The Pros and Cons of Weekly Food Boxes

by Ashley Eneriz · 2 comments

hello fresh
I finally caved in and signed up for the meal plan Hello Fresh when I was able to try it out for $19 after seeing advertisements and coupon codes for the weekly food boxes constantly.

Hello Fresh advertises themselves as a money-saving, time-saving alternative to eating out. Here are my top pros and cons of the company.

The Pros

Tastes Great

I’ve had three boxes of vegetarian and three boxes of their classic meals, and both have been quite tasty. I like how they offer several different meal options so you can switch out meals you don’t like. For example, my classic meal week was supposed to include a fish dish, but it was easy to switch out for another chicken dish.

weekly food boxesPro: The Set Up

It is so nice to pull out one small box from your fridge and have that be everything you need to prepare for that meal. Usually when I cook a meal I am in and out of the fridge and pantry looking for all the necessary ingredients. With Hello Fresh everything is at my fingertips and clean up takes only a few minutes.

The Cons

It Is Expensive

For the vegetarian boxes, I paid $19 for three meals for two people with a coupon code. For the classic boxes, I ended up paying $39 for three meals for two people with a coupon code. These two prices were on special discount codes, and I think they’re priced higher regularly.

I would say that Hello Fresh saves money compared to fast food. However, I’m still doing all the cooking and cleaning up whereas someone else does that part when you go to eat out.

Con: It Doesn’t Save Me Time

While this program is marketed towards busy people, I don’t feel like the meal saved me a lot of time. Each meal took about 30 to 40 minutes of prep time, and I still have to go to the grocery store for the other two meals I have to cook per day.

Will I Keep Getting Hello Fresh Meals?

Most likely not. While I enjoy the convenience of the meals, I am not truly saving any money or time in the kitchen. I think that slow cooker recipes, once a month cooking plans, and other plans that incorporate a shopping list and recipes are a better help to families. Maybe if I were single, living in apartment, and at work almost all day, then this delivery box service would be a better fit for me.

Hello Fresh doesn’t know I am writing this review, and I received no special offer to do so. I just happen to find the coupon codes online and decided to give them a try. The coupon code CUQTS6 will work to give you $40 off of your first box.

Have you tried Hello Fresh? Tell me what you think about them.

Editor's Note: Did you know about the service called $5 meal plans? For $5 a month, they send you recipes of delicious, healthy, yet cheap food that costs just $5 a meal.

Several of my friends signed up and they are able to eat at home more because the instructions are easy to follow, making everything convenient. The deal also comes with grocery shopping lists, which saves them so much time. Check it out yourself by clicking here and you too may be able to save more and become healthier at the same time.

Money Saving Tip: An incredibly effective way to save more is to reduce your monthly Internet and TV costs. Click here for the current Verizon FiOS promotion codes and promos to see if you can save more money every month from now on.

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  • LuAnn Hunt says:

    I’m using Hello Fresh now (for the last 4 weeks) and my husband and I love it! The food is delicious and the recipe cards that come with it are a good resource for the future. I have only spent about 30 – 35 minutes to prepare and plate each meal… a time saver for me. Also, it is somewhat expensive, but what’s more expensive is when I have to toss out expired food I buy at the grocery store that I haven’t prepare (due to missing ingredients, etc.). So, in my case, it’s really saving me money (and time). I plan to continue using Hello Fresh when convenient. I’m a satisfied customer.

  • GailA says:

    I reached the same conclusion as you on the time involved in preparing the dishes. I also found that if I didn’t prepare the meals within a couple days, many of the fresh veggies were wilted and slimy and needed to be thrown out. I tried Hello Fresh one time, and cancelled my subscription. I prefer Let’s Dish where everything is frozen and I don’t need to worry about ingredients spoiling.

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