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# Episode 3: What I chose not to build
- URL: https://www.artisancraft.dev/episode-3-what-i-chose-not-to-build/
- Published: 2026-01-12T10:17:39.000Z
- Updated: 2026-01-12T10:17:39.000Z
- Description: Building Expensio wasn’t about adding features — it was about knowing when to stop. No invoicing, no accounting, no automation. Just a focused tool that fills the gap between spreadsheets and full accounting software.
- Author: Daniel Plomp
- Tags: productvision, saas, indiehacker, buildinpublic, makers

Shipping less is often harder than shipping more.

When building Expensio, the hardest decisions weren’t technical.  
They were about **what to leave out**.

Modern software tends to grow by default.  
Features get added “just in case.”  
Soon, a simple tool turns into something users need to manage instead of use.

I wanted to avoid that.

### The No-List

There are many things Expensio intentionally does not include:

- No invoicing
- No full accounting
- No bank integrations
- No mileage trackers
- No complex automation

Not because they aren’t useful — but because they fundamentally change the nature of the product.

Each of these features introduces configuration, rules, edge cases, and expectations.  
Once you add one, the rest tend to follow.

### Why Saying No Matters

Every feature has a cost beyond development:

- extra UI
- more support
- more mental load for users
- more long-term maintenance

For a tool like Expensio, that cost directly conflicts with its purpose.

The goal isn’t to manage finances.  
The goal is to **produce a clean, trustworthy expense overview**.

Everything else is noise.

### Filling the Gap Between “Too Simple” and “Too Complex”

There’s a large gap between:

- spreadsheets and templates
- full accounting platforms

Expensio lives exactly in that space.

It provides structure without bureaucracy.  
Clarity without overhead.  
Output without distraction.

### Scope Is a Discipline Problem

Feature bloat is rarely a technical issue.  
It’s a discipline issue.

Knowing when to stop — and sticking to that decision — is what keeps a product usable over time.

Expensio exists because it stops early.  
And that’s intentional.

## All episodes

- [Episode 1: I built Expensio — A simple expense tool I needed myself](https://www.artisancraft.dev/i-built-expensio-a-simple-expense-tool-i-needed-myself/)
- [Episode 2: Designing a straight-line UX](https://www.artisancraft.dev/episode-2-designing-a-straight-line-ux/)

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