Meal kit introductory offers - are they worth the hype?

In these cost-conscious times, many of us are looking for ways to cut the bills. If you’re keen to save on groceries, you may have heard of the people that swear by meal kit introductory offer ‘hopping’ as a way to stay in front. We take a look at whether that approach is all it is cracked up to be.

Food is one of our biggest expenses – per the latest Canstar research, the average Aussie household spends $168 per week on groceries, and around $39 per week on food delivery. If you’re looking to save, there are various meal kits options available, offering the convenience of a box of ingredients delivered to your door weekly.

You’ll occasionally get the added sweetener of an introductory discount, which can be attractive if you want to ‘hop’ from one offer to the next to take advantage of discounts. Could this save you money? We’ve taken a look at current offers from some key providers as some food for thought. Check the T&Cs of each offer before making a decision.

Hello Fresh – Up to $200 off first 6 boxes

Hello Fresh is currently offering a deal with up to $75 off your first box, including standard delivery, and up to $125 off your subsequent five boxes, working out to a saving of $200 across six deliveries. Hello Fresh says that the $200 total is based on an order of the largest box size, which contains five meals for four people.

Marley Spoon – Up to $220 off first 5 boxes

Marley Spoon is currently offering a deal that allows you to save 45% off your first meal delivery box, with smaller percentage discounts applied on the subsequent four deliveries, but their website does not specify the specific size of the boxes you would need to order to be eligible for the full $220 discount.

Dinnerly – Up to $140 off first 5 boxes

Dinnerly is currently offering a deal that would allow you to save up to $140 on five meal boxes, but their website does not specify the exact size of the boxes you would need to order to be eligible for the full $140 discount.

What should you be wary of with these offers?

1. Meal kits don’t usually provide everything you’ll need in a week. We used the supplied calculator on one of the above sites and found that a box with five meals for a family of four would cost $116.99, with the maximum first-week discount applied. That’s only about $50 less than the average household spends per week on groceries, and doesn’t take into account the breakfasts, lunches, pantry staples, fruit and extra dinners you’d still need to buy. Even with the maximum saving, then, you’d still potentially be over your weekly grocery budget, even if you’re a ninja with leftovers.
2. Food delivery services can hit rocky patches with service. A Canstar survey of meal kit users found that 18% of respondents have experienced delayed deliveries, 25% have found items missing from their orders, and more concerningly, 20% found food in their orders that may have already expired.
3. It can be easy to forget to cancel your subscription before the introductory offer expires, which means you’ll end up paying full price. In the above example of a family of four, this would be $180 a week, which would eat up any savings you made from the introductory offer.
4. Food waste can pile up if you don’t use all your ingredients each week, or skip meals from your kit. It’s important to know exactly how much food you’ll be getting each week to avoid throwing food away. Many meal kits also come with chiller bags that you’ll need to dispose of.

That said, all three providers allow you to cancel your subscription at any time, so as long as you meet the eligibility criteria, you can take advantage of these offers with no ongoing commitment. Before you jump in, though, consider your weekly grocery shop budget, and whether a meal kit delivery service would make a realistic impact.