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+# SimpleFinanceDash
+
+## What This Is
+
+A self-hosted personal budget dashboard that replaces a manual spreadsheet workflow. It tracks monthly budgets with bills, variable expenses, debts, savings, and investments — presented in a friendly, pastel-colored UI inspired by a clean spreadsheet aesthetic. Built with Go (backend) + React/TypeScript (frontend) + PostgreSQL.
+
+## Core Value
+
+Opening the app should feel like opening a beautifully designed personal spreadsheet — clean pastel colors, clear data layout, approachable and visually delightful. The UI IS the product.
+
+## Requirements
+
+### Validated
+
+<!-- Shipped and confirmed valuable. Inferred from existing codebase. -->
+
+- ✓ Local auth (email/password registration, login, logout, JWT sessions) — existing
+- ✓ Budget CRUD (create, edit, delete monthly budgets) — existing
+- ✓ Budget item management (create, update, delete items per budget) — existing
+- ✓ Category CRUD (bill, variable_expense, debt, saving, investment, income types) — existing
+- ✓ Copy budget from previous month — existing
+- ✓ Server-side budget totals computation — existing
+- ✓ REST API with auth middleware — existing
+- ✓ i18n support (German + English, user preference stored) — existing
+- ✓ Docker deployment (single binary, multi-stage build, compose) — existing
+- ✓ Dashboard with financial overview, bills tracker, variable expenses, expense breakdown, debt tracker — existing (rough)
+
+### Active
+
+<!-- Current scope. Polish the UI/UX to match the pastel spreadsheet vision. -->
+
+- [ ] Cohesive pastel design system across all components (not default shadcn)
+- [ ] Polished login/register screens with branded look (not generic shadcn defaults)
+- [ ] Dashboard layout that feels organized, spacious, and visually appealing
+- [ ] Charts that look polished and informative (donut, bar, pie)
+- [ ] Consistent color tokens and typography across the entire app
+- [ ] Smooth interactions — inline editing, form submissions, transitions
+- [ ] Category management page with polished UI
+- [ ] Settings page with polished UI
+- [ ] Responsive layout (desktop-first, but usable on tablet)
+- [ ] Fix any backend bugs discovered during UI testing
+
+### Out of Scope
+
+- CSV/bank import — future feature, not needed for visual polish
+- Recurring/automated transactions — future feature
+- Shared/household budgets — future feature
+- Custom themes/color picker — architecture supports it, but not this milestone
+- OIDC authentication — stubs exist, implement later
+- PDF/CSV export — future feature
+- Mobile app — web-first
+- GraphQL API — REST is sufficient
+
+## Context
+
+The codebase was built as an initial implementation but the frontend was not given enough design attention. The backend (Go + PostgreSQL) is functional with proper auth, CRUD operations, and data model. The frontend uses React + shadcn/ui + Tailwind + Recharts but looks like default shadcn with minimal customization. The original vision was a pastel spreadsheet aesthetic — soft blues, pinks, yellows, greens, lavenders with clean data presentation. This milestone is about bringing the UI up to that vision.
+
+Key reference: PRD.md section 8 (UI/Design) describes the target aesthetic — pastel colors, soft backgrounds, subtle dividers, shadcn components with custom theme tokens.
+
+## Constraints
+
+- **Tech stack**: Keep existing Go + React + shadcn/ui + Tailwind + Recharts stack
+- **Design system**: Build on shadcn/ui, don't replace it — customize via CSS variables and Tailwind config
+- **Backend**: Minimize backend changes — focus is frontend polish
+- **i18n**: All new/changed UI text must have de + en translations
+- **Package manager**: Use bun for frontend
+
+## Key Decisions
+
+| Decision | Rationale | Outcome |
+|----------|-----------|---------|
+| Customize shadcn via CSS variables | Maintain upgrade path while achieving unique look | — Pending |
+| Pastel palette as primary design language | Matches original spreadsheet inspiration | — Pending |
+| Desktop-first responsive | Primary use case is desktop budget management | — Pending |
+
+---
+*Last updated: 2026-03-11 after initialization*