I found the same thing—most of those apps are just prettier versions of basic budgeting tools. The receipt scanning was handy, though I still ended up double-checking categories manually (old habits die hard...). I did try a spreadsheet too, but eventually settled on a simple project management tool that let me attach documents and notes directly to tasks. Not perfect, but it helped keep loan payments clearly tied to specific milestones and inspections without getting overly complicated.
Interesting approach with the project management tool—I hadn't considered that angle. I've been sticking with spreadsheets myself, but keeping track of inspections and linking them to payments has been a bit cumbersome. Did you find it easy enough to share your setup with contractors or lenders when needed? I'm curious if using a PM tool streamlined communication or if it added another layer of complexity...
"Did you find it easy enough to share your setup with contractors or lenders when needed?"
Honestly, it took a little getting used to at first. Contractors were mostly fine with it—once they saw how clearly tasks and payments were linked, they actually appreciated the transparency. Lenders were a mixed bag though. Some were totally on board and liked having everything centralized, but others still preferred traditional documentation. I ended up exporting reports from the PM tool into PDFs for those lenders, which wasn't too much of a hassle.
Overall, I'd say it streamlined communication more than it complicated things. It definitely beat digging through endless spreadsheet tabs or email chains. But if you're already comfortable with spreadsheets, maybe just adding a shared cloud folder or something similar could simplify things without jumping fully into a new system. Just my two cents...
"maybe just adding a shared cloud folder or something similar could simplify things without jumping fully into a new system."
Fair point, but honestly, cloud folders can get messy fast too—especially if contractors aren't tech-savvy. I ended up printing summaries occasionally just to avoid confusion...sometimes simpler really is better.
I tried the cloud folder route too, but halfway through my build, I realized my electrician was still texting me blurry photos of receipts instead of uploading them. Ended up just jotting everything down in a notebook—old-school, but it worked.
