The Pros and Cons of Weekly Meal Kit Deliveries

June 26, 2019

Everyone’s doing it. Or are they? Meal kit delivery services are popping up all the time, with companies offering every style and type of cuisine imaginable. Pre-portioned ingredients right to your door! For some people, this is the ultimate service. Yet for others, it may not be a good fit. Today I’m exploring meal kits and the pros and cons. We all have different lifestyles, tastes, finances, and time restraints. Do meal kits fit your lifestyle … or not?

Pros:

1. Everything comes in the kit that you need. From spices and seasonings to the main meal and sides, they are all prepped, cleaned, and labeled. How convenient!
2. You may find some new favorite meals as there are dozens to choose from.
3. It may teach you how to be a better cook. You’ll learn new recipes that can help you cultivate your love for cooking.
4. There are usually no leftovers since they are portion controlled.
5. Speaking of portion control, this can be good if you are watching your waist and don’t want to overeat.
6. There are many options to choose from: organic foods, gluten free, vegetarian, vegan, paleo, and more.
7. They may save you time from shopping at the stores.
8. They save time in the actual prepping of the meal, since you don’t have to clean, chop, dice, prepare, etc.

Cons:

1. For many people this type of service is cost prohibitive. Most range from $8 to $15 a person which can be more than a restaurant if you’re feeding a family of four.
2. Ingredients are perishable so cooking soon after you receive the food is important. If you get busy for a few nights, you may be in trouble.
3. While the meal size may be plenty for some people, if you have a hearty appetite, portions may be too small.
4. You do need to spend time online choosing your next meal options for delivery.
5. For the environmentally conscious, there’s a lot of packaging here. Is it all recyclable? Do you even want, or have room for, all the excess packing in your recycle bin each week?
6. If your job has unpredictable hours your kit will sit on your porch waiting for you, and will you have time to cook it?
7. Did I mention you still have to cook it? If you are not a great cook, don’t like cooking, or don’t have time to cook … this is where take-out, or pre-cooked meals have a huge advantage over meal deliveries.

This billion plus dollar business has a lot going for it. Yet there are drawbacks and downsides too. Deciding if it fits your lifestyle by signing up for a few week trial is best. Getting two meals a week can be helpful and time-saving if your budget can afford it. Save the other nights for less costly meals, or get take out on the way home from work.

There are dozens of meal kit delivery options and most offer a greatly reduced trial rate for your first few deliveries. If you can swing it, it can’t hurt to try. You might find some new foods you like or learn to cook a few new meals or just save time.

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