Cash, the smart watch I discovered on Wearable Tech News, was created by financial expert Nicole Lapin. It allows you to track spending and really be proactive with your financials. You can sync the watch with the web app, or just use it as is. It’s also fashion friendly, with interchangeable straps. However, what I like best is Nicole’s journalist spirit in encouraging honesty, both in how she presents the watch, and how she wants people to use it. After all, how many of us say we are going to cut back on eating out, and then don’t follow through. Honesty is really the only path to change, and Nicole offers friendly videos and tips for how to keep spending in check.
The watch allows you to set up a budget easily and customize. It will track your spending in categories and show you where you are losing money each month. It reminds me of the mindful philosophy–being aware of those little cash purchases throughout the day allows you to make better choices. Also, instead of throwing out terms that are unfamiliar, the software uses everyday language and makes sure to explain things fully. After trying to learn some simple investing software with a non intuitive interface and Wall Street jargon, I personally find her choices on target. In fact the open source community should be working on this issue. If we can make Scratch for kids, why can’t we make something friendly for those in need of financial help? At least this is one product that gets it.
The only downside with this watch is that it really can only do financials, so if you are looking for a cure-all for email, texting and all that other stuff, this isn’t the watch for you. However, if you are ready to get real about your financial situation, then go for it–$139.99 and ready to ship.
Although I can’t give you a go-to for creating your own expense watch, I can show you a calculator that you can build that will make you the coolest geek ever. You can always pull this thing out of your pocket and log your spending. You’ll be the star of your local investment club. Have fun and keep making!
Every Wednesday is Wearable Wednesday here at Adafruit! We’re bringing you the blinkiest, most fashionable, innovative, and useful wearables from around the web and in our own original projects featuring our wearable Arduino-compatible platform, FLORA. Be sure to post up your wearables projects in the forums or send us a link and you might be featured here on Wearable Wednesday!