Do you meal plan?
If you are like me, you SAID you were going to meal plan and then didnt’. You thought you didn’t have TIME to meal plan because it took time.
However, once I started meal planning I realized that, though it took some up front time, in the end it saved time. Time that was spent traditionally in front of the pantry or freezer trying to decide what to make for dinner while the kids hang on my legs saying they are hungry.
Then I found eMeals. The meal planning was already done for me and, depending upon the menu you choose, even the budget is done for you. I love that this even saves me more time. And the money I save on groceries each month MORE than pays for the eMeals subscription.
How does paying for a subscription save me money?
- I don’t buy food that goes unused.
- I only buy what we are going to use that week or two that I’m shopping for.
- I don’t make several trips to the store because I don’t have something I need for a receipe.
- and there are probably other ways, not to mention the TIME SAVINGS!!!
When we first started meal planning we were saving around $20-$50 a week from our grocery bill by meal planning. With eMeals we started saving between $50-$75 per week by sticking to the plans and using the included grocery lists. I LOVE the included grocery lists. It makes it so easy to go through the frig, freezer and pantry before leaving for the store and determining what we already have. I just use the provided list then add the few extras we need for the week and I’m off to the store with a nice list in hand.
Now I know I said “sticking to the plans” but that doesn’t mean you have to use the plan EXACTLY. We mark favorite recipes that are included on the plan and I put them in our Household Binder in the kitchen. That way, if the weekly plan has a meal that won’t work for our family (due to allergy or preference) I just sub out the receipe from a previous week that we loves and add that list to the weekly grocery list and I’m good to go. And no I don’t always shop every week, I usually shop for 2 weeks at a time and have 2 weeks of menus ready to go.
One of the great things about eMeals is that you can try the different eMeals menu samples. Therefore, if you are on the Clean Eating menu plan and then want to try the Slow Cooker menu for a while, you can get a few recipes for the slow cooker that make a great backup quick recipe if you need it down the line.
What do I get for the Subscription?
If you haven’t used eMeals, or aren’t familiar with it, you can check out their website and look at all the great menus they have available. You can even choose meus that are specifically paired up with your favorite grocery stores like Kroger and Aldi. Otherwise, you can choose from options like Mediterainian, Kid-Friendly, Classic, and Paleo, to name a few.
If you haven’t used eMeals, or aren’t familiar with it, you can check out their website and look at all the great menus they have available. You can even choose meus that are specifically paired up with your favorite grocery stores like Kroger and Aldi. Otherwise, you can choose from options like Mediterainian, Kid-Friendly, Classic, and Paleo, to name a few.
There are 3 month, 6 month, and 12 month subscriptions available and you can subscribe to dinner only plans or specialty plans like lunch or dessert, or you can get a plan that gives you 3 meals a day with desert. it’s really up to you and what you prefer.
All plans come with access to the weekly meal plan and access to the plan for the week prior. Each subscription give you the option to switch plans once a month and you can choose menus for 2-4 people or families (3-6 people). One of the fun advantages of an eMeals subscription is that you occasionally get some specialty meal plans like for the 4th of July cookout or a Thanksgiving dinner meal; plan with grocery list.
Be sure to check out eMeals on the web or on Facebook and then give them a try. You might find that it save you time and money like it did me and won’t know what you did without them!
So, are you ready to see what meal planning with eMeals can do for your family? Now eMeals is offering a 14-day FREE TRIAL. This is a great way to save even MORE money and give them a try!
Oh and now to the giveaway!!!. eMeals is giving a 3 month dinner subscription to eMeals to ONE LUCKY WINNER here at Adventures in Homeschooling. So now is the time to try them out. What do you have to lose?
Enter below and get started with great meals for your family while saving time and money with eMeals.
Kim says
October 2, 2014 at 8:07 amThings have sure come a long way! I used to draw out a grid on paper to plan our family meals. But that was ME doing all the planning and research and list making. This HAS to be a huge time saver!
Tawnee says
October 2, 2014 at 9:10 pmIt really is a huge time saver. We have enjoyed it so far. Thanks for commenting.
Tawnee recently posted…Staying Organized – The 7 Minute Life Review
Tami Principe says
October 2, 2014 at 8:13 amNice blog! I love all of the apps that save you time and money, this definitely sounds like one of them. Unfortunately, this is one that I might not jump into right away. Being an empty nester gives us more of a freedom to go or do whatever we like for our meals. Thank you so much for the important information that you provided.
Tawnee says
October 2, 2014 at 9:10 pmI understand the freedom of the empty nest time. That is nice. But they do have meal plans for 1-2 people as well as dessert only plans – maybe that would be fun for you guys 🙂 Thanks for stopping by.
Tawnee recently posted…Staying Organized – The 7 Minute Life Review
Paul B. Taubman, II says
October 3, 2014 at 8:24 amI should try a service like this – I find that either food gets wasted, or I eat too much (after all, who wants to throw away good food)? As a result of the later, I eat til I am stuffed or I just eat too much 🙂
Thanks for listing the benefits of this. Any drawbacks with this? Ever get food you don’t like?
Tawnee says
October 5, 2014 at 10:27 amThanks for commenting Paul. There have been some recipes that I’m not fond of (or the kids nix) but I mark them down and then sub them out the next time with something I know the family likes. We have a couple of food allergies so if I see those are on the menu for the week I sub those out with something we love or even a standard goto meal like fish, rice and veggies or spaghetti or a freezer meal. But, I have to admit, most of the time, I’m pleasantly surprised with the meals and the new ideas.
We were throwing out food that didn’t get used as well and that was really bothering me, probably something I should have included in my post, and I have found that that doesn’t happen as much with meal planning.
They have a 14 day trial now so you don’t have anything to lose. Give them a try and see if its for you. Thanks for stopping by!
Tawnee recently posted…Meal Planning – The Solution that Has Changed Our Budget (And a Giveaway from eMeals!!!!)
Michelle says
October 3, 2014 at 11:11 amI need to get back to meal planning. It makes things so much easier and saves time.
Have you found the meals from emeals work for what your family likes to eat?
Tawnee says
October 5, 2014 at 10:12 amWe have found many of the meals on eMeals to be good for out cfamily. They have a lot of different types of plans – mediterrainian, slow cooker, 30 minute meals, kid friendly, clean eating, paleo, gluten free – stuff like that so its been great and i’ve tried some fun stuff. And its easy to sub out something you don’t want or like with a meal from a previous week.
Janelle says
October 8, 2014 at 4:04 pmI have never tried meal planning. It always seemed to take too long. But now that I find my husband and I have special dietary needs, it might be helpful.
Tawnee says
October 9, 2014 at 10:07 amThey have some great plans for dietary needs. The shopping list is a great help and it is really freeing to have the menu planned for the week and be done. And, if you make more than you need, you have great lunch leftovers 🙂 Thanks for commenting.
Tawnee recently posted…Meal Planning – The Solution that Has Changed Our Budget (And a Giveaway from eMeals!!!!)
Barbara Klein says
October 9, 2014 at 9:30 amMy daughter used an online service–maybe the same one and it was amazing. We still use some of the recipes and she is a busy doctor with two children. They love helping with the cooking. After all, the only thing you need that isn’t provided is an assistant to chop the vegetables and set the table.
Tawnee says
October 9, 2014 at 9:54 amThere are lots of meal planning services now and many are great.
This one does have meal planning for smaller families like 2-4 people so be sure to enter.
Tawnee recently posted…Meal Planning – The Solution that Has Changed Our Budget (And a Giveaway from eMeals!!!!)