Meal delivery services have been gaining popularity over the last couple of years, and many people have been jumping on board to gain access to tasty ready-to-go meals. But with all the different services available – Blue Apron, Hello Fresh, Plated, Din, Peach Dish – how do you know which one to choose? If you need help choosing, you can visit top10.com/meal-delivery/reviews/factor to learn more and get the latest updated information.
Before signing on the dotted line, it’s essential to know what you’re getting yourself into. For example, cooking and portioning food every day might not seem like a daunting task, but if you sign up for a service that sends out more than three meals a week or requires your involvement in the cooking process, this could quickly take over your entire life.
Meal delivery services can be excellent for busy people, but they’re designed to make things easier for you. Instead of doing the work yourself, all you have to do is pick up your phone or log onto your computer and place an order. The food will then show up at your house on a set day every week, ready to be prepared.
What are the benefits for someone interested in meal kit delivery?
There are a lot of reasons why someone would be interested in signing up for meal kit delivery. The apparent reason would be because it either saves them time or money. Depending on how many people you are cooking for, the cost of buying every single ingredient to make those meals can add up fast. Think about coming home after a long day and making dinner only to realize that you’re missing half the ingredients and now have to make another trip out to the store? Meal kits take away that stress entirely, and they also save you from wasting any food.
Another benefit is that it’s nice not having to decide what’s for dinner; we’ve all had nighted where we can’t decide what to eat, or we just don’t feel like cooking, and it feels even more difficult when you’re trying to plan for a family of four. Meal kit services take this stress away because someone else is thinking for you – again, saving both time and money.
What are the different types of meal kit delivery options?
There are so many different names for these services: Green Chef, Hello Fresh, Blue Apron, Sunbasket… But they all offer relatively similar features and benefits, so choosing which one will best suit your needs is primarily based on your preference. For example, some provide organic ingredients, and others make meals to cater to specific diets (vegetarian/vegan). In contrast, some might have meals where we don’t feel like cooking, so we just grab something quick, which usually ends up being unhealthy and unsatisfying. Meal kits allow you to try new recipes, which can be a great way to expand your horizons and try new things, perhaps discovering a new favorite! Other benefits include a weekly menu of what you’ll be eating so there’s no need to think about it – just follow the instructions.
Here are some common questions often asked by those who have been thinking about signing up for meal kits:
Are they worth it? How do I decide where to sign up for service? Where should I shop after signing up for service?
As with anything else in life, you want to choose something that satisfies all your needs – if cost is one of them, make sure to find out if the price per serving will work best for your budget. There are websites where you can enter how many people you are cooking for and your personal preferences. It will generate a list of all the services available that have meals that will work best for your situation.
If you’re on a tight budget but still want to experience what’s out there, there are other options outside of signing up for service. You can shop at places like Aldi or Trader Joe’s to find the ingredients yourself, then just use the recipe cards provided by the services to make the meals yourself. Do some research about kitchen tools like pots & pans, seasoning, etc. If you don’t already own them (or need new ones), these things could cost extra money depending on which company you go with; check to see if they offer any deals. So while these meals may not be delivered to you, using the recipe cards is pretty fun and rewarding!
Are there any disadvantages to using meal kits?
We think the most significant disadvantage is not having enough time or foresight to plan your meals ahead of time. Sure, they take most of the work away, but they also remove all of the excitement and joy that comes with cooking for yourself or with others! In addition, most people don’t consider how long it takes for this service to start saving you money – most services require you to purchase an initial shipment that usually contains everything you need (or almost everything) to make several different meals. After this first batch has been eaten, then it’s time for you to place another order… But why wait until these ingredients are about to run out before placing new orders? By this time, you’ve either already broken your routine and forgotten about it or just didn’t think of establishing a new order in time, and now you’re back to shopping at the grocery store.
Conclusion
Meal kits can be worth it, so long as you choose one that will save you money over the long run. We suggest researching to see which services deliver for free nationwide (some local areas may require additional shipping fees), what types of meals they offer (if you like chicken & veggies but The Fresh Prep only offers recipes with beef & fish, then there’s probably no benefit to signing up) and how much each serving costs before making any decisions. Also, keep in mind that some services may not save you money for six months or longer, so it’s best to choose the one where you’ll see results sooner rather than later.
