meal planning made easy

Rodney and I lived on one income for almost 3 years, and we made it look pretty darn easy.  We lived a fairly frugal lifestyle.  We didn't buy too many unnecessary luxuries, and we made it work.

Things change when you add in an extra person, but no extra income.  This kid needs diapers and formula, but also insurance, and other things you don't think of right away.  It seems like we're always adding extra lines to our budget, money that needs to go out, but no extra money is coming in.

Rodney started doing a little research on Dave Ramsey, and listening to his daily podcasts.  Through this, he found e-mealz.  When you sign up for e-mealz, you get a weekly meal plan (5 meals) all laid out for you, plus a shopping list detailing everything you need for the week.  This is our second week on the plan (they have many to choose from:  plans for 2, plans for families, low-fat, low-carb, vegan, Weight Watchers, etc.) and so far we really like it.  E-mealz really emphasizes reducing wasted food.  For instance, you'll buy a bag of shredded cheese and use it for 2 or 3 meals.  That's something I'm trying to carry over.  Even if we choose not to make one of our planned meals for the week, we're still trying to use food that we already have in the pantry or fridge. It's amazing how much food we waste on a regular basis.

I'm not being endorsed by e-mealz, just sharing a new favorite with you.  We can all use tools that make our lives easier, and just about everyone likes saving money.