I have a confession to make.
I am not a fan of meal planning.
I wish it were not so. You may get your thrills over planning your weekly meals down to the last calorie and cent. I envy your passion, but I do not share it.
It’s not that I haven’t tried to enjoy meal planning. I have a folder full of cute little meal planning calendars, creative ideas from magazines, and a whole lot of other fun stuff intended to motivate me to become a meal planning guru.
And yet, I still approach this task with dread.
That’s why when my Mom introduced me to eMeals, I felt my heart skip a beat. Imagine having a maid who plans your meals around weekly deals, creates your grocery list, and only charges you as low as $5 a month…and you are imagining eMeals.
I LOVE IT!!!!!!
We are using the ALDI plan for two people since our kids don’t eat enough yet to use the bigger meal plans. We spend approximately $50 a week for the ingredients for five meals. That’s $10 a meal! Not bad. And considering the fact that we typically have enough leftovers for another meal or two, it’s actually less than that! (Update: Since writing this post, our boys have become much bigger eaters, so we’ve graduated to the family plan!)
There are a variety of stores to choose from including Kroger, Wal-Mart, and Publix; and a nice selection of specialty meal plans, including Vegetarian, Low Fat, and Low Carb.
I have LOVED simply printing out my list each week, and heading to the store with little to no planning. It saves me so much time, which is very important to me as a busy mom.
We have also really enjoyed their meals. They are simple, yet delicious. The perfect combination in my eyes. Our favorite meal so far has been the Open Face Ranch and Chicken BLT’s. mmmmmmm….
If this sounds interesting to you, simply go here to check it out. If you choose to sign up, you will automatically receive the latest meal plan in your account and you can opt to receive it by email weekly. Download it, print it out, and head to the store. It’s that easy!
OR if you have a Smartphone, find out more about the eMeals app here. It’s awesome!
And if you are wondering if this is a wise choice for frugal families, I will add that Dave Ramsey endorses the site. Enough said.
Sign up now for a FREE 2 week trial to see if you’ll love eMeals as much as I do!
Question: it sounds great in theory, but y’all spending $50/week on food is twice (or more) the amount that we’re able to spend – & we shop at Aldi (& Sam’s for bulk items). Is that the amount that emeals automatically comes out to with the menu planning? Or are you able to set a price point? I looked on their website but didn’t see a budgetary restraint option… Thanks!
Hi, Sophie, it’s actually been a while since we’ve used the 2 person plan since my boys now eat as much as I do. But as I recall, $50 was probably the average price point for meals, but it’s possible that has increased in the past couple of years. And no, there is no option to set a budgetary restraint that I know of. What I typically do these days is intersperse some of my own easy, and low-price recipes (beans and rice, spaghetti, mac n cheese) with the eMeals recipes and a one week menu usually lasts me for two weeks. I recommend contacting eMeals directly with your questions about budget options though – good question. Hope that helps!
I tried it, but if it weren’t for my picky husband, I think it would have been a hit.
I just signed up for E-Mealz and I am SO excited!! I can’t wait to get started. I think this will take away some of the dread I have about what to cook for dinner and not be stuck in a rut! This seems so easy to follow. Thanks for sharing this with us.
I wish they offered stores in my area. I don’t shop at Walmart (no double coupons). Maybe they will add Farm Fresh supermarkets one day.
I am going to give it a shot. We are picky vegetarians and it exhaustes me figure out what to make for dinner.
Have never heard of E-mealz but it sounds wonderful!!
We are busy over here (who isn’t, right?) and I dread meal planning, especially dinnertime. I also work hard to save $$ at the grocery store but the planning and shopping seems to take up so much of my time. I think I’m going to try this E-mealz out. Thanks!
Thanks so much for suggesting this!
I just signed up and plan on taking my list on vacation with us. Just to have
new ideas that will save time and money is a relief!
Thanks again!
I LOVE this idea and am going to give the walmart one a try. I’ve been a menu planner since completing FPU a couple years ago but am finding it much harder to get back into the routine of since Laura was born. I’m also back on Weight Watchers and I noticed they have a POINT system plan….awesome!
Kaley, your site has been so helpful. I am a new work at home mommy, and we are feeling the pinch. I signed up for e-mealz, and we are loving it. It was really a God send. I was so stressed out trying to figure out how to stay within my grocery budget. When I read this post, I was so excited. I want to spend about $35 on our dinners each week! We have been eating e-mealz for two weeks, and it’s some of the best food I’ve ever cooked! God bless you. Keep sharing your great ideas!
I absolutely hate the thought of meal planning, but I am so bored with what I make all the time. Thanks for the info on e-mealz. It sounded interesting so I checked it out and signed up. Hopefully it’s as good for me as it is for you.
I am interested in e mealz but there are some food allergeries in our family and I found no info and was unable to see an actual menu sample to see if we could benefit from this. Please help!!!
Liz,
I think your best bet would be click on the contact link at the bottom of the page and ask them your question. I know they show samples, but they only list 2 or 3 of their meals in the sample.
Hope this helps! Let me know how it goes!
Charlie and I also BOTH hate meal planning and shopping and I was soo excited to read about e-meals. I just signed up for it and we are going to try the low-fat Walmart family plan. I can’t wait to let you know how it works! Thanks for the great idea!