Food on the Table

Over the years, people have asked me how I manage to feed my family good food without spending too much on groceries. Truthfully, there's a lot of great strategies that work-coupon clipping, shopping store specials, growing a garden, buying in bulk, making food from scratch. Saving money works differently for different people-since issues like time, convenience, stress, and brand loyalty play into the equation.

Recently I came across a website that I think would help everyone save money on their grocery bill. It's called Food on the Table. I'm really excited because it not only helps you pinch pennies, but it also saves time and energy, and helps you to come up with fantastic, customized meals to feed your family. In about five minutes per week, you can log on, access your favorite store's weekly specials (assuming your grocery store is participating), and browse through delicious recipes that incorporate the ingredients that are on sale at your store. (You can even compare your store's specials to other stores in your area!) The recipes can be customized according to your personal constraints-time saving, healthy, money saving, etc. They offer free accounts with three meal plans a week, or deluxe services for as little as about five bucks a month. You would definitely get your money back in savings-no question about it.

Doesn't it sound too good to be true? It's a genius idea, a real gift of the modern age. I'm hooked! I'm going to show you how it works for me, and how it worked for my sister who just signed up this week.

MY FOOD ON THE TABLE:

This morning I got home from a 10 day vacation. I was met with an empty fridge, a Mother Hubbard cupboard, and a post-vacation lack of motivation. I logged onto my Food on the Table dashboard and let them do all the work for me. (I know my pictures on the greatest-but I had to show you how easy this whole process is.) Once you log in, you can view your current meal plan or grocery list, or start a brand new meal plan-which is what I did. I answered a few questions about what we were in the mood to eat, and then I sat back and let the computer figure out my menu-and how much money I'd be saving by using the in store specials in the recipes. We'll be having chicken fettucini alfredo, mozzarella cubed steak, and balsamic and blue cheese tilapia fillets. All of the recipes are easy to print, email, or save in your personal files. Plus-you see exactly how much money you can save with each recipe.

Next, you review your grocery list and adjust it as needed-removing any items that you might have on hand. You can then print your grocery list, your recipes, your meal plans-or you can email them to yourself to use when you are ready. There it is, waiting in my inbox. I'll probably add a few items to my list before I make it to the grocery store. That's it! Once a week, you can spend five minutes and access store specials and customized recipes to help you plan your menu. I may not follow the recipes to the letter, but I love having some ideas generated that are linked to sale items. I'm sold!

HEIDI'S FOOD ON THE TABLE PLAN

I told my little sister Heidi about Food on the Table and she was gung-ho, especially since she had a weekly menu in her hands in five minutes. Honestly, the whole process took five minutes-and I had to slow her down so I could take pictures. See for yourself!

First Heidi registered an account-first name, email, password-that's it! Next, she picked a participating grocery store in her area. She clicked on a few categories of food that her family regularly eats. She selected items from her list that were also on sale at her grocery store.She customized her plan by choosing time saving recipes for this week. (Good idea since she's got four kids under the age of 7.)Within seconds, the computer had generated recipes. She's making pasta with Italian sausage and ground beef. (The kids will love it!) Look what she saved on just this one meal. She reviewed her grocery list ...and hit print. That was it! Next week it'll be even faster for her, since she won't have to spend thirty seconds registering.

Give it a try and tell me how you like it! (Click here to go straight there.) I know you'll love it. It'll save you time and money, so you can go spend you time and money on the things you truly love.

Next Up:

Chicken Fettucini Alfredo