the phone app with your personal account. In the meantime, a CSV from your bank works.
My bank or credit union won't connect.
Plaid doesn't support every bank, especially some smaller banks and credit unions. Try searching for it under another name. If it's still not there, download a CSV from your bank's website for that account (Step 6) and connect your other accounts through Plaid.
My bank is missing or out of date.
Keep your saved records and reconnect through the Finances Plaid screen. Don't add a second copy of that account's history.
It looks great, but the buttons don't do anything.
Say: “Make these controls work and check that they save. Don't leave demo-only buttons.”
My category changes disappear.
Say: “Fix saving from the transaction view. Reload and confirm the bucket I picked is still there.”
My spending looks way too high.
Check for duplicate imports, credit card payments, transfers between your accounts, pending purchases that later posted, and split totals. Don't delete transactions just because the amounts match.
My income looks too high.
Check for transfers, refunds, reimbursements and Venmo cash-outs being counted as income.
An update changed my design or lost my data.
Ask it to restore the last working version and keep your current records. Export a backup before any big change.
It says automatic updates are ready.
Ask to see the saved schedule and one update that actually worked. If it can't show you both, treat updates as manual.
Is this financial or tax advice?
No. It's a personal tracker for seeing where your money goes. The categories are for your own budgeting, not tax decisions.
Keep going
Real life first. AI gets a job. Build your budgeting app, and tell me which budget surprised you.
Follow along on Instagram and TikTok: @samantha.catanzaro