Have you ever tried one of the meal delivery services?? I’ve wanted to for a LONG time, but always felt like they were too expensive. Well, a friend gave me a coupon for a free week of Hello Fresh meals and here is my honest review.
First, I’ll show you my beautiful meals. Then, I’ll tell you all about the things I loved about Hello Fresh (and there were a lot), and what I didn’t like (there were a lot of those too!). Next, I’ll break down the price and then I’ll leave it up to you to decide if Hello Fresh is something you should sign up for.
Table of Contents
What I Liked about Hello Fresh
There were SO many things I liked about Hello Fresh!!
- No trip to the grocery store
- No measuring
- Fun recipes I wouldn’t have normally tried (This would make a fun date night!)
- Incredibly fresh ingredients- the produce was amazing!
- Recipe cards so I can re-create the meal again on my own. Recipe cards are full color with pictures too!
- Both meals had enough for leftovers
- No waste on ingredients you might not use again- you get exactly the amount you need for the recipe
- Ability to skip future deliveries- I have my account skipping the next several weeks until I decide if I’m going to totally cancel my account
What I Disliked about Hello Fresh
Several of my dislikes may not be deal breakers, but they kinda frustrated me.
- Recipes I chose were more complicated than what I normally cook- My week-night meals are typically super simple that
don’t require much thought. I struggled to follow the recipes while also taking care of my 3 kids. - My chicken leaked juice all over my box- I had to clean chicken juice off everything, BUT Hello Fresh customer service gave me an account credit for my next order.
- Lots of chopping and slicing- Again, it was more work than I’m used to. Both recipes called for lots of thinly chopped veggies which took a long time.
- My kids didn’t like the meals- I tried to select kid-friendly meals, but no such luck. Both meals ended up being pretty spicy and I had to adapt and make extra food for them.
- One meal left us a bit unsatisfied- The taco meal was delicious, but we would have liked to have some sort of side dish to go with tacos.
- You can view ALL the recipes online. You can get dinner inspiration without paying for the delivery of the box.
- It’s possible to get charged for meal deliveries you don’t want- This is a subscription service and if you forget to skip a week, or cancel your account your credit card will be charged.
Price:
The meal plan we received is normally about $69 and came with 2 meals to feed 4 people. This comes to roughly $35 per meals which is WAY more than I usually spend on
I used the Walmart grocery app to enter all the ingredients for each recipe.
If I had taken the time to go shopping (or do grocery pick up), my total would have been $48.22!!! That’s over $20 in savings by going to Walmart and buying everything myself. However, that is STILL more than I like to spend per meal!
My Conclusions:
I really enjoyed testing out Hello Fresh. Next time, I’ll probably plan to cook the meals on night’s when my hubby is home to help with the kids though!!
How do you know if this can save you money? I would recommend first setting a price you would be willing to pay per dinner. If you normally eat out and spend $50 for a family meal, this can save you money! If you are more like my family and spend less than $10 per meal, this is a bit expensive.
Coupons, Coupons, Coupons!!
ALL the meal delivery services have TONS of coupons for new customers, or former customers. Once you know the max you are willing to spend, just wait until you find the right coupon! Just today I was send a 60% off coupon which I’ll most likely use 🙂
Right now, if you sign up through this link you can get $40 off your first box. This would make the family plan for 2 meals per week for 4 people about $30 OR you could get a smaller plan for totally free.
Are you looking for more ways to save money? Here are a few links you may enjoy:
My Top 10 Ways to Save Money on Groceries
10 Kitchen Gadgets and Appliances that Will Save You Money
