The Side Project Stack That Costs Me Nothing Every Month

#ai #productivity #webdev #career

A Side Project Stack That Leaves You Cash-Flow Positive: My Experience and Advice
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Hey there fellow developers and freelancers! Today, I want to share with you my secret for maintaining a cost-effective side project stack without breaking the bank. As someone who's juggling multiple projects alongside my day job, I know how crucial it is to keep expenses low while still delivering high-quality work.

In this article, I'll walk you through the tools I use and provide concrete examples of how they help me stay cash-flow positive. Let's dive in!

### The Importance of a Cost-Effective Stack

First things first, why should we care about keeping our side project stack affordable? For one, it allows us to focus more resources on our main source of income. Additionally, being mindful of expenses ensures that we're not sinking money into tools and services that might not provide a significant return on investment (ROI).

### My Go-To Tools for Cost-Effective Side Projects

#### **GitHub** - Free for Open Source Projects

GitHub is an essential platform for version control, collaboration, and hosting code. If you're working on open-source projects or have public repositories, GitHub offers a free tier that includes unlimited collaborators, private repositories (up to 3), and access to a vast community of developers.

bash

Example GitHub repository for a side project

$ git clone https://github.com/yourusername/side-project.git


#### **Netlify** - Build, Deploy, and Host Static Websites for Free

Netlify is a cloud platform that simplifies the process of building, deploying, and hosting static websites. It offers a free tier with features such as continuous deployment from GitHub repositories, global CDN, and custom domains. This makes it an excellent choice for deploying lightweight side projects without incurring additional costs.

bash

Example Netlify configuration file (netlify.toml)

[build]
base = "/"
publish = "dist/"


#### **Notion** - All-in-One Workspace for Note-Taking, Project Management, and More (Free Tier Available)

Notion is a versatile tool that serves as a note-taking app, project management system, database, and more. With its free tier, you can create databases, kanban boards, wikis, and even write blog posts right within the platform. This makes it an ideal choice for managing various aspects of your side projects without needing multiple tools.

markdown

Example Notion project workspace

Side Project 1
- Tasks
- [x] Design UI wireframes
- [ ] Implement frontend
- [ ] Test and debug
- Notes
- Here's an interesting article I found about frontend performance optimization...


### Embrace the Freemium Model

While it's tempting to upgrade to premium versions of tools as soon as possible, I've found that many platforms offer robust free tiers. Take advantage of these offers and only consider upgrading when necessary based on your project needs and growth.

### Conclusion

By utilizing tools like GitHub, Netlify, and Notion, you can build a cost-effective side project stack without compromising quality or features. Remember to embrace the freemium model and manage your projects thoughtfully to stay cash-flow positive while pursuing your passion projects.

Happy coding!

Further Reading