Issue 19

Hello! 👋 This is a monthly issue of the Lunch Money Community Newsletter.

We send this to share exciting news within our developer ecosystem and broader community so you can get the most out of Lunch Money!

Our community has contributed so much over the years, and to kick off 2026, we're excited to spotlight one of our most prolific members! Read on for our interview with Justin, an exciting partnership announcement, and a chance to win a free Lunch Money shirt. 🎁

This month's spotlight is on Justin, creator of Lunchable, from Denver

Q. Hi Justin! Please tell us a bit about yourself.

I'm Justin - a software and platform engineer focused on machine learning (traditional ML and LLMs). I'm based in Denver, CO, where I live with my partner, our son, and our two dogs. Outside of work, I spend time on passion projects (mostly software/homelab based). When I'm not programming, I love to ski, camp, and see live music, especially bluegrass.

Q: How did you start using Lunch Money?

Like many Lunch Money users, I began my personal finance journey with a meticulously managed Google Sheet. Over time, it became almost embarrassingly complicated. At its peak, it was basically a self-hosted app built on Airtable and Splitwise, running in my homelab.

Switching to Lunch Money almost five years ago was a welcome change. I love the Plaid integration and its flexibility to fit into my financial routine. It's a great fit whether your setup is simple or highly customized.

Q. Lunchable is a Python SDK for Lunch Money used by many community members. How did that start?

Like most of my side projects, Lunchable began as a personal need that I thought could be helpful for the larger open-source community.

When I first started building integrations with the Lunch Money developer API, there wasn't a complete Python client that covered everything I needed, so I built one...

Read the full interview ➜

See all of Justin's projects on Github ➜

Lunch Money x ProjectionLab is here! 🎊

We've teamed up with ProjectionLab to launch a free Chrome extension that connects your Lunch Money data with ProjectionLab's powerful long-term financial planning and simulation tools.

Think retirement timelines, taxes, cash flow needs, and "what if" scenarios. ProjectionLab powers it all with real numbers, without extra reporting or manual work.

For more details (plus a $30 launch discount 🎉), check out the blog:

Read the full announcement ➜

Category templates library! 📚

Categories turn raw transactions into meaningful insights, and we're building a community-powered library of category setups to inspire, guide, and serve as a starting point!

Whether it's your full category system or a specific category group you think others would find helpful, we'd love for you to share it with the community!

As a thank you, we're giving away a free Lunch Money shirt to 5 lucky contributors! You can enter the giveaway at the bottom of the submission form for a chance to win. 🎁

Share your category setup ➜

Latest from the blog 📰

Most people think the only way to improve their finances is to cut spending or earn more. Unfortunately, many employees overlook workplace benefits that can save thousands each year.

In this post, certified Lunch Money coach Adriana breaks down tax-advantaged accounts, employer matching, and dependent care benefits, so you can keep more of your paycheck without waiting for a raise.

Read: 3 Hidden Employee Benefits That Can Save You Thousands ➜

Looking for more personalized help? Visit our Coaching Directory to connect with Adriana and other certified Lunch Money financial coaches.

Latest on YouTube! 📺

If budgeting feels stressful, it's probably your system – not you. 😵‍💫

In this video, we share four simple numbers that can help simplify your budgeting approach, avoid noise, and create a budget that's clearer, calmer, and easier to stick with!