How much should you pay for a meal delivery service?
Making the switch to meal delivery services can be a big win for your budget. Meal kits like HelloFresh make dinnertime much easier by shipping pre-portioned ingredients and easy-to-follow recipes to your door, but with so many options to choose from, how do you know you're getting the best deal?
If you don't want to second guess your savings after making the jump from grocery shopping to meal kits, knowing how much you should pay for a meal delivery service is important. Inflation may be cooling down considerably, but grocery prices may still have you raising eyebrows while shopping for the essentials -- for now, at least.
If you want to start saving money on groceries with meal kits and avoid overpaying for your meals, arm yourself with the facts and suggestions laid out below before signing up for your favorite meal kit.
How much should you pay for a meal delivery service?
Meal delivery services can be a great budget-friendly way to take care of dinner -- whether you live alone or shoulder meal prep duties for a busy household. If you're unclear about meal kit costs or on the fence about making the jump to weekly meal delivery services, here's everything you (and your wallet) need to know.
Meal delivery over takeout: Stop overpaying for your food
Sometimes you get home from a long day at work and you can't even look at your oven -- let alone cook dinner on your own. So you do what roughly half of US households in 2019 did two or three times per week: order takeout. In 2018, the average consumer spent about $67 per week on food away from home (takeout, delivery, or dine-in).
This trend continues to grow. His takeout prices aren't likely to change anytime soon (it's not uncommon to spend more than $100 for two people in some cities), so the only way out is to break the cycle. Instead of a takeout or dinner delivery order, avoid the tips and other fees with the perfect backup in place: a fridge full of meal kits.
If cooking a meal yourself is too daunting in these kinds of scenarios, you still have options -- ones cheaper than anything your favorite fast food app can offer. Meal kits like Factor offer fresh, ready-made meals that are the definition of hassle free: Stock up on a week's worth of Factor meals for an easier and cheaper dinner option for those late nights where you just want to get to the dinner table as fast as possible.
How to save on meal kits versus a trip to the grocery store
It's no secret that groceries can add up. The average two-person household typically spends between $450 and $800 per month at the grocery store. That's up to roughly $27 a meal, which is a lot, even if you're thrifty. And it doesn't include the price of gas.
Since no two meal kits are the same, breaking down costs can be tricky. Meal delivery shipping costs, which are typically anywhere from $8 to $12 per box, can add up when you're comparing prices -- but many meal kits offer free shipping to new customers on their first order.
Look at the price per serving for each meal delivery kit versus the cost of preparing similar meals from scratch and on your own dime. Most meal kits cost between $8 and $12 per serving, with prices going up the fewer servings you opt in to each week (and vice versa). Even if you're spending only $450 a month on groceries, that's an estimated savings of at least $3 a serving before factoring in gas prices -- with better convenience to boot.
Signing up for an affordable meal kit and making the most of every meal ordered are two surefire ways to save money on meal kits over a trip to the store.
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