Food box subscriptions have been trendy for the last couple of years and they’re gaining even more steam this year. With subscriptions becoming one of the hottest trends for millennials, the food boxes are a hit amongst those who want to spend more time cooking their own meals and less time on fast foods that aren’t good for you. However, the only problem is many people have to grapple with the dilemma of whether or not these boxes are cost effective, especially on a tight budget. There’s many things you should consider when it comes to these boxes though. With these ten tips to consider, you may find yourself trying out one of the many food subscriptions boxes available.
1. Diversity
A lot of people are frightened by the price of the boxes before they weigh in how much money they spend on fast food or restaurant meals each week. Each box comes with at least 3 meals to whip up, which if you do the math will end up costing you probably around the same price that it would to go to a restaurant three times. This also leaves you four nights out of the week that are free to practice eating frugally to help balance out the extra expense. Of course, you also have to consider that you will be getting a wide variety of foods in the box that will allow you try out new things and will ensure your diet is balanced and healthy at least three nights out of the week. This will make it easier for you to liven up your weekly diet and enjoy food again.
2. Ingredients
More often than not, when people go shopping they end up buying way too much food, especially when it comes to working with specific recipes. With the food subscriptions, you’re going to get exactly the right amount of food for each recipe. This means you won’t end up wasting any food, nor will you spend money on items you don’t need. The ingredients put in the boxes tend to be organic and high quality too, which you would end up spending even more on if you bought them in stores. You will also receive all of the sauces, spices and other items needed to make your meal which tend to be some of the priciest aspects of some of the recipe. Overall, if you calculate the price of the groceries included in the box opposed to what you would spend on lesser quality ingredients locally, then you’ll see you are working with a better deal when it comes to most subscription boxes.
3. Convenience
For those who hate shopping, the subscription box is one of the best concepts around. Each week, you either update your preferences or leave your box directly up to the company. Then, the company ships the food right to your door. You don’t even have to worry about making a list to go shopping. This can help you save money in many ways. For instance, it keeps you out of the store more often which prevents you from spending any extra money. It also allows you to save gas money and time on shopping, which is something everyone needs to save on these days. Of course, one of the best aspects of the box is you don’t have to plan out three meals a week. This will allow you to enjoy more of your own time and will allow you to let someone else make a decision for you which can help take away some of your weekly burdens.
4. Cultural Lessons
It’s really simple to get into a rut when it comes to cooking. This is especially true when it comes to working with new recipes. Although many would love to try out recipes from other cultures, understanding the recipes or even finding an appropriate recipe can be a wild goose hunt. Even if you do try out a recipe you may not be able to tell if the meal is authentic, especially if you have little experience with the meal. With food boxes, you are sent as assortment of dishes that you may have never even thought to try cooking. With the ingredients laid out before you and the instructions clear, you should be able to try meals from around the world that you are proud to say you cooked. In fact, if you are interested in only cultural meals, you can even order boxes from various countries. This can really broaden your horizons and give you a taste of life you never expected for less than you’d spend exploring restaurants.
5. Play the Field
One of the perks of these subscription boxes is you don’t have to just stick with one. You can order a subscription box from one company one week and if you aren’t happy with it or you simply want to try something else then you cancel without an added fee. Most of the time, you can do this all online so you don’t even have to call or talk about the reasons why you want to cancel. Once you’ve cancelled one box, you can move on to another to see how it compares to the first. There’s lots of subscription boxes out there too, so you can keep this up until you give them all a try. This will allow you to evaluate quality, price and the trustworthiness of each company. If you’re not sure where to start, you can even begin your journey with reviews to see how others felt about the service. After some exploration, you may find the perfect company for your household. You might even want to subscribe to two different companies to give life even more variety.
6. Coupons
Just like regular grocery shopping, you can find a good amount of coupons for subscription boxes. Most of these boxes will offer a significant amount of money off of the first order of one of their boxes. This can slash the price of your box in half, if not more, which is sure to cut down on your weekly budget. You can do this with most of the boxes you try out too, which will save you some big bucks while you explore the food subscriptions on your list. Some of the subscription services will actually allow you to cut a portion off of your bill when you order bulk subscriptions. Some will even work with you by cutting the cost of every few orders to give you incentive to stick with the company. These savings can really add up, especially if you choose to join the company loyalty program.
7. Healthy Options
Dieting can be one of the hardest things to do, especially with so many temptations on the shelves at grocery stores. Luckily, food subscription boxes make it a breeze to get on a diet or to simply eat healthier. Most subscription companies already try to offer well balanced meals, which should get you on a healthier track from the moment you begin cooking with them. However, you can also order special boxes for diets, which should help you find the best way to lose weight while eating great. The best thing is, the food subscriptions help you learn how to cook healthier so you’ll be prepared to stay on your diet even if you don’t continue on with the service. These boxes are also great if you plan on working on a change in your life, like moving towards vegetarianism or at least cutting down on meat. With such convenience delivered to you, you may not want to turn back from the subscription lifestyle.
8. Skip the Restaurant
With food and a delicious recipe already waiting for you at home, you may be less tempted to ditch cooking for the night for a restaurant meal. This is largely because you won’t want to waste the good quality food that you have in your fridge. Not to mention, you will get restaurant quality without having to wait in a line, offer a tip or worry about how many calories you’re actually consuming. Your food box meal will tally in under what your restaurant tab will be and you’ll get the experience of cooking it for yourself. Each meal in these boxes offers the calorie content of the meal too, so you can make substitutions if you need to. Before you know it, your restaurant habit will be long gone and you’ll actually look forward to cooking your own meals.
9. Less Waste
The world wastes way too much food on a daily basis, which has a whole lot to do with how we do our shopping. Food subscription boxes are a great step in cutting back on the amount of food that gets wasted every single night. Each time you cook one of these subscription meals, you won’t end up with days of leftovers so you won’t have to clean out tons of wasted food from your fridge at the end of the week. This can save you time, money and your gag reflex if you end up keeping the food a bit too long. Of course, if you do end up with leftovers from these meals then you can easily compost them without a problem.
10. Togetherness
If there’s one thing people have noticed about the subscription food boxes is how they bring people together to bond over cooking and food. You can easily make the subscription box a basis for a date for you and a spouse or partner. Working together and learning new things will help bring closeness to the relationship. You’ll even have everything set up for a romantic dinner for two when you’re all finished. This may even help you to shut off the TV during meal times, so you can start talking again and enjoy one another’s company. If you have children to cook with then you may be teaching them one of the most important lessons of all. That is, how to cook and what real food looks like. Older kids may even want to tackle some of the dishes on their own, which could be a great way to earn them allowance or simply to teach them how to take care of basic chores. Above all, it will show the whole family that eating healthy and cooking is fun and adventurous.
At first glance, food subscription boxes may look scary when you look at the total price; however, when you weigh the options you may find that they are actually worth quite a bit. After a little exploration, you might feel more comfortable with these boxes, which will help you make the decision of trying one out a whole lot easier.
