Scam radar
The job that pays you… after you pay them
A “starter fee” for a part-time gig that sounds perfect. Walk through the red flags before real money walks away.
From the makers of 省钱搭子 · Built for Canada
Make money make sense.
Interactive money stories, an AI buddy that never lectures, and tracking that takes three seconds — already live in China, now coming to Canada.
The stories
Choose your own money story.
A few minutes each. Real situations, real choices, consequences you can rewind — written for how life actually happens in Canada.
Roommate money
The rent-split showdown
Uneven rooms, shared groceries, one friend who always “forgets”. Find the split everyone can live with.
Food budget
Takeout or cook?
It’s 7pm, you’re tired, and delivery is one tap away. Play the week both ways and see where the money lands.
Playable demo
Your turn: 7pm, Thursday.
One real choice from one real story. No signup, no lecture — just what the week does to your wallet.
Scene · Takeout or cook?
You’re tired. The fridge has three eggs and half a bag of rice. Delivery is one tap away.
In the app this scene branches five ways and remembers what you chose last week.
Pick one — see the month
No judgment either way — that’s the whole point. The real app just makes the pattern visible before the month ends.
AI Buddy
A buddy, not an adviser.
Most money apps show you charts and leave. Your buddy reads your week, explains what changed, and suggests one small, doable move — in plain language, never in judgment.
- Knows your patterns
Notices when one category jumps — and tells you which day pushed it over.
- One small step at a time
Every tip is a single, doable suggestion. Never a guilt trip, never a spreadsheet.
- Kind by design
No “you should have”. Your buddy asks “want to try this?” — and means it.
Private by design: your chats power your own experience, nothing else. Never sold, never shown to advertisers. And it will never push loans, cards, or investments.
AI BuddyKIND · PRACTICAL · YOURS
Groceries hit $96 this week… and it’s only Thursday 😬
That’s $22 over your usual — mostly Tuesday’s big shop. One swap: batch-cook Sunday and next week lands back on track. Want the plan?
Yes, plan itShow my week
ok let’s do it 🙌
Done. Sunday, 4pm — “cook once, eat thrice.” 🌱
Receipts
Not a concept. Already shipping.
BudgetBuddy runs in production today as 省钱搭子 in mainland China. Canada is next.
省钱搭子 web app goes live in mainland China
budgetbuddy.cniOS app launches on the App Store (China)
v1.0, students firstNative Android app ships
Kotlin · Jetpack Compose25+ interactive stories, fully bilingual
English · 简体中文International edition announced
ourbudgetbuddy.comCanada waitlist opens
You’re early — that’s the pointThe waitlist
Help shape BudgetBuddy for Canada.
Early testers vote on which stories we write next — tuition, first credit card, phone plans, rent — and lock in founding-member pricing when Plus arrives.
Creates your founding account — one email when the beta opens, that’s it. Prefer a human? Write to hello@ourbudgetbuddy.com.
FAQ
Good questions.
Q1When does the Canada beta open?
We’re targeting later in 2026, waitlist first. Early testers get in ahead of any public launch — and genuinely shape which stories we write for Canada.
Q2Will it be free?
Tracking, want/need reflections and starter stories will be free — forever, no card required. A Plus subscription later unlocks the full story library and an always-on buddy; waitlist members get founding-member pricing.
Q3Is this financial advice?
No — it’s practice. Stories and a kind buddy help you build habits and spot patterns. We don’t sell financial products, and we don’t give personalized investment, tax, or credit advice.
Q4Which platforms and languages?
iOS, Android and the web with one account. Fully bilingual English and 简体中文 today; we’d love to hear if French matters to you — tell us when you join.
Q5Is my data private?
Your entries and chats power your own experience — nothing else. No ads, no selling data, no sharing with advertisers, ever. Export-and-delete controls are part of the product plan for the Canada launch, and we’ll publish the full privacy policy before the beta collects a single entry.
Q6I’m in mainland China — which version do I use?
Use 省钱搭子 at budgetbuddy.cn — the same product, hosted in China, on the China App Store today.