In an effort to simplify my life (homemaking, homeschooling, teaching, etc), I've decided to try e-mealz. This is a great menu subscription that is tailored to various stores (or you can get a plan that is independent of a store). I chose the low-fat Wal-Mart plan, and I love it! (So you know, this does use quite a bit of "Great Value groceries," Wal-Mart's generic brand, which I've found to be mostly equal in quality to brand names.)
E-mealz gives you seven meals per week, with the ingredients and cooking instructions all on one page (yes, it's a little tough on these bi-focaled eyes of mine), and then the grocery list on a separate page. If you do double-sided printing, everything is right there on one sheet for you. I stuck mine in a plastic sheet protector and put it on my fridge to keep it handy.
The grocery list is categorized, and it has the individual item prices with a grand total. To my pleasant surprise, my total was very close -- under $90 for seven meals! My overall Wal-Mart bill was much more, due to other household purchases, which annoys me. But, I digress...
Anyway, I've tried two meals, oven-baked BBQ chicken and spinach fettuccine, and both were yummy. My kids loved them, too, which is a great bonus! Tonight I'm grilling an Asian-marinated London Broil steak, and we're having hash brown casserole. It smells great, so I'm sure it will be good.
The cost of the subscription is a little over $1.00 per week, which is minor compared to the savings. I have found that using a menu plan saves money because when you have a plan you know what you will be cooking so you don't waste food. Having a cheaper plan makes this even sweeter!
If you are interested in trying e-mealz, just click on the picture above and it will take you to their site.
