Wednesday, January 17, 2018

Hello Fresh - An Unpaid Review of the Subscription Box

I work….a lot. Sometimes, I get home at 6:30pm and I left my house at 6am. Finding time during the day to scroll through recipes is nearly impossible and going to the grocery store at 6:30pm is NOT what I want to do after a long day of work.

No matter what keeps you busy during the day, whether it’s chasing around little ones or chasing around coworkers, I think we can all agree that meal planning and grocery shopping can be a big headache. Both Margaret and I agree that the last thing we want to do at the end of our day is go and wander through a grocery store for an hour. Margaret has found a solution in Walmart Grocery Pick-Up, but I do not live close to a Walmart location, so I have turned to Hello Fresh. This is the second box subscription I have tried in the past couple years and I wanted to give you a real (unpaid) view as to my thoughts on Hello Fresh.

So is Hello Fresh worth it?



PRO: I don’t have to go to the grocery store much or meal plan. I will go on Sunday and pick up necessities like bread, eggs, fruit, snacks, juice, lunch meat, etc. But guess what? That requires no planning.
CON: I wish I could order some items that I need from the grocery store and have Hello Fresh send them to me in the box. I love having fruit and it would be an easy addition to the box if Hello Fresh offered that but they don’t. Sad.
PRO: Hello Fresh tells you how long recipes take, and honestly it is pretty truthful. I think it all depends on how fast you are with chopping, but once you get that down then things speed up. Normally they range anywhere from 20-40 minutes which is SO nice. Another box subscription I tried (cough cough Blue Apron) had great recipes but took forever! And who has time to cook all night? NOT ME.
CON: They are starting to repeat recipes now that I’ve been doing it for a few months and even their other recipes kind of seem similar. Example: Their steak meals generally have roasted potatoes and green beans.
PRO: I think I save money by ordering Hello Fresh because I’m not having to over buy certain items that I may only use half of. I normally spend close to $100 when I go to the grocery store but I only spend $59.99 for the Classic Plan (3 meals for 2 people). Also, now my fiance and I are less likely to go spend $80 out to eat on one meal! There are several different Plans you can choose from : Veggie Plan, Classic Plan, and Family Plan. Each of the options allows you to choose between 2 or 4 people and anywhere from 2-4 meals per week. The price varies based on amount of people and number of meals, but I definitely think it is equivalent or less than what you would spend on food a week.
CON: Sometimes I forget to choose my meals or skip a week. Normally I like the meals even if Hello Fresh chooses them for me, so its ultimately not an issue. What I feel bad about is having meals that I’m not home to use – but hey, what a good opportunity to bring the food to a family that may not have the money to afford a meal.
OVERALL: My experience has been very positive. The meals are quick and yummy and I get to choose between 9 recipes each week. I also can choose which day I want it delivered, which is sometimes limited with other subscription boxes. I get mine on Monday, which makes the most sense to me, but was unable to do that with Blue Apron. I also can skip a week if I know I will be gone for a few days that week.


I definitely recommend Hello Fresh and they always offer coupon codes for you first box! 
Let me know your thoughts and what other subscription boxes you’ve tried! 
- Mary Margaret

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