They reduce the time and energy needed to plan meals and shop for groceries, which can hold you back from getting creative in the kitchen. Meal kits can be cost-effective in less concrete ways. HOW MUCH ARE YOU WILLING TO PAY FOR CONVENIENCE? “It was definitely cheaper than buying groceries at the grocery store every week,” she says, noting that she didn’t cancel for cost-related reasons. Madisenne Berry, a massage therapist, subscribed to an ingredient-based meal kit to cook weeknight dinners for her three-person household. It could also be a more appealing option for a larger household: Most services offer a discount for a higher number of servings. She, too, took advantage of a popular meal kit’s promotional offer but chose to cancel the subscription after the first few weeks.īut if you’d otherwise be purchasing takeout or going to a restaurant, a meal kit could be a cheaper option. “I could spend the same amount at the grocery store for a week’s worth of groceries,” says Emily Bird, an administrator for a music distribution company, about the cost of a weekly meal kit package. She enjoyed the convenience and variety her subscription offered, but she canceled after the promotional period due to the cost increase. “The intro offer pricing was equivalent to my usual weekly grocery budget, but a full-price box wasn’t,” says Nadia Russell, a health care analyst. A subscription may cost more or less than you would typically spend on ingredients, depending on your budget for groceries and dining out, and household size. HOW MUCH WOULD YOU OTHERWISE SPEND ON FOOD?įor some customers, the most important factor in deciding whether to use a meal kit is the price.
Here are some factors to consider when you’re deciding whether to start - or continue - a meal kit subscription.
Whether the meal kits are worth the cost depends on what’s important to you and what you would be spending otherwise on food. And with most meal kit subscriptions covering just four to six meals a week, customers still need to grocery shop for their other two daily meals. Meal kit companies are known to offer dramatic discounts on their plans for new customers, including dozens of free meals, or over 50% off the full price for first-time subscribers.Įxcluding promotions, meals generally run between $6 to $12 per serving, putting the cost on par with some takeout options. Companies like HelloFresh, Blue Apron and EveryPlate catered to customers looking for healthy meals with more variety, made with pre-portioned ingredients shipped to their door.īut now that restaurants and supermarkets are back to business as usual, some meal kit users are wondering if their subscription is still worth the cost - especially after the promotional offers are gone. Meal kit subscriptions boomed in popularity in 2020, when more people were staying home and cooking than going out to eat during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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