A meal planner for Australian families on a budget
Build my plan is the meal planner inside OzCal. Tell it how many people you're feeding, your weekly budget and whether you shop at Woolworths, Coles or Aldi. It plans 3, 5 or 7 days of meals around the cuisines you like and the appliances you actually own, then writes the shopping list with an estimated total. Every meal carries its kilojoules, worked out from Australian food data.
How Build my plan works
- Set the basics. Number of people, your weekly food budget, how many days (3, 5 or 7) and your supermarket: Woolworths, Coles or Aldi.
- Tell it how you cook. Pick up to a few cuisines for the week (Aussie, Indian, Italian, Middle Eastern, Chinese, Thai, Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean, Mexican, Mediterranean, Greek) and tick the appliances you have: stovetop, oven, microwave, air fryer, slow cooker, pressure cooker, rice cooker, BBQ, sandwich press, or kettle only.
- Use what's already there. Snap your fridge, pantry shelf or trolley and the plan works around those ingredients first, so less goes in the bin.
- Get the plan and the list. Meals for each day, a shopping list grouped for the store you picked, and an estimated total against your budget. Swap any meal you don't fancy.
Why a planner that knows kilojoules
Most meal planners stop at recipes and a list. Most food trackers stop at counting. OzCal does both from the same Australian catalogue of 86,000+ foods, so the dinner you planned on Sunday logs itself in one tap on Wednesday, with the same numbers. If you're keeping an eye on energy for the household, the week is already counted before you shop.
Who it's for
- Families feeding 3 to 6 who want dinner sorted and a list that fits the weekly budget.
- Aldi shoppers, who are usually left out of supermarket-specific planners.
- Anyone cooking with limited gear: a share-house kitchen, a caravan, an air fryer and a kettle.
- Households with mixed tastes, from Indian one night to a Sunday roast the next.
Who it's not for
If you want a recipe library to browse for inspiration, a dedicated recipe app will suit you better. Build my plan is for the opposite: you don't want to think about it, you want the week decided and the list written. Prices are estimates from typical supermarket pricing and will differ from your store's specials on the day.
What it costs
OzCal is free to download with unlimited barcode scanning and a daily allowance of AI photo and voice logs. Build my plan is part of OzCal Pro: A$14.99 a month or A$89.99 a year with a 7-day free trial on the yearly plan, prices in AUD including GST.
Try Build my plan
OzCal is in open beta on TestFlight for iPhone, with the App Store release next.
Common questions
Does it work with Aldi?
Yes. You choose Woolworths, Coles or Aldi when you build the plan, and the shopping list is written for that store.
Can it plan to a weekly budget?
Yes. You set the budget and the number of people, and the plan comes back with an estimated total for the shopping list. Estimates use typical supermarket pricing, so check specials in store.
Can I plan around what's already in my fridge?
Yes. Snap your fridge, pantry or trolley and Build my plan uses those ingredients first.
Does it show kilojoules for each meal?
Yes. Every planned meal carries its energy in kilojoules, with calories alongside, from the same Australian food data the tracker uses.
Is Build my plan free?
Build my plan is part of OzCal Pro (A$14.99 a month or A$89.99 a year, 7-day free trial on yearly). Barcode scanning and food logging have a free tier.