Why I Built Monsy
My journey with money began in 2015, when I started my first real job. I still remember the feeling of holding my first paycheck, but that excitement faded quickly. I was making just enough to cover my basic needs. Rent, food, internet, phone, and a little for going out with friends on weekends. At the end of each month, my bank balance was almost always close to zero. I had no savings, no plan, and honestly, no idea where my money went.
Things continued like this for years. Every payday felt like a reset button, but somehow the cycle repeated. It bothered me, but not enough to change. That was until 2018, when I hit a point where I couldn’t ignore my finances any longer. I remember staring at my account, frustrated and confused. That was when I opened Google Sheets and started listing every bit of money coming in and out. I didn’t know anything about financial planning or fancy tools. It was just me, a spreadsheet, and a hope that things could get better.
At first, it was hard. I forgot to log some expenses, and I kept asking myself if it was worth the effort. But as weeks turned into months, something changed. I started seeing patterns in my spending. I found out where my money was leaking, and I realized I was wasting more than I thought. For the first time, I had a sense of control. Little by little, I managed to save more, spend more mindfully, and even set aside a small emergency fund. These small wins built up my confidence.
The impact was so real that I wanted to share it. In 2019, I started sharing money tips and personal experiences on Twitter. I even gave away my Google Sheets template for free. I didn’t expect much, but to my surprise, more and more people started using it. I started getting messages from strangers saying my template helped them a lot and made them feel less anxious about money.
Fast forward to 2023 and 2024, my template went viral. More than 25,000 people have now used it to manage their money. Even crazier, a local Indonesian movie, Home Sweet Loan featured my template in their marketing activity because one of their scenes showed a character tracking money in Google Sheets, just like I had done years ago. Suddenly, something that began as a struggle turned into something bigger than myself.
But as grateful as I was, I started worrying about what would happen if I stopped updating the template, or if Google Sheets ever changed. I wanted to build something more reliable, user-friendly, and accessible to everyone. In 2025, I finally made the decision to turn my experience into a real app: Monsy.
Monsy isn’t just an app for me. It’s the next step in my personal money journey. I built it for people who struggle with their finances and want an honest, simple tool that just works. I know how overwhelming personal finance can be, so I focus on clarity, privacy, and real-world usability.
I use Monsy for my own finances, so I obsess over privacy, and I will never sell your data or force complicated subscriptions. My mission is to help you take control of your money, not to get rich off of you. That’s why Monsy costs only $2 per month. No hidden fees, no tricks, just a fair price for something that truly helps.
I’m not a financial guru. I’m just someone who struggled with money and found a way out. Monsy is built on that experience. If you’ve ever felt lost, anxious, or even embarrassed about your finances, I hope Monsy can give you the same clarity and peace of mind it gave me.
Thank you for reading my story. If you decide to try Monsy, know that it was made for people like us, people who just want to get better with money, one step at a time.
Kenapa aku bikin Monsy
Aku secara legal punya dan menghasilkan uang sendiri itu tahun 2015. Waktu dapat kerja pertama yang benar-benar “beneran.” Masih ingat banget rasanya terima gaji pertama. Senang? Iya, tapi cuma sebentar. Gaji yang aku dapat hanya cukup buat kebutuhan pokok hidup di Ibukota sebagai anak rantau. Bayar kos, makan, internet, pulsa, dan kadang nongkrong bareng teman di akhir pekan. Setiap akhir bulan, saldo tabungan selalu mendekati nol. Tabungan nggak ada, rencana keuangan pun gak jelas, dan jujur aja, aku sering nggak tahu uang habis ke mana.
Bertahun-tahun keadaannya sama saja. Gajian selalu jadi momen “reset,” tapi pola boros juga terulang. Sampai akhirnya tahun 2018, aku benar-benar mentok. Aku ingat banget, suatu malam aku lihat sisa saldo, merasa frustrasi dan bingung. Akhirnya aku buka Google Sheets dan mulai catat setiap pemasukan, pengeluaran, bahkan uang receh sekalipun. Nggak ngerti teori finansial, nggak pakai tools keren, cuma spreadsheet sederhana dan niat ingin hidup lebih baik.
Awalnya berat. Sering lupa catat, sempat mikir “ngapain sih ribet begini.” Tapi makin lama, aku malah menemukan pola dalam pengeluaran. Aku jadi sadar kebocoran keuangan yang nggak kelihatan, dan ternyata selama ini aku buang uang lebih banyak dari yang aku kira. Untuk pertama kalinya aku merasa punya kontrol. Sedikit demi sedikit, aku bisa nabung, jadi lebih bijak belanja, dan mulai ada dana darurat meskipun kecil. Kemenangan kecil itu ngasih aku semangat buat terus lanjut.
Dampaknya nyata banget. Tahun 2019 aku mulai sharing tips dan pengalaman keuangan di Twitter. Template Google Sheets yang kupakai sehari-hari aku bagikan gratis. Awalnya nggak berharap banyak, tapi ternyata makin banyak orang yang pakai. Aku sering dapat DM dari orang asing yang bilang kalau template-ku membantu mereka lebih aware masalah keuangan dan nggak panik tiap akhir bulan.
Sampai 2023 dan 2024, template sederhana itu viral dan dipakai lebih dari 25.000 orang. Bahkan, aku sempat diajak kolaborasi sama film Home Sweet Loan karena di salah satu adegannya ada karakter Kaluna yang pakai Google Sheets buat catat uang. Rasanya aneh dan seru, sesuatu yang awalnya cuma solusi pribadi malah bisa ngebantu banyak orang lain.
Di tengah rasa syukur, aku mulai khawatir. Gimana kalau aku berhenti update template? Gimana kalau sistemnya rusak atau Google Sheets berubah? Aku ingin bangun sesuatu yang lebih matang, gampang dipakai siapa saja, dan tetap simpel. Akhirnya di 2025 aku mantap bikin Monsy, aplikasi website yang benar-benar terinspirasi pengalaman sendiri, bukan cuma teori.
Monsy ini beneran personal buat aku. Aku bangun untuk orang-orang yang struggling urusan uang dan pengen sistem pencatatan keuangan yang simpel, dan benar-benar membantu. Aku tahu banget rasanya frustrasi ngatur keuangan, makanya aku fokus ke kejelasan, privasi, dan kemudahan.
Aku sendiri pakai Monsy buat keuangan pribadi, jadi aku benar-benar concern soal privasi data. Semua data kalian akan aman di Monsy, aku berani janji. Tujuanku bantu kamu atur uang, bukan cari untung besar. Makanya harga Monsy cuma setara 30.000 per bulan. Nggak ada biaya tersembunyi, nggak ada paket aneh-aneh, aku cuma butuh teman patungan bayarin biaya maintenance Monsy biar kita bisa pakai Monsy terus.
Aku bukan financial planner, bukan ahli keuangan. Aku cuma orang biasa yang dulu struggling sama uang dan akhirnya nemu jalan keluar sendiri. Monsy hadir dari perjalanan itu. Kalau kamu pernah ngerasa bingung, stres, atau malu soal keuangan, aku harap Monsy bisa kasih kejelasan dan rasa tenang yang pernah aku rasakan.
Makasih ya udah baca cerita ini sampai selesai hihi. Silahkan digunakan dengan maksimal ya Monsy. Soalnya aplikasi ini aku buat untuk orang-orang kayak kita, yang pengin hidup lebih baik lewat keuangan yang sehat. Semangat!