Meal kit subscriptions exploded in popularity in 2020, when more people were staying home and cooking than going out to eat at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Companies like HelloFresh, Blue Apron and EveryPlate catered to customers looking for more variety in healthy meals, prepared with pre-portioned ingredients shipped to their doorstep.
But 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 end. Meal kit companies have been known to offer dramatic discounts on their plans for new customers, including dozens of free meals, or over 50% off the total price for new subscribers.
Excluding promotions, meals typically cost between $6 and $12 per serving, which puts the cost on par with some takeout options. And since most meal kit subscriptions only cover four to six meals a week, customers still need to shop for groceries for their other two daily meals.
The value of meal kits depends on what is important to you and what you would otherwise spend on food. Here are some factors to consider when deciding whether to start — or continue — a meal kit subscription.
OTHERWISE, HOW MUCH SHOULD YOU SPEND ON FOOD?
For some customers, price is the most important factor in deciding whether or not to use a meal kit. A subscription may cost more or less than what you usually spend on ingredients, depending on your budget for groceries and restaurants, and household size.
“The price of the introductory offer was equivalent to my usual weekly grocery budget, but not a full-price box,” says healthcare analyst Nadia Russell. She enjoyed the convenience and variety offered by her subscription, but canceled after the promotional period due to rising costs.
“I could spend the same amount on groceries for a week’s worth of groceries,” says music distribution company administrator Emily Bird of the cost of a weekly meal kit. She too took advantage of the promotional offer of a popular meal kit but chose to cancel the subscription after the first few weeks.
But if you were otherwise buying takeout or going to a restaurant, a meal kit might be a cheaper option. It might also be a more attractive option for a larger household: most services offer a discount for a higher number of servings.
Madisenne Berry, a massage therapist, subscribed to an ingredient-based meal kit to cook weekday dinners for her household of three.
“It was definitely cheaper than buying groceries at the grocery store every week,” she says, noting that she didn’t cancel for cost reasons.
HOW MUCH ARE YOU WILLING TO PAY FOR CONVENIENCE?
Meal kits can pay off in less tangible ways. They reduce the time and energy needed to plan meals and run errands, which can keep you from getting creative in the kitchen.
“I love to cook and try new recipes,” says full-time nanny Christina McNichol. “It’s a lot more expensive to try to make elaborate recipes when you have to buy all the ingredients separately; with a meal kit, I could choose my meals in advance and get the exact amount I needed.
Others enjoy the convenience of having pre-portioned ingredients delivered, especially if grocery shopping in person is difficult.
“I moved to a new town this year and didn’t have a car, so I couldn’t easily access groceries,” says Russell, the healthcare analyst. “Using a meal kit service for the first few weeks allowed me to cook a variety of meals at home without relying on someone else to help me get to the store.”
If grocery shopping takes too long or is difficult to access, a meal kit subscription can help ensure that you don’t sacrifice the variety or nutritional value of your food for convenience.
HOW MUCH ARE YOU WILLING TO PAY FOR VARIETY?
Cooking at home – without a meal kit – usually involves finding creative ways to reuse available ingredients throughout the week, resulting in meals with repetitive items or leftovers to limit food waste (think a fish and rice dinner, followed by fish tacos the next day). With meal kits, you can get a wider variety of meals without ending up with leftovers or extra items because the ingredients are divided into smaller amounts than you’d find at a grocery store.
“Having the exact right amount of each ingredient was a big plus,” says Bird. “Some items, like an herb topping or a dollop of yogurt for a sauce, can’t be bought in a single serving at a grocery store. Getting the perfect portion has encouraged me to make recipes that I wouldn’t usually try.
“I definitely wasted less food,” McNichol says. “Some of the recipes included ingredients that I don’t usually cook with, which would usually go wrong if I couldn’t use them for another meal.”
If you’re happy with your usual rotation of meals and home-cooked leftovers, paying more for a varied dinner menu might not make sense. But it might be worth the extra cost – and maybe even more cost-effective – if you’re keen to try new recipes but don’t want to buy a cartload of ingredients you haven’t used before and don’t may not reuse.
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This column was provided to The Associated Press by personal finance website NerdWallet. Dalia Ramirez is a writer at NerdWallet. Email: [email protected].
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