Are recipe delivery services more expensive than the grocery store?

A friend was recently telling me how her brother is really into Blue Apron and has been trying to get her family to try it, but she hasn’t wanted to spend the money. So it got me wondering – are recipe delivery services really any more expensive than going to the store and buying everything yourself?

One of the things I like about services like Blue Apron is that they only send you the exact quantity of the ingredients you’ll need (i.e., no waste), which, as you know, is not always possible when you’re doing the shopping. Unless you’re a master at using up random ingredients in the kitchen, the rest of that bunch of green onions or that bag of kale sometimes ends up going in the trash.

So for today’s sponsored post, I set out to do a little cost comparison with a meal Blue Apron recently sent us, and below are the results.

Cost Comparison

>> Steak Fajitas with Guacamole & Roasted Zucchini Rounds

Blue Apron Price for 4 people	Grocery Store Price for 4 people
$34.96 TOTAL (shipping is free)	$51.65 TOTAL ($33.36 with spices excluded)

I priced out the grocery store portion for this meal at the health food store where I usually do my shopping each week. I realize these prices might not be exactly the same as your store (some will find cheaper prices at mainstream stores and some will find higher prices where the cost of living is higher than in Charlotte), but just for comparison sake, the following is a breakdown of the prices I collected:

>>Steak Fajitas with Guacamole & Roasted Zucchini Rounds – Grocery Store Price Breakdown

Food Item	Price
1 Pound Stir-Fry Cut Beef	$8.99
Corn Tortillas (pack of 12)	$3.69
2 Green Bell Peppers	$4.00
2 Zucchinis	$3.00
1 Avocado	$1.25
1 Lime	$0.60
1 Onion	$2.00
1 Large Bunch Cilantro	$2.00
Queso Fresco	$5.99
Tomato Paste	$1.19
Chili Powder*	$5.99
Cumin*	$3.98
Oregano*	$3.98
Garlic Powder*	$3.98
GRAND TOTAL (includes 2% food tax)	$51.65*

*Since some people already have a variety of spices on hand, I also wanted so show an alternate total without purchasing the four spices listed: $33.36 (includes 2% food tax).

Conclusion & Special Deal!

So as you can see, even if you just bought the fresh ingredients and already had the spices on hand, the Blue Apron meal cost is still pretty competitive when compared to my grocery store. And the nice thing about their spices is that they’re already measured out and mixed together in a little bag for you. Not that measuring and mixing spices is a hard job, but some days every minute counts. :)

Of course, there are many other aspects of meal delivery service aside from price that we could compare, but the moral of the story here is that if price is the only thing in your way, then it’s time to reconsider. While these types of services are not for everyone, I think if it gets more people in the kitchen cooking from scratch and sharing wholesome meals around the dinner table with their family, then it’s a win-win in my book.

If you want to give Blue Apron a go you might like to know…

• Their recipes and ingredients are delivered in a refrigerated box so ingredients will stay fresh even if you’re not home to receive the package.
• You can skip weeks or cancel the service at any time.
• All meals can be prepared in 40 minutes or less.
• The first 100 readers that sign up will get three meals off their first Blue Apron order free!

Enjoy! :)