Budget Bites | Devpost

Inspiration

We came up with the idea of Budget Bites when we faced the challenge of affording groceries and restaurants in the city, as well as the issue of food waste and environmental impact. We wanted to make a web app that would help people find the best deals on food and groceries that are close to expiry or on the date of expiry, and incentivize them to buy them before they go to waste by offering discounts on the items. With our app, you can easily find quick groceries for a fast meal, and see the cheapest and freshest options available in your area, along with the distance and directions to help you reduce your carbon footprint. Budget Bites is our pocket-friendly food guide that helps you save money, enjoy good food, and protect the planet every day of the week.

What it does

Budget Bites is a website that gives you a list of the prices, freshness, and distance of food and groceries near you. You can also get discounts and coupons on items that are close to sale, and enjoy good food every day of the week without breaking the bank or harming the planet. Budget Bites is your pocket-friendly food guide that makes eating well easy and affordable.

How we built it

We built the web app with React.js, Typescript, Vite, and React Router, as well as React Context Hooks. For styling and design, we utilized SASS and TailwindCSS. We used various React components/libraries such as Fuse.js and React-toast, as well as a payment system using Stripe.

Challenges we ran into

One of our biggest challenges was trying to integrate the JavaScript SDK for Google Maps into our program. This was very new to us as none of us had any any experience with the Maps API. Getting the Google Maps API to function took hours of intense problems solving. It didn't stop there though as right after that we had to try adding landmarks which was another problem however we overcame it by looking through documentation and through the consultation of mentors

Accomplishments that we're proud of

An accomplishment that we are proud of is that we figured out how to use google maps jdk and successfully implemented the google maps features to our web app. We also figured out how to calculate distances from where the user is to the store as well.

What we learned

One of the key skills that we gained over the duration of this hackathon is that we learnt how to implement Google Maps to our system. This involved us learning how the Maps SDKs worked to integrate them into our application to provide proper location services. We also delved into the realm of distance and time calculations using two points. Using Google Maps, we learned how to determine the distance between where the user starts and where his end point is supposed to be as well as an estimate for the time it will take to reach the given point.

What's next for Budget Bites

Our next steps for Budget Bites is to make it a more frequently used app as well as a global app that helps people around the world enjoy good food without wasting money or resources. To do this, we will make sure our app is tailored to the languages, cultures, preferences, and regulations of each market we enter. We will use Google Translate to make our app accessible and understandable in different languages. We will also work with local experts, partners, or customers to learn about their specific needs and expectations. We will also follow the local laws and standards that apply to our app and its features. We will design and execute a marketing strategy and a distribution plan for our app in each market we target. We will use Facebook Ads and Google Ads to create and run online campaigns that highlight the benefits and features of our app, such as saving money, reducing food waste, and enjoying good food. We will also use social media platforms such as Instagram and Twitter to share deals, testimonials, and reviews that showcase the experience that people have with budget bites to allow a greater influx of customers.