Simple Chores
Family chore tracking that kids actually use
What it is
Simple Chores keeps our household running without the nagging. Each kid has a list of chores; they tap to mark a chore done, a parent approves it, and points accumulate toward rewards they pick. It’s deliberately simple — large tap targets, no clutter — so even the youngest can use it on a tablet.
How it’s built
A Go REST API backs a React single-page app. Chore definitions, assignments, completions, and point balances live in MySQL. The whole thing is containerized with Docker and runs on a Kubernetes cluster behind an ingress with automatic TLS.
Design decisions
- Go API for a small, fast, statically-compiled binary that’s trivial to containerize and cheap to run.
- Approval workflow — completions aren’t trusted blindly; a parent approves before points are awarded, which keeps the incentive honest.
- Points → rewards modeled as a simple ledger so balances are always the sum of approved completions minus redemptions.
What I learned
Building for kids forces real UX discipline: anything ambiguous gets misused. The approval step started as an afterthought and became the feature that made the whole system trustworthy for the family.