One of the biggest things that people spend money on each month is food and the cost of meals can really add up. The absolute best way for you to save money on groceries is to have a plan and a meal plan created.
It can be a big pain to create your own meal plan, and half the time when you do you end up forgetting half the ingredients because you didn’t have a detailed enough grocery list, really not cool.
I know a lot of my readers really dislike creating a meal plan because they just aren’t planners, and that’s okay! However, you can pay someone a few dollars a month to do it for you.
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What is $5 Meal Plan?
$5 Meal Plan is an extremely inexpensive service that sends you a weekly meal plan and a detailed grocery list each week.
The meals are around $2 per serving so it isn’t going to ask you to go out and purchase $20 steaks or expensive, rare vegetables.
You’ll be given 5 dinner meals (the main entree and a side dish) as well as a breakfast and lunch recipe. You even sometimes get dessert or snack recipes.
Some meals are great for freezer meals, others can be cooked in under 20 minutes, and a ton are able to be cooked in a slow cooker. They really make sure that your nightly meals are simple.
There is also a gluten free option in the regular meal plan, which is great for me since I’m allergic to gluten!
Specialty Plans
$5 Meal Plan is a service that is focused on meat eaters and meat is the main part of most of the meals. You won’t be able to get the meal plan for a vegetarian option in the regular standard option.
The specialty plans work on a different schedule than the regular $5 Meal Plans, and you’ll receive 6 weeks worth of meals all at once.
There are 4 types of specialty meal plans available:
- 30 Minute Meals
- Slow Cooker Meals
- Paleo Meals
- Vegetarian Meals
These meal plans are going to cost a bit more, at $8 a month. However, if you are on a paleo or vegetarian diet it can be helpful to have someone give you a grocery list and make awesome recipes for you.
How Does it Work?
When you click this link and head over to $5 meal plan, you’ll land on the $5 Meal Plan website and choose the start my free trial button.
You’ll get the opportunity to sign up for a free 14 day trial of $5 meal plan with their classic meal plan.
You are going to need to give them your credit card number, because after the first two weeks is over you’ll be automatically brought into the monthly plan.
Don’t worry, you can cancel $5 Meal Plan at any time.
They send their meal plans every Friday morning, which is awesome because it will give you the weekend to go grocery shopping and plan for the week.
If you sign up on a different day, like a Saturday, you’ll have the option to get meal plans now instead of waiting for Friday.
You can see your meal plan in your email that you used to sign up, and they also have the meal plans available for download on their website in your dashboard.
Pros and Cons
Pros
I find these are a ton of benefits of $5 Meal Plan and it can make cooking at home so much easier. The first, is that you don’t have to do any of the planning.
There is no searching Pinterest and writing down grocery lists, you just get it delivered to you.
It’s extremely helpful to just be given a shopping list because you can go through your kitchen every Friday when you receive your email and check off the things you already have, then know exactly what you need.
Having someone else create your meal plan is going to give you a variety in your meals. We are all going to get stuck in food ruts once in a while, so this can be helpful.
The meals are super easy to make and can be completed in around 30 minutes and don’t have tons of steps for you to figure out. They also don’t include any fancy ingredients that will cost you an arm and a leg.
Cons
The first con with this meal planning service is that the meal serving sizes are quite large. If you’re only feeding one or two people, you can be left with a ton of leftovers which isn’t the best for some families.
You aren’t able to use the service to adjust your grocery list based on how many servings you need, so you’ll need to do some math yourself.
If you have any dietary restrictions in your household, most of the recipes are rather hard to adjust those restrictions into. It can already be hard to feed larger families if you have any restrictions, so this may not be for you.
You’ll also be given a list of recipes and some of them may be things that people in your household don’t enjoy. Meaning you’ll still have to figure out your own meal for that day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are the meals complicated?
$5 Meal Plan is run by people with families, who don’t have a whole bunch of time to spend in the kitchen.
Their meals are specifically designed to be completed in around 30 minutes and don’t contain any intense cutting techniques or cooking methods that you don’t know how to do.
The meals are simple and delicious, and won’t keep you in the kitchen for hours.
Can’t I Just Find Recipes Free Online?
The honest answer is yes, you can. However, when finding recipes online you can usually expect to mess up the grocery list and forget things when you go to do your shopping.
I just find that $5 Meal Plan makes it super easy and takes away the effort of searching for recipes and creating your own grocery list.
Why is it only $5?
$5 Meal Plan isn’t a complicated meal kit service that sends you the ingredients, pre-packaged every week, so you aren’t going to be paying for the actual food.
$5 is a reasonable price for someone to do your meal planning and grocery list for you!
Are the meals healthy?
The meals are filled with fresh (not pre-packaged) ingredients that you make yourself, so they are already healthier for you than buying food from restaurants.
In addition to your meal plans and all that, you’ll be given some nutritional information that can help you understand how healthy your meal is going to be and you can cut serving sizes if needed.
Do they offer gluten free food?
As a member of the allergic to gluten family, I appreciate that they do offer a gluten free option in their regular plan for no additional charge.
Can I try it before I buy?
Thankfully, $5 meal plan has a free two week offer where you can get two weeks worth of meal plans straight to your inbox for free. You’ll be automatically enrolled in the regular plan but you’re free to cancel at any time.
Is $5 meal plan for me?
If you are the type of person who doesn’t like coming up with recipes or walking into the grocery store without a plan, then it is definitely for you.
If you like to cook, but never know what to cook, then it is for you.
If you want a variety of food in your dinners and don’t know where to start, then its for you.
Seriously, $5 meal plan is a great addition to any person’s food planning.
Final Thoughts
With all of that said, I honestly love $5 Meal Plan. And that’s not me sucking up to them, I wasn’t told to make this review! I did this because I want more people to know that they exist.
$5 Meal Plan is seriously amazing if you hate trying to find recipes that actually work, and can’t stand planning your grocery shopping.
The reason why I hate cooking most of the time is because I end up cooking the same 3 or 4 meals every week and this service gets me out of that rut and helps me make better meals for my friends and family.
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