Tech

I've started using a new app called Fold Money, developed by an Indian startup, and it's been a game-changer for me in terms of expense tracking. One standout feature is its ability to automatically download transactions from both bank accounts and credit cards. Another feature uses AI to categorize expenses automatically, though this aspect isn't as accurate yet.

While the automatic transaction download works flawlessly, the AI tagging still needs improvement. However, after manually tagging transactions for a couple of months, I've noticed that the app has learned to recognize and tag repeat transactions from the same merchants automatically.

Overall, Fold Money has finally solved my longstanding issue with expense tracking, which I've struggled with due to the manual effort it typically requires. It's a fantastic free utility, and I'd even consider paying for such a service.

Expanding on my previous post about Stage Manager, I've made a significant change to my setup. I've abandoned the two-display approach, where I used to have a monitor and my MacBook open simultaneously. While I initially thought this setup would save time and aid multitasking, I found that managing all the open apps and windows was too distracting.

Now, I've transitioned to using my MacBook in clamshell mode, connected to the monitor. I rely solely on the monitor display with Stage Manager enabled, ensuring that I'm always focused on just one task at a time with minimal distractions. While this change may have slightly reduced my productivity, it has greatly improved my ability to stay focused.

I'm a big fan of keeping Stage Manager always enabled on macOS. While I wasn't impressed with its implementation on the iPad, it's a real hit on the Mac.

Stage Manager helps me always have just one window open. This helps me with keeping all the windows automatically organised and allows me to focus on just one window, i.e. one task at a time. This has greatly helped me in reducing distractions and in being able to concentrate better at each task.

I think it would be helpful if Instagram had a separate app just for Reels. Not because it's necessarily a good idea, but because I find myself spending too much time on Reels while still wanting to keep Instagram. If they were separate, I could easily delete the Reels app but still have Instagram. Watching Reels is my guilty pleasure, but sometimes I end up doom scrolling for hours, which leaves me feeling terrible and leads to me deleting Instagram altogether.

I've found a great solution to my habit of constantly scrolling through social media during work hours. I use an app called Opal on my iPhone, which lets me block specific apps and websites. I've set it to automatically block all my social media apps from 10 AM to 7 PM. It's incredibly helpful, saving me the trouble of manually fiddling through Screen Time, App Limits and Focus to set this up.

I usually don't keep anything in the trash on my Mac. Whenever I see the trash icon isn't empty, I immediately open and empty it. However, this isn't what I want. I'd like to use the trash as a recycle bin to store deleted items for thirty days in case I need to recover something. But I can't resist the urge to empty the trash and see the icon empty again. Is there a way to keep the trash icon empty even when there are items inside?

I'm glad to see more services offering PPP discounts for users like me in India. Subscription prices set for the West are often prohibitively expensive for us, but the PPP discount makes becoming a paying customer a bit more feasible.

I've personally benefited from Aspire Themes, which offers a 60% discount to customers in India. I have purchased two themes from them. Recently, I've also noticed Morgen, the calendar app, providing a similar 60% PPP discount.

I hope to see more North American and European companies adopting this approach, as it allows users from countries like ours to become paying subscribers more easily.

When using paid third-party apps, I have a constant feeling that I might be overspending. However, when I switch back to the default or free apps, I quickly realize why I opted for those paid third-party apps in the first place. For me, this cycle often occurs, where I ultimately prefer the premium experience. That’s how I end up paying for a bunch of apps and services.