## Inspiration

Everybody struggles with their personal finances. Financial inequality in the workplace is particularly prevalent among young females. On average, women make 88 cents per every dollar a male makes in Ontario. This is why it is important to encourage women to become more cautious of spending habits. Even though budgeting apps such as Honeydue or Mint exist, they depend heavily on self-motivation from users.

## What it does

Our app is a budgeting tool that targets young females with useful incentives to boost self-motivation for their financial well-being. The app features simple scale graphics visualizing the financial balancing act of the user. By balancing the scale and achieving their monthly financial goals, users will be provided with various rewards, such as discount coupons or small cash vouchers based on their interests. Users are free to set their goals on their own terms and follow through with them. The app re-enforces good financial behaviour by providing gamified experiences with small incentives.

The app will be provided to users free of charge. As with any free service, the anonymized user data will be shared with marketing and retail partners for analytics. Discount offers and other incentives could lead to better brand awareness and spending from our users for participating partners. The customized reward is an opportunity for targeted advertising

## Persona

Twenty-year-old Ellie Smith works two jobs to make ends meet. The rising costs of living make it difficult for her to maintain her budget. She heard about this new app called Re:skale that provides personalized rewards for just achieving the budget goals. She signed up after answering a few questions and linking her financial accounts to the app. The app provided simple balancing scale animation for immediate visual feedback of her financial well-being. The app frequently provided words of encouragement and useful tips to maximize the chance of her success. She especially loves how she could set the goals and follow through on her own terms. The personalized reward was sweet, and she managed to save on a number of essentials such as groceries. She is now on 3 months streak with a chance to get better rewards.

## How we built it

We used : React, NodeJs, Firebase, HTML & Figma

## Challenges we ran into

We had a number of ideas but struggled to define the scope and topic for the project.

* Different design philosophies made it difficult to maintain consistent and cohesive design.
* Sharing resources was another difficulty due to the digital nature of this hackathon
* On the developing side, there were technologies that were unfamiliar to over half of the team, such as Firebase and React Hooks. It took a lot of time in order to understand the documentation and implement it into our app.
* Additionally, resolving merge conflicts proved to be more difficult. The time constraint was also a challenge.
## Accomplishments that we're proud of
* The use of harder languages including firebase and react hooks
* On the design side it was great to create a complete prototype of the vision of the app.
* Being some members first hackathon, the time constraint was a stressor but with the support of the team they were able to feel more comfortable with the lack of time
## What we learned
* we learned how to meet each other’s needs in a virtual space
* The designers learned how to merge design philosophies
* How to manage time and work with others who are on different schedules

## What's next for Re:skale

Re:skale can be rescaled to include people of all gender and ages.

* More close integration with other financial institutions and credit card providers for better automation and prediction
* Physical receipt scanner feature for non-debt and credit payments

## Try our product

This is the link to a prototype app
<https://www.figma.com/proto/nTb2IgOcW2EdewIdSp8Sa4/hack-the-6ix-team-library?page-id=312%3A3&node-id=375%3A1838&viewport=241%2C48%2C0.39&scaling=min-zoom&starting-point-node-id=375%3A1838&show-proto-sidebar=1>
 This is a link for a prototype website
<https://www.figma.com/proto/nTb2IgOcW2EdewIdSp8Sa4/hack-the-6ix-team-library?page-id=0%3A1&node-id=360%3A1855&viewport=241%2C48%2C0.18&scaling=min-zoom&starting-point-node-id=360%3A1855&show-proto-sidebar=1>
## Inspiration

SustainaPal is a project that was born out of a shared concern for the environment and a strong desire to make a difference. We were inspired by the urgent need to combat climate change and promote sustainable living. Seeing the increasing impact of human activities on the planet's health, we felt compelled to take action and contribute to a greener future.

## What it does

At its core, SustainaPal is a mobile application designed to empower individuals to make sustainable lifestyle choices. It serves as a friendly and informative companion on the journey to a more eco-conscious and environmentally responsible way of life. The app helps users understand the environmental impact of their daily choices, from transportation to energy consumption and waste management. With real-time climate projections and gamification elements, SustainaPal makes it fun and engaging to adopt sustainable habits.

## How we built it

The development of SustainaPal involved a multi-faceted approach, combining technology, data analysis, and user engagement. We opted for a React Native framework, and later incorporated Expo, to ensure the app's cross-platform compatibility. The project was structured with a focus on user experience, making it intuitive and accessible for users of all backgrounds.

We leveraged React Navigation and React Redux for managing the app's navigation and state management, making it easier for users to navigate and interact with the app's features. Data privacy and security were paramount, so robust measures were implemented to safeguard user information.

