Sorted - Family Meal Planner & Savings for Busy Mums

Inspiration

Rebecca's video showed up on my feed a few weeks ago and I could not stop thinking about it. She was describing my life. Decades of asking "what's for dinner?" while staring at my bank account wondering where the money went. Wishing someone had taught me about investing when I was younger. I realized I knew this problem better than most app coders ever could. So I decided to build the app myself.

What it does

Sorted answers two questions every mum asks: What's for dinner? And can we afford it?

You tell it about your family, your budget, and how long you have to cook. It generates a week of meals with the exact cost at your local super markets in the UK & US). You can swap ingredients for cheaper alternatives, send your shopping list sorted by aisle, and watch your savings add up in a Money Jar. When you are ready, the app teaches you what to do with those savings through bite-sized investing lessons.

How we built it

Vibe code

Challenges we ran into

Learning to code at 62 is humbling. I had to learn what an API was, what RevenueCat does, how to get an app onto TestFlight. Some nights I wanted to quit. But then I would think about all the mums out there and I kept going.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

I made a working app in four weeks. At 62. As a retired writer.

What we learned

That it is never too late to start. Whether that means learning to code, learning to invest, or learning to take control of your family's finances. The whole point of Sorted is that small steps add up. Turns out that applies to building apps too.

What's next for Sorted

I want to add receipt scanning so the app can track what you actually spent. More supermarkets. A community where mums can share money-saving tips with each other. And eventually, a connection to real investing platforms so the Money Jar can become a real portfolio. Also want to test a guarantee using RevenueCat promotional offers where if you don't save at least £4.99 on groceries in your first month your next month is free. This removes the #1 objection to buying this app: "I'm trying to save money, not spend it." This is just the beginning!