Ask Annie: Are Meal Subscription Boxes Worth It?
Dear Annie,
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What do you think of the various weekly meal plan boxes? Are they worth it? We've been trying Hello Fresh for a few weeks and are trying to decide if it makes sense to keep doing it.
-Elizabeth
Hi Elizabeth,
Thanks so much for your question!
Meal subscription boxes have become increasingly popular in the past few years. More and more options are available to fit a variety of tastes, diets, frequency, and cost. Companies such as Hello Fresh, Blue Apron, and EveryPlate give young professionals and families an easy way to eat healthy and delicious meals at home without having to spend time meal planning and shopping.
Are meal subscriptions worth it?
There’s no one right way to answer this question.
Certainly, they are not the cheapest way to eat, but that’s not really the point, is it? If eating as cheaply as possible was the goal, we would all just eat rice and beans or packages of ramen for the majority of our meals. Instead, we buy food based on what we like, how nutritious it is, or how convenient it is.
Food shopping is ultimately about tradeoffs. Do you shop at the more expensive store that’s closer or drive five more minutes to the store with lower prices? Do you buy the jumbo package at a lower unit cost and risk not using it all or get the smaller version that you know you’ll use? Are you more concerned about high quality or low cost?
When you choose to save money, the tradeoff is often time, energy, quality, or satisfaction.
So when you ask if meal subscriptions are worth it, cost is important, but it is not the only consideration. You also need to evaluate the tradeoffs and decide if the benefits are worth the cost.
Here are some questions to help you decide what is right for you:
Do you have the money to spend on meal subscription boxes?
If your expenses exceed your income and you’re racking up credit card debt, the answer is an easy no. It’s also a good idea to make sure you have 6-9 months worth of expenses saved and are contributing enough to retirement savings.
Are meal subscription boxes saving you money?
If the meal boxes are replacing eating out or ordering in, then I think it is safe to say that it is worth it. If they are replacing meals you were already making at home, then it may or may not be financially worth it depending on what you buy at the store. To find out, calculate how much money you spend per meal and compare it to the cost of the boxes.
Another thing to consider is how much food you waste when you are shopping and cooking on your own. If you are constantly buying too much and throwing out a lot of food, the meal boxes may save you more.
It’s also possible that you could be saving money simply by not going to the store as often. If you’re like me, you almost never come out with only the items on your list. So every time you avoid going to the store you are likely buying fewer extra items. You simply don’t have the opportunity to buy that package of pains au chocolate that called to you as you wheeled by with your cart.
Try looking back at your grocery expenses and see how your overall food costs compare now to when you weren’t using a meal subscription box.
But knowing if it is financially worth it is not the only consideration, which brings me to the next question:
What benefit do you get?
We’re in a pandemic and life is very hard for families right now. Even in normal times it is difficult for working parents (or anyone) to figure out how to make nutritious meals at home. You’re exhausted from work and want to spend time with your family or collapse in a heap on the couch while your children climb on you. Now we get to add in childcare and teaching while working. That’s a recipe for calling up Dominoes if I ever saw one.
The mental and emotional burden on women wasn’t great before and is now worse than ever as we attempt to do and be everything.
If meal subscription boxes are helping to save your sanity and paying a little more for food isn’t going to throw you into massive debt, it’s probably worth it.
If it saves you a significant amount of time and helps you live a better life, it’s probably worth it.
Are the benefits worth the cost?
Remember tradeoffs? Here’s another one: when you’re spending more on one item, you have less to spend on other areas of your life.
What are your financial goals now and in the future? Are those goals sufficiently funded? If you weren’t getting meal subscription boxes, would you be able to spend more on something that is more important to you?
The answer doesn’t have to be yes. Maybe surviving this difficult period of life is more important than anything else. It’s okay if that’s the case, but it is important to be intentional about how you’re choosing to spend your money.
Alternatives
If you’ve thought through all of these questions and decided that yes, you can afford meal subscription boxes and they are worth the benefit, then by all means, go ahead and do it!
If you’re still not sure, maybe the problem is that you need a solution somewhere between “make time-consuming, elaborate, home-cooked meals just like grandma” and subscription boxes or eating out. Of course, it might be possible to simply find a cheaper meal kit, but you could also consider options like buying more prepared food from grocery stores or doing more meal planning and prep on weekends so it’s easier during the week.
More easy meal prep ideas and tips: