Millennial Money: Is meal kit delivery still worth the cost?

Meal kit subscriptions boomed in popularity in 2020, when more people were staying home and cooking than going out to eat during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Companies like HelloFresh, Blue Apron and EveryPlate catered to customers looking for healthy meals with more variety, made with pre-portioned ingredients shipped to their door.

But now that restaurants and supermarkets are back to business as usual, some meal kit users are wondering if their subscription is still worth the cost — especially after the promotional offers are gone. Meal kit companies are known to offer dramatic discounts on their plans for new customers, including dozens of free meals, or over 50% off the full price for first-time subscribers.

Excluding promotions, meals generally run between $6 to $12 per serving , putting the cost on par with some takeout options. And with most meal kit subscriptions covering just four to six meals a week, customers still need to grocery shop for their other two daily meals.

Whether the meal kits are worth the cost depends on what’s important to you and what you would be spending otherwise on food. Here are some factors to consider when you’re deciding whether to start — or continue — a meal kit subscription.

HOW MUCH WOULD YOU OTHERWISE SPEND ON FOOD?

For some customers, the most important factor in deciding whether to use a meal kit is the price. A subscription may cost more or less than you would typically spend on ingredients, depending on your budget for groceries and dining out, and household size.

“The intro offer pricing was equivalent to my usual weekly grocery budget, but a full-price box wasn’t,” says Nadia Russell, a health care analyst. She enjoyed the convenience and variety her subscription offered, but she canceled after the...