Now that you have subscribed to Menu-Mailer or just purchased your own copy of Saving Dinner, we have some great tips and ideas to make sure your dinners are a success.

Shopping list success
Each week, with your Menu-Mailer and included in our Saving Dinner books is your most valuable asset: the categorized shopping list (see our printable shopping lists for the book). Take five minutes to read over the ingredients and the recipes before heading out to the store. You don't want to be caught in the middle of an aisle, reading your menus, trying to figure out what to substitute for an out of stock item. Knowing what's on your menu for the week will help you make quick and easy decisions in the store.

Don't forget to take a quick tour of your pantry before heading out and cross off anything already in your cupboards and your fridge. You'll want to add any breakfast or lunch items you need for the family and you're off! It's that simple.

Budgeting helps
We all love to save money at the grocery store. These are some of the best ways to do that while using Menu-Mailer:

Meats — Recipes typically include chicken breasts, pork chops, turkey meat, fish (your favorite catch), flank steak, and round steak to name a few. When you see these items on sale, stock up. You may consider shopping at your local warehouse club (Sam's, Costco, etc.) for bulk meat purchasing. Freeze until ready to use.

Don't be afraid to substitute meats. If turkey breasts are $7.99 at your store, use chicken breasts! We wouldn't pay that either :) Use your favorite fish that is native to your area and available at a good price. You can use fresh or frozen fish — either one works. You can substitute chicken or turkey for fish and visa-versa. Many of the seasonings will taste wonderful on a variety of meats.

Spices — If you've never been much of a spice user and the spice rack you received as a wedding present has been nothing but a dust catcher, it may be time to freshen up the spice cupboard. While we are thankful for big companies that provide wonderful spices, those bottles with the red lids on the spice section may cost more than your meat does if you're not careful.

If you poke around your local store, especially over on the ethnic food aisle, you will find loads of fresh spices in little baggies for 59-99 cents! That's it! Big Savings! You can save $3-5 a spice just by buying it in the baggies. You may have to look for an end cap or other "corner" that your store uses to display these affordable, freshly dried spices.

You can also check out the local dollar store. They often have large bottles of very commonly used spices for a great deal. One other hint, believe it or not, are health food stores which have great deals on herbs and spices in the bulk bins and they are very fresh and affordable.

Doing Dinner
If you haven't been sitting down at the family dinner table, you may have a revolt on your hands. Depending on your family and their eating habits, you may need to ease them into the menus.

Make a new meal one night, and have a family favorite the next night, alternating every day as you introduce new foods and flavors to them. Remember that change is hard for some people, but the rewards will be worth it as you change your family's eating habits and upgrade your nutritional profile.

Just remember that Rome wasn't built in a day . . .

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