You either love meal planning or you hate it. You can sign me up for the “Do I have to?” Club. I hate putting together a meal plan each week or month… or ever. But I do it. Of course, I have some help from my favorite menu planner options.
While I have been known to make my own dinner menus, there are times in life when it makes more sense to just invest in a menu planning service. I personally prefer a meals plan I can download and print or with a drag and drop calendar.
From all of the menu planners I have used, these are my top three favorite meal planning services.
$5 Dinners Meal Plans
Type: Printable download
Pricing: Starts at $2.49 for meal plans, recipes, and shopping lists
Free trial: No, but free printables are available
Meal planning options: Meal plans can be selected based on favorite store (Sam’s Club, Aldi, Costco, etc.), preparation style (freezer to slow cooker, 30 minute meals, etc.) or on food sensitivity (gluten-free, vegetarian, paleo, etc.) Each meal plan also offers alternative recommendations to fit the diverse needs of your family’s diet restrictions.
How it works: Purchase the meal plans individually and each is sent by email with complete instructions based on the type of meal plan you purchase.
Perfect for: The person who loves to prep once a month!
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Psst… Meet Penny Members get access to over 20 menu plans for FREE.
eMeals
Type: Renewable subscription
Pricing: 3 months for $39, 6 months for $59, 12 months for $69 (best value)
Free trial: Yes, 14 days
Meal planning options: Over 50 meal plan options including clean eating, paleo, low carb, low calorie, low fat, heart healthy, slow cooker, budget friendly, gluten free, diabetic, Mediterranean, and many more.
How it works: After you sign up, choose your menu style and family size. Menus and the grocery list then arrives by email or view the menus on the eMeals app. If you choose your favorite grocery store the weekly grocery list will highlight ingredients on sale.
You can change your menu style at anytime during your subscription.
Perfect for: The person on a restricted diet who likes most foods
Build Your Menu
Type: Renewable subscription
Pricing: Choose from the Classic Plan (1 month for $8, 3 months for $18, 12 months for $48) or Done-4-You Plan ($5 a month or $34.95 a year)
Free trial: No
Meal planning options: Mix and match your meal plans from various diets with the Classic Plan or choose between Clean Eating, Family Friendly, Gluten Free, Low Carb, or Trim Healthy Mama in the Done-4-You Plan.
How it works: Within the Classic Plan, you choose your favorite store and completely customize your meal plan to include breakfast, lunch, and snacks as well as main dishes, side dishes, and desserts based on the various diet styles available. The menu planner is a drag and drop editor that allows you to print recipes and a shopping list marked with sales prices and an estimated cost per meal.
The Done-4-You Plan includes a weekly email based on your selected plan and includes the main dish, side dish, and dessert for 7 dinners.
Perfect for: The person who loves flexibility with an easy user interface (Classic Plan)
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Psst… Meet Penny Members get access to over 20 menu plans for FREE.
More Meal Planning Solutions
- Quick and easy ideas for summer meal planning
- Dinner menus that only cost $100 a week
- How to menu plan on a budget
- My ten best tips to save money on groceries
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