## Challenges we ran into

Throughout the project, we encountered several challenges. Integrating complex AI algorithms for climate projections required a significant amount of development effort. We also had to fine-tune the gamification elements to strike the right balance between making the app fun and motivating users to make eco-friendly choices.

Another challenge was ensuring offline access to essential features, as the app's user base could span areas with unreliable internet connectivity. We also grappled with providing a wide range of educational insights in a user-friendly format.

## Accomplishments that we're proud of

Despite the challenges, we're incredibly proud of what we've achieved with SustainaPal. The app successfully combines technology, data analysis, and user engagement to empower individuals to make a positive impact on the environment. We've created a user-friendly platform that not only informs users but also motivates them to take action.

Our gamification elements have been well-received, and users are enthusiastic about earning rewards for their eco-conscious choices. Additionally, the app's offline access and comprehensive library of sustainability resources have made it a valuable tool for users, regardless of their internet connectivity.

## What we learned

Developing SustainaPal has been a tremendous learning experience. We've gained insights into the complexities of AI algorithms for climate projections and the importance of user-friendly design. Data privacy and security have been areas where we've deepened our knowledge to ensure user trust.

We've also learned that small actions can lead to significant changes. The collective impact of individual choices is a powerful force in addressing environmental challenges. SustainaPal has taught us that education and motivation are key drivers for change.

## What's next for SustainaPal

The journey doesn't end with the current version of SustainaPal. In the future, we plan to further enhance the app's features and expand its reach. We aim to strengthen data privacy and security, offer multi-language support, and implement user support for a seamless experience.

SustainaPal will also continue to evolve with more integrations, such as wearable devices, customized recommendations, and options for users to offset their carbon footprint. We look forward to fostering partnerships with eco-friendly businesses and expanding our analytics and reporting capabilities for research and policy development.

Our vision for SustainaPal is to be a global movement, and we're excited to be on this journey towards a healthier planet. Together, we can make a lasting impact on the world.
## Inspiration

Many individuals lack financial freedom, and this stems from poor spending skills. As a result, our group wanted to create something to help prevent that. We realized how difficult it can be to track the expenses of each individual person in a family. As humans, we tend to lose track of what we purchase and spend money on. Inspired, we wanted to create an app that stops all that by allowing individuals to strengthen their organization and budgeting skills.

## What It Does

Track is an expense tracker website targeting households and individuals with the aim of easing people’s lives while also allowing them to gain essential skills. Imagine not having to worry about tracking your expenses all while learning how to budget and be well organized.

The website has two key components:

* Family Expense Tracker:

The family expense tracker is the `main dashboard` for all users. It showcases each individual family member’s total expenses while also displaying the expenses through categories. Both members and owners of the family can access this screen. Members can be added to the owner’s family via a household key which is only given access to the owner of the family. Permissions vary between both members and owners. Owners gain access to each individual’s personal expense tracker, while members have only access to their own personal expense tracker.

* Personal Expense Tracker:

The personal expense tracker is assigned to each user, displaying their own expenses. Users are allowed to look at past expenses from the start of the account to the present time. They are also allowed to add expenses with a click of a button.

## How We Built It

* Utilized the MERN (MongoDB, Express, React, Node) stack
* Restful APIs were built using Node and Express which were integrated with a MongoDB database
* The Frontend was built with the use of vanilla React and Tailwind CSS

## Challenges We Ran Into

* Frontend:
Connecting EmailJS to the help form
Retrieving specific data from the backend and displaying pop-ups accordingly
Keeping the theme consistent while also ensuring that the layout and dimensions didn’t overlap or wrap
Creating hover animations for buttons and messages
* Backend:
Embedded objects were not being correctly updated - needed to learn about storing references to objects and populating the references
Designing the backend based on frontend requirements and the overall goal of the website

## Accomplishments We’re Proud Of

As this was all of our’s first or second hackathons we are proud to have created a functioning website with a fully integrated front and back-end.
We are glad to have successfully implemented pop-ups for each individual expense category that displays past expenses.
Overall, we are proud of ourselves for being able to create a product that can be used in our day-to-day lives in a short period of time.

## What We Learned

* How to properly use embedded objects so that any changes to the object are reflected wherever the object is embedded
* Using the state hook in ReactJS
* Successfully and effectively using React Routers
* How to work together virtually. It allowed us to not only gain hard skills but also enhance our soft skills such as teamwork and communication.

## What’s Next For Track

* Implement an income tracker section allowing the user to get a bigger picture of their overall net income
* Be able to edit and delete both expenses and users
* Store historical data to allow the use of data analysis graphs to provide predictions and recommendations.
* Allow users to create their own categories rather than the assigned ones
* Setting up different levels of permission to allow people to view other family member’s usage