The main advantages for me are learning and data.
For instance, with the budgeting app (Firefly 3) I learned a lot more about banks and the data available to third parties (and myself). I also have a lot of data about my consumption behaviour and I can use excel or AI, if I want, to do clever stuff with my data and take better decisions.
Hey! I think that $300/month is outrageous. I’m interested to look at this problem with you and help you reduce the costs. At the end of the days, this is part of my job. I got myself a great computer for £1200 for my projects, and by hosting everything at home, I’m saving money and gathering more data. Contact me if you are interested on my help.