Everyday Cheapskate

If the question "What's for dinner?" fills you with a sense of dread, you should listen in on a conversation I had with my niece Abby Borders, from San Jose, Calif. She's a former high-school teacher and now a stay-at-home mom. She told me about her new personal household assistant, E-mealz.

EC: What is E-mealz, and how did you hear about it?

AB: E-mealz is an online service that offers a weekly menu and shopping list to make grocery shopping and cooking a snap. A friend was raving about the meals she was eating all week, so when I asked for the recipes, she directed me to http://e-mealz.com.

EC: How does it work?

AB: E-mealz offers different kinds of menu plans. We subscribe to the low-fat plan for two. Every week, I go to the E-mealz website and print a two-page document with our meals, ingredients and recipe instructions plus a complete shopping list for my local supermarket. I spend significantly less money shopping this way than I used to when I planned meals myself.

EC: Is there a cost?

AB: The subscription is $5 per month, which works out to less than $1.25 per week. I easily save more than that grocery shopping, not to mention the time I don't spend planning meals.

EC: This seems to be working for you. Why?

AB: Now I am much more organized. When one area of my life (such as meal planning) is put together, I'm able to keep the other areas together, as well. It's one less thing to worry about.

I also love that E-mealz has plans that work for any size family. At this point, we only need recipes that feed two adults. As my daughter grows and as we expand our family, I anticipate changing my subscription to a family plan, which will provide recipes that feed four to six people.

EC: Where do you find the coupons you need, or do you really need coupons with E-mealz?

AB: E-mealz doesn't require coupons, which I like. Most plans are linked to a specific store, so the menus consist of items that are on sale this week. You really only need to use a club card to get the sale prices.

EC: How closely do you follow the E-mealz menu plan and shopping list?

AB: I follow it as closely as possible. I make substitutions on occasion, depending on taste preferences, but so far everything on the list has turned out really well.

EC: How does your husband feel about these E-mealz you're preparing?

AB: He was a little skeptical at first, but now he is thoroughly enjoying the E-mealz menus. Each meal has a main dish and one or two side dishes, so he likes the variety.

EC: Would you recommend E-mealz for other busy families?

AB: Absolutely! I suggest trying out a few of the sample menus on http://e-mealz.com to determine which plan works best for you.

Mary Hunt is the founder of www.DebtProofLiving.com and author of 18 books, including her best-selling classic "Debt-Proof Living." You can e-mail her at mary@everydaycheapskate.com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, P.O. Box 2135, Paramount, CA 90723. To find out more about Mary Hunt and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2010 CREATORS.COM