While at the forum, I got a certificate for a year's subscription to emeals.com.
You can sign up for a 3-month trial for only $7 a month. I've checked into a program like this before, but I didn't know if I would use it or even like the recipes they offered. This free subscription was exactly what I needed to find out.
I signed up the week after we got back from the conference, but it wasn't until last week that I actually tried a menu.
When I signed up, I had to choose 1) a family size (3 - 6 members) and a meal plan (classic meal plan).
Then I had to select my subscription length. (1 year - FREE!) Yea!
After selecting my meal plan, I also had to select a store from a list of national chains. I chose Walmart. I don't live within 30 miles of a Walmart, but my local store wasn't on the list.
After completing the registration process, my menus started to arrive in my email every Wednesday. The last week's menu and the current week's menu are available on the site under my emeals account.
Sooooo like I've already stated . . . I just decided to try it out this week. I printed out the menu. There were seven meals listed with a main dish and side dish along with the recipe for the dishes.
Also, I received a grocery list for the store I picked (Walmart) with all the ingredients for the meal menus. I chose 5 of the 7 meals to try. We usually do pizza on Friday nights and breakfast for supper on Sunday night so I only needed 5 meals.
I didn't want to travel 30 miles to Walmart to buy the items on my grocery list, so I decided to get everything locally at Tems Food Market. I love my Tems.
I live in a one-grocery-store town. But it is the best grocery store around. People travel from all over to shop there.
The Walmart grocery list showed not only the items to purchase for the menus, but also the price of the items at Walmart. I was curious to see how my favorite grocery, Tems, would stack up against Walmart in prices.
I found every item I needed at Tems. I kept my grocery receipt and when I got home I tallied up and compared the totals . . .
According the Grocery List for the Walmart Classic Family Plan for the week of December 26th through January 1st for the meals I selected: Meals 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6, it would cost me $65.86 at Walmart to purchase the items I needed.
I went down the list and wrote down the prices for the same items I got at Tems . . .
And it cost me $65.93 at Tems to purchase the items I needed.
Tems was only 7 cents more than Walmart! But wait a minute . . .
On the Walmart list I was to purchase a 1/2 gallon of milk, but I actually purchased a whole gallon of milk at Tems so . . . Tems actually was less than Walmart! Wow!
And I didn't have to drive 30 miles to Walmart and 30 miles back home to get my groceries!
Awesome! I was so excited to see that the emeals menu plan could work for me at my favorite local grocery!
And as for the meals I've tried . . . how have they rated under the strict Five Ferrell Scale.Standard . . .
I've made two meals and . . . the first one got a 5 out of 5 Ferrell Thumbs Up! Yea!
The second meal got a 3 out of 4 Ferrell Thumbs up. Shane didn't try it. (All he wanted was green beans -- that's a 4 year old for you) And Zach didn't like it because he could see the onions in the chicken pasta dish. I usually puree the onions, but didn't this time. If he couldn't have seen the onions, he would have like it . . . I'm sure. He still ate it . . . after picking out the onions. :D Ha!
Dave loved both meals which is all I really care about . . . those Ferrell boys are too picky sometimes but if Dave likes it . . . in my world it's a keeper!
So what have I learned? (1) That I like not having to plan the menus myself and put together the grocery list; (2) That so far I like emeals.com and their easy convenient service; (3) That I still love my Tems Food Market; and (4) That my Tems Food Market loves me!
How do I know my Tems Food Market loves me? They love you too! Why?
Because Tems Food Market is giving the local-only readers of my blog a free gift (with a $10 purchase) !!!!
Just right click on the coupon and click on Print Picture to get your coupon. Or show the coupon to the clerk at the store on your smart phone. :)
By the way, this is my own opinion about emeals.com and about Tems Food Market. Neither emeals.com nor Tems Food Market had any influence on my opinion and these are my opinions alone. I am not receiving any kind of gratuity for my opinion. The whole coupon promotion was my idea and sweet Gary Scoggins (of Tems Food Market) thought it was a good idea! :)
I can't wait to see how many coupons are redeemed at the store. I figure I have at least 5 loyal readers out there . . . . my sister Michelle, my friend Myra, my momma, my husband, and you!
(Sorry for you folks that live too far away to share in the Tems' love . . . but you have to be able to present the coupon in person to redeem it.)
I have a link-up button on the right side of my blog for the emeals blog. Check it out.
I'll keep you posted about my emeals experience. It sure beats trying to come up with a menu for each week like I "resolved" to do last January 1st! This is one New Year's Resolution I think may have a chance at being a success!
Eating yummy meals and spending more time together (and less time planning dinner) with . . .
the Ferrell boys and me
How exciting, Tina! I have not checked out emeals yet. Also,I might add the "sisters" who developed emeals lived in Macon at(Lake Forest Ranch), their dad worked there many years ago.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that! What a small world! :)
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