Health, diet, fitness, life

In terms of the true cost, a meal prep service will save you money. This option takes the guesswork and effort out of planning/shopping while guaranteeing a wide variety of chef-prepared, healthy, and high-quality meals. But beyond these practical benefits, a meal prep service can bring such a unique experience to the everyday, giving you a restaurant experience without the bill or waste. Simple but high impact, this will completely alter the way you approach your meals.

Meal prep services often get labelled as a luxury for the financially well-off when comparing them to grocery shopping. Alternatively, when choosing for convenience individuals might opt to order food from an app like Skip the Dishes or dine at a restaurant instead of using a meal prep service, assuming that the price tag will be the same. There are so many hidden costs to consider when making decisions about your weekly meals however, and it calls for a deeper dive into the true cost of these different options.

Comparing the Nickels and Dimes

The price of grocery shopping varies widely depending on the store chosen and type of product purchased but more than likely, grocery shopping and prepping your own food is going to show a lower charge on your credit card compared to delivery, dining out, or a meal prep service.

Delivery or dining out on the other hand, can be very costly. Despite the assumption that a Skip the Dishes meal might be equivalent to a meal prep service (they’re both takeout after all), the tip and/or delivery fee for restaurant takeout can quickly show a much higher bill. Individuals opting for these solutions to scratch their convenience-itch are paying a lot more than they need to be.

All other things being equal, we can safely say that grocery shopping and meal prepping your own meals will likely cost less than a meal prep service. And delivery or dining out will likely cost more.

But this is all about the true cost…so how do we calculate that?

The Hidden Costs

The true cost of any ongoing diet decision made extends far beyond the price tag and we need to consider the hidden costs.

First up is time. Delivery or dining out can save you time, while grocery shopping falls flat on its face in this category. The time required to plan, grocery shop, and prep meals is huge – using conservative estimates, meal planning takes 2 hours per week, grocery shopping takes 1 hour per week, and preparing/cooking meals takes 7 hours per week (1 hour per day for all meals). That’s 10 hours every single week that you can’t get back. Compare this to a meal prep service which requires time spent ordering online and then heating up some of the meals – both of which are negligible at just a few minutes per week.

Next up, ingredient quality. This one is in your control when grocery shopping, but it will mean a heftier bill, and the delivery or dining out options may shine or fall flat depending on the restaurant. A meal prep service guaranteeing fresh, local ingredients will provide consistent quality at every meal which can be much harder to guarantee with other options.

Waste is a large hidden cost for both delivery or dining out and grocery shopping options. There is a shocking amount of food wasted when grocery shopping because calculating the exact quantity you’ll eat is hard (who doesn’t leave the lettuce in the produce drawer until it is simply too far gone?). Delivery and dining out are also notoriously wasteful. Portions may be huge with a lot of filler items (fries, questionable fruit, etc.) being thrown out after each meal. A meal prep service on the other hand means you receive a meal designed for the number of people eating and what’s more, its designed with your diet needs in mind; you won’t go hungry or have leftover wasted items.

The final hidden consideration: what is the cost to your health of choosing any of these options? While this is up to you when grocery shopping, delivery or restaurant meals are often extremely unhealthy – they’re designed for the experience, the splurge – and with no consideration for macros or optimum energy. A meal prep service provides only balanced, macro-conscious meals with full plans considering goals and lifestyle to design appropriate meals.

Add it All up

When we look at these hidden costs, grocery shopping might fulfill the quality ingredient and health categories, but it puts the onus completely on the shopper; meanwhile delivery or dining out only fulfil the time category. Both lose when it comes to waste. A meal prep service is the only one that wins all four hidden cost categories.

So, you need to weigh the price tag vs. the true cost of any of these dietary decisions. One good way to define the best option is to determine how much an hour of your time is worth and decide if the cost savings of grocery shopping is worth the 10 hours you spent compared to a meal prep service option. At $50/hour, doing your own shopping and meal prep/cooking/cleaning will cost you $500/week in time. Compare this to the (lower) price attached to a weekly meal prep service and consider if it might be time for a switch.

In terms of the true cost, a meal prep service will save you money. This option takes the guesswork and effort out of planning/shopping while guaranteeing a wide variety of chef-prepared, healthy, and high-quality meals. But beyond these practical benefits, a meal prep service can bring such a unique experience to the everyday, giving you a restaurant experience without the bill or waste. Simple but high impact, this will completely alter the way you approach your meals.