A couple of months ago, I took a close look at the pros and cons of signing up for meal delivery services. My conclusion was that while these services can be pretty expensive and not ideal for those trying to save money or pay off debts, they’re great for busy households that need ready-made meal plans and easy grocery shopping. We decided to go with Blue Apron.
At first, I could justify the high cost because it saved a lot of time and I didn’t have to constantly answer the “What’s for dinner?” question. However, after two months, we decided to cancel our Blue Apron subscription. Here’s why we stopped.
TIME-CONSUMING
One main benefit of meal delivery services is supposed to be the time saved by not having to grocery shop or plan meals. But with Blue Apron, the time I saved on those tasks was spent on cooking! The meals were advertised as taking 20-30 minutes, but in reality, they took about 45 minutes on average. With a hungry toddler at home, spending that much time cooking wasn’t feasible, which was a major hassle.
TOO EXPENSIVE
I tried to justify the cost but couldn’t. Blue Apron almost doubled my weekly grocery budget. Plus, I still had to buy staples each week and additional meals to fill in the gaps. I didn’t expect Blue Apron to save me money, but I also didn’t think it would impact my budget so heavily.
SMALL PORTIONS
The portion sizes were disappointing. Even though we signed up for the family plan intended for four people, it barely fed me, my partner, and our toddler. I usually cook extra so I can have leftovers for lunch, but there were hardly any leftovers with Blue Apron. While Americans do tend to eat larger portions, we found ourselves rationing the meals provided.
IS BLUE APRON WORTH IT?
In the end, I think Blue Apron is great for taking the hassle out of meal planning. However, the high cost and the amount of time needed to cook the meals just didn’t make it worthwhile for us anymore. So, we decided to cancel our subscription.
If you’re interested in giving Blue Apron a try to see if it works for your family, they do offer a $30 discount on your first order. Have you tried Blue Apron or a similar service? What did you like or dislike about it?