Fridgeful

Inspiration

I built Fridgeful after going grocery shopping and realizing I had paid full price for items that were on sale at another store. That moment made me think about how fragmented and overwhelming grocery shopping can be, comparing flyers, guessing how much to buy, and figuring out what to cook before food goes bad. I wanted one platform that reduces stress, saves money, and makes grocery decisions more intentional and sustainable.

What it does

Fridgeful is a sustainability-focused grocery platform that compares prices across stores to generate the most cost-efficient shopping lists. Based on your shopping list, Fridgeful will give you educated insight to help you determine whether or not you are buying an appropriate amount of food. It then recommends recipes based on what you’re already buying, helping you use ingredients efficiently and reduce food waste. The goal is to make grocery shopping smarter, simpler, and more environmentally responsible.

How we built it

I built Fridgeful using PostgreSQL for the relational database, which was scraped from various grocery store websites. JavaScript with React was used for the frontend, and the backend handles pricing data and list optimization, while Axios manages HTTP requests between the frontend and backend. We integrated the Gemini API to power intelligent recipe recommendations based on users’ shopping lists.

Challenges I ran into

One major challenge was structuring grocery data across different stores in a clean, comparable way. Intuitively creating the relational databases required a lot of research and iteration, as well as trial and error. Handling real-time price comparisons and ensuring accurate optimization logic also required careful backend design. Integrating recipe recommendations in a meaningful, contextual way was another technical and UX challenge.

Accomplishments that I am proud of

I am really proud of building an end-to-end platform that connects price optimization with sustainability as a solo-hacker. The ability to automatically generate store-specific lists and transform them into recipe suggestions creates a seamless, value-driven experience. I was also able to learn SQL and how to use postgreSQL software in the span of a short period of time.

What I learned

I learned how to design relational databases and query search results for real-world use cases, manage API integrations effectively, and think deeply about user flow. I also became a lot more comfortable writing effective backend endpoints to call the backend data into the frontend. Most importantly, I learned how to think about problems that I face in my daily life and use my technological skills

What's next for Fridgeful

Next, I want to incorporate real-time, automated flyer scraping and waste-tracking analytics. I also want to expand Fridgeful in the form of mobile and Chrome extensions, so it can be used for all aspects of grocery shopping. Long term, we envision Fridgeful becoming a sustainability assistant that not only saves money but also helps households measure and reduce their environmental impact.

Built With

• gemini
• javascript
• postgresql
• react