Question

My husband and I are still “new” adults when it comes to food/grocery things. We both work full time and haven’t really been “adulting” long enough to have go to recipes. I just went over EVERY single charge for Jan and Feb (so far) and the amount we spend on food is disgusting. Basically we need to start meal planning. Does anyone know of an app that literally gives you the recipes, what exactly you need to buy at the store (down to the amount of each ingredient), and is picky eater( not too picky thankfully) friendly? How much would you spend on groceries for a family of 3, soon to be 4? We are BIG snackers and we live in a large city so prices are a little higher.  

Answer 1

One thing that helped us was Goodfood Box (or similar meal plans). We eat out less because we’re excited for the meals, and we feel obligated to cook them because we’ve already paid for them. We snack less on those nights because we make it an evening thing. It’s a good way to try new recipes/spices etc and the cooking directions are pretty dummy proof . All of the recipes are also available on their website for free

Answer 2

We do one MAYBE two crock pot meals a week (so Ethan can take that as lunch as well) and then do home chef for $60 a week. It has cut out cost by a TON! We shop at Aldi which saves a bunch and also shop sales.  

Comments

Also, download fetch (I have a code so you get points) and that will help you gain some money too. I have a pinterest board I can send you the link for and a few go to quick cheap recipes I can send you.  

Answer 3

We spend $75 a week (2 adults, 2 kids under 2) we are all HUGE snackers as well. We live in San Diego. I look up recipes at night or on the weekends and save them to a file on my phone. Then meal plan the next week. I go through what we want to have to eat and what we have at home. What we dont have I make a list and of how much we need total and buy only that for the week. Its a lot of work but we have cut our grocery bill down about $100 a month (not including diapers and wipes for daycare)

Answer 4

We are big snackers too. I get all my recipes (that don’t come from family) from Pinterest. I love it because you can search crock pot or instant pot, etc. About 90% of my recipes are instant pot, because when I meal prep, I can get about 3-4 meals done in an hour or so. Then probably about once maybe twice a month I shop from my pantry. I’ll go through see what I have and where I can fit it into recipes. That cuts down shopping quite a bit. I also use Ibotta to get money back on items and fetch to get points for restaurant gift cards. Etc.  

Answer 5

I had the same problem. I watched a lot of YouTube videos, but the one that helped me a lot was Jordan Pages Meal Planning Video.  
https://youtu.be/aA_8JZx9c4o

Answer 6

Mealime is an app and it gives a grocery list, recipes and let's you choose specific diets if you need to.  

Answer 7

I went over my Feb food budget. $300 was eating out. I meal planned for half the month. Guess I have to buckle down too.  

Answer 8

Check out Skinnytaste - she puts out weekly meal plans and includes the grocery list. You can check her website for budget friendly recipes, too. I consider myself a really good cook, but have learned a ton from her recipes, including several we’d always eat out for - like General Tso’s Chicken and Chicken Biryani- I can now make at home!  

Answer 9

Real Plans app has those features but it is not free and some of the recipies can be time consuming. But it also maps all the prep steps.  

Answer 10

I have just started using plan to eat it’s not free but I felt it was worth it. You still have to find your recipes online and copy the link, but once you do they are there. You can add them to your calendar and it creates your grocer list for you. Then you can shop your kitchen first before heading to the store. I have about 10 recipes added now and will keep adding to use in my meal rotation.  

Answer 11

Cook smarts is one I’ve heard a lot about. I haven’t tried it yet though but want to. If you look up mama knows nutrition on Instagram she has a saved story about it with a coupon code in it!  

Answer 12

We are in our 30’s and still struggle with meal planning  We use an app called OrganizeEat and it has helped bring new recipes into our planning. You can choose off of the recipes on the app or add your own.  

Answer 13

Someone has already mentioned EMeals but I will second it! I tell everyone I know about this app because it’s made such a difference. I was looking for a way to save some time and to take some decision-making off my plate and this app has been the best money I’ve spent all year. I’m feeding my husband and a toddler but I chose the 6-person serving size so that we could pack the leftovers for lunches. I spend around 150ish a week on groceries but that is feeding me and my husband lunch and dinner every day. The meals have been pretty tasty and don’t take too long to prepare each night. AND using this app probably saves me 2-3 hours a week between meal planning and grocery shopping. It integrates directly into my Walmart grocery app so when I’ve finished choosing my meals for the week, it sends the list to my Walmart grocery app automatically and you build your grocery list from there. Highly recommend! (Obviously. )

Answer 14

I use an app called copy me that to store my recipes and it also cuts out all the long stories in a blog and just puts the recipe in

Answer 15

I subscribed to eat at home meal plan service last year. I liked it! My only advice would be to make their one week last a week and a half or two weeks and throw in a leftover day or an old standby family meal. I got tired of making brand new meals every single day after a couple months. But the recipes were good and I liked having four menus to choose from each month.  

Answer 16

Invest in a crockpot ! I’m not a cooker at all and everything I make in my crockpot comes out amazing. Go on Pinterest and they have millions of recipes. You can’t mess it up.