BuddyBudget is a gamified budgeting platform designed for college students who want to take control of their finances. By turning responsible spending into a fun, competitive experience, BuddyBudget helps you build better money habits while keeping up with your friends.

• Raise your character — Create a virtual character that grows and thrives as you make smart financial decisions
• Compete with friends — Connect with your friend group and climb the leaderboard based on your budgeting performance

• Node.js (v18+)
• MongoDB instance (local or Atlas)
• Plaid API credentials (get them here)

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/your-username/buddybudget.git
   cd buddybudget

2. Install dependencies

   npm install

3. Set up environment variables in .env file

   PLAID_CLIENT_ID=your_client_id
   PLAID_SECRET=your_secret
   MONGODB_URI=your_mongodb_connection_string

4. Start the development server

   npm run dev