Building Nowlater

One thing having a kid means is many trips to Costco. Bulk buying diapers (no longer needed, small wins), wipes, fruit, and everything else. These runs need to be quick and efficient. Sometimes you have a baby strapped to your chest or in one arm, or your spouse is waiting at home with a crying baby. These days it is more of a family outing with a toddler squirming in the cart, but the goal is still the same: get in and out fast.

For the longest time, I used the default Notes app to make grocery lists. It worked, but barely. Deleting items meant holding the backspace key or carefully selecting a line while juggling a cart and a baby. The checklist option was not better. Trying to tap a tiny checkbox one-handed was not fun.

I looked for better list apps, but most were focused on productivity, streaks, and "motivation." I did not need motivation. I did not need confetti when checking off an item. I just needed a list that worked smoothly when one hand is full and the other is holding my phone.

So I thought, maybe I could build one. I kept hearing about how AI could help write code quickly, and I still remembered enough from my old coding days to get started. I decided to use React Native for cross-platform support with a local SQLite database to keep it simple. The result was Nowlater, a one-handed list app designed for real life.

Swipe right to mark an item as done. Swipe left to save it for later. Hold and drag to reorder, because Costco likes to move things just when you have learned where they are. That is it. No streaks, no clutter, just the essentials.

Friends and family tested it and found their own ways to use it, which was fun to see. The build itself did not take long thanks to AI, but the real challenge was getting through developer registration, certificates, and the app review process. That probably deserves its own post.

Nowlater is currently live on the Apple App Store. I am still deciding how seriously to promote it, but I am proud of what came together in the few toddler-free hours I get each week. It is not a complex app, but it solves a real annoyance in my day. And that is enough reason to keep building.