With higher prices at the grocery store and busy weekly schedules, some consumers may feel drawn to meal-kit companies that deliver ready-to-make meals straight to your door. But do they save families money? Our sister station KCRA wanted to find out.What are meal kits?There are a variety of companies that allow consumers to pick the number of weekly recipes, and the number of servings of those meals, to be delivered to their homes. The ingredients come pre-portioned and a recipe with detailed instructions for preparation comes inside the kit. Most recipes are designed to be cooked in 30 to 40 minutes.Our methodologyFor our Money Matters experiment, KCRA’s Lee Anne Denyer ordered meal kits from Blue Apron and Hello Fresh. She selected similar recipes in hopes of comparing the prices of the kits.She also shopped at a local grocery store for the kits’ ingredients to compare the cost of buying the ingredients on their own compared to the cost of the kits (without the deep promotional discounts you’ll hear about below.)The first boxOur team quickly noticed: Meal kit companies put out a lot of advertisements and offer deep promotional discounts to first-time customers.For our first order, both Blue Apron and Hello Fresh discounted the box and waived the shipping fee. Both boxes took about a week to turn around. We ordered April 25 for a May 2 delivery.Our first boxes, from both Blue Apron and Hello Fresh, included a pork chop dish and a chicken dish. The first boxes were significantly less expensive. Blue Apron’s first box cost $12.96 and Hello Fresh’s first box cost $23.96. The findingsOutside of its promo deals, for a Blue Apron box with two meals and two servings each Blue Apron charged $57.95 for its meal kit. Those ingredients at the grocery store cost us $49.05, which is about $9 cheaper. The Hello Fresh box was $60.95. At the grocery store, food for those two meals was $31.65, almost half the cost. Purchasing the ingredients on their own also ensured there was more, in some cases, to be used again in future meals. It also allowed us to cook more than the recipe called for, which financial experts say can be a tool to save on your weekly grocery bill. It’s worth noting that some ingredients listed on the recipe sheets were unavailable at our grocery store, but the meals were still able to be completed.Ask the expertWhen it comes to food budgets, dollars and cents add up, especially when looking at grocery budgets.”Every dollar adds up over time,” said Kathryn McCall, a financial advisor based in Sacramento, California. “I look at it in terms of, ‘What’s your biggest priority?'”McCall works with clients on wealth management. Long-term, big-picture goals can be impacted, she said, by decisions including the ones made in weekly or monthly grocery budgets.McCall said meal kits probably won’t save you in the long run and should be viewed as a supplement or splurge item.”I think it’s OK if you’re really just looking to change it up and get some new recipes but if you’re really looking to save money and you’re trying to feed a family of four or six, it may not pencil,” she said. “Life is full of gives and takes.”She said it’s important to know and stick to a monthly budget, noting that higher grocery bills could suggest families and individuals are eating out less, which is “a great way to save money.”She suggests preparing extra food for leftovers, bringing your own lunch to work and buying bulk items like proteins while shopping for items like fresh vegetables. She also suggested finding a budgeting mobile app that works for you.”Figuring out those little things you can save dollars on. It all adds up,” she said.Both Blue Apron and Hello Fresh representatives declined to comment on our story.
With higher prices at the grocery store and busy weekly schedules, some consumers may feel drawn to meal-kit companies that deliver ready-to-make meals straight to your door. But do they save families money? Our sister station KCRA wanted to find out.
What are meal kits?
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There are a variety of companies that allow consumers to pick the number of weekly recipes, and the number of servings of those meals, to be delivered to their homes. The ingredients come pre-portioned and a recipe with detailed instructions for preparation comes inside the kit. Most recipes are designed to be cooked in 30 to 40 minutes.
Our methodology
For our Money Matters experiment, KCRA’s Lee Anne Denyer ordered meal kits from Blue Apron and Hello Fresh. She selected similar recipes in hopes of comparing the prices of the kits.
She also shopped at a local grocery store for the kits’ ingredients to compare the cost of buying the ingredients on their own compared to the cost of the kits (without the deep promotional discounts you’ll hear about below.)
The first box
Our team quickly noticed: Meal kit companies put out a lot of advertisements and offer deep promotional discounts to first-time customers.
For our first order, both Blue Apron and Hello Fresh discounted the box and waived the shipping fee. Both boxes took about a week to turn around. We ordered April 25 for a May 2 delivery.
Our first boxes, from both Blue Apron and Hello Fresh, included a pork chop dish and a chicken dish. The first boxes were significantly less expensive. Blue Apron’s first box cost $12.96 and Hello Fresh’s first box cost $23.96.
The findings
Outside of its promo deals, for a Blue Apron box with two meals and two servings each Blue Apron charged $57.95 for its meal kit. Those ingredients at the grocery store cost us $49.05, which is about $9 cheaper.
The Hello Fresh box was $60.95. At the grocery store, food for those two meals was $31.65, almost half the cost.
Purchasing the ingredients on their own also ensured there was more, in some cases, to be used again in future meals. It also allowed us to cook more than the recipe called for, which financial experts say can be a tool to save on your weekly grocery bill.
It’s worth noting that some ingredients listed on the recipe sheets were unavailable at our grocery store, but the meals were still able to be completed.
Ask the expert
When it comes to food budgets, dollars and cents add up, especially when looking at grocery budgets.
“Every dollar adds up over time,” said Kathryn McCall, a financial advisor based in Sacramento, California. “I look at it in terms of, ‘What’s your biggest priority?'”
McCall works with clients on wealth management. Long-term, big-picture goals can be impacted, she said, by decisions including the ones made in weekly or monthly grocery budgets.
McCall said meal kits probably won’t save you in the long run and should be viewed as a supplement or splurge item.
“I think it’s OK if you’re really just looking to change it up and get some new recipes but if you’re really looking to save money and you’re trying to feed a family of four or six, it may not pencil,” she said. “Life is full of gives and takes.”
She said it’s important to know and stick to a monthly budget, noting that higher grocery bills could suggest families and individuals are eating out less, which is “a great way to save money.”
She suggests preparing extra food for leftovers, bringing your own lunch to work and buying bulk items like proteins while shopping for items like fresh vegetables. She also suggested finding a budgeting mobile app that works for you.
“Figuring out those little things you can save dollars on. It all adds up,” she said.
Both Blue Apron and Hello Fresh representatives declined to comment on our story.
