So the time has come that people are strapped for time, and meal kits, grocery delivery, and restaurant delivery have become popular. Families are turning more and more to how to make meal time more simple. As a babysitter all I can say is: stop making more than one meal 3 times a day! Make one meal and if the little ones eat it they eat it, if they don’t well hungry they will be. My mom made some of the yuckiest meals ever like tuna over biscuits (hideous) and if I didn’t eat it I didn’t eat until breakfast. So, I would make it work by eating just the biscuits by putting butter and jam on them. That was acceptable for my mom. Anyway that’s my birds eye view of parenting coming from a babysitter, and an old babysitter at that.
Now on to the meal delivery service issue. Today there are a lot of options for families to get their dinners. Meal kits are one option for families but remember you will still need to prepare the meal. One of the meal kit delivery companies it does take a lot of prep still to make the meal. Yes, everything is measured out and you only get what you need BUT you still have to chop, grate, slice, etc. so though you don’t have to do the grocery shopping you will still need to do a lot of meal prep. and that is pretty time consuming. Also when you get meal kits when it says they serve 2-4 people there will be no left-overs at all. If there are then someone isn’t eating a full portion. Portions can be kind of small too so that’s another thing to keep in mind. My personal opinion is that Meal Kits are good for one or 2 people but if you have an entire family they may not be the value you’re looking for.
Of course good old pizza delivery is a bargain. It isn’t the healthiest if healthy at all but it sure is easy, delicious, and nearly everyone in the family will love it. Today though practically everyone delivers and there are lots and lots of delivery services to choose from to go to the places you want to get food from that may NOT deliver. You can order from anywhere now, and get it within minutes; no prep, everyone gets what they want, no fights, no mess, and if you eat on paper no dishes. This is costly, however because you will pay the price for the restaurant food, delivery cost, and tip. Not the most cost effective way to solve the “What’s for dinner?” conundrum. You might get leftovers though so that’s not bad, and may contribute to cost efficiency but not much.
How about grocery delivery? Well, this simply takes one step out of meal prep, and that is going to the grocery store. I’m not a big fan of having to go to the grocery store. I tried this once, and it was okay but lots of times the store may not have exactly what you want and then you’ll have to give options not knowing what you’re really getting. It’s kind of like sending your husband to the grocery store. This option isn’t one I’d recommend no matter how much I hate grocery shopping. Amazon does offer some non-perishable items that are mainstays that is great, and if you’re an Amazon Prime member it can be cheaper than regular grocery store delivery. I imagine things will change now that Amazon has acquired Whole Foods and more fresh options will be available to the consumer.
All and all if you want to save time and not money delivery from restaurants is your best option. After that; meal kits come in second but these can still be expensive, with no leftovers, or extra ingredients to use for other recipes, and last place is grocery delivery which is the cheapest way to go for convenience but the best option for saving money. I’ve used a combination of all of these, and Costco is my ultimate choice for saving money and kind of fun because they always have cool things to see. Make sure you go with a list and stick with it however.
