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With the cost of living so high in Canada, we’re all looking for ways to save money. OddBunch has become one of the best ways I’ve saved money on groceries for the last few years, and it’s time for an OddBunch review.
Now, I will say that OddBunch* isn’t perfect. I have had issues with some elements in the past, and some of those issues continue. However, the price and the ease certainly help to keep me around.
What Is Oddbunch?
Let’s just start this OddBunch review with a look at what this service even is. It’s a Canadian subscription service that delivers “odd” fruit and vegetables. In other words, it’s imperfect or surplus fruits and vegetables that can’t be sold in the grocery stores.
There are different types of boxes available, whether you have a house with just one person or you need to feed a family of four or more. Then you can choose between all fruits, all vegetables, or a mixture, and there is even an organic box.
The boxes are as follows:
- Small Mixed: 10 items
- Medium Mixed: 15 items
- Large Mixed: 20 items
- All Veggie: 13 items
- All Fruit: 10 items
- Small Organic: 8 items
- Medium Organic: 12 items
Right now, the box is only available in Ontario, Quebec, BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, but the company is growing. All boxes are delivered right to the door, and you can make substitutions if you need if you don’t like the items that are coming that week. The first substitution is free.
OddBunch Review: A Definite Way to Save Money on Groceries
This is a way to save money on the grocery store bills. The only fruit or vegetable that I find myself buying in store on a weekly basis is bananas. I may top up potatoes now and then, depending on the meal plan for the week, but I usually don’t need anything extra. Since I know which items are coming before my Saturday delivery, I can plan around the box and meal prep* without buying extra.
I’m easily saving $100 in the grocery store per week purely based on the vegetables and fruits that are coming through. Now, I wouldn’t usually buy those fruits and vegetables, but it certainly means that I get variety, and I even get to try something different.
On Saturday, Jan. 31, I got a pomelo, and I’ve never heard of one of those before. The week before, it was longans, which have quickly become favorites in the house! There are certain fruits and vegetables that arrive a lot, and it’s usually based on the season, but getting something different now and then is a great way to try new things without the risk of going over budget.
Everything is delivered straight to the door, as well. While there is a small delivery fee, it’s put into the cost of the week, so I pay around $50 per week for my large mixed box. It’s easy to downside when needed, and there were times that my family of four would end up with too much to eat, so I’d drop to the medium box for a couple of weeks to catch up and avoid anything going off.
Recently, OddBunch has even started to share storage tips and recipes based on the items coming in the box. I’ve appreciated the storage tips for the fruits and vegetables I’ve not heard of or wouldn’t usually buy, and to help with the issue of having too much of some items — carrots and apples tend to be popular items in the boxes! It’s just another way to help with the grocery budget.
It’s Easy to Switch Your Box
As I said, you can switch out the boxes if you need to. I get an email on Monday about my order being scheduled. That’s my reminder to go and check the list of items and assessing what I really need for the week.
If you need to downgrade or upgrade to a box, you can do it through your OddBunch account. It’s super simple to do!
MORE: ChefsPlate Review: Hassle-Free Meals with Variety
You can also easily skip your box. OddBunch wants you to have more control, but you do need to remember to do it before 11:59 p.m. on Tuesdays. At least, that’s what it is for me with a Saturday delivery.
Now, this is where one of the downsides is. The delivery date is set for you, because of the areas that are serviced, which is different to businesses like ChefsPlate and Hello Fresh. I don’t get a choice on having a Saturday delivery, and it has meant that I’ve had to skip weeks because of this since I’ve been away with nobody to bring the box in for me and check it. I would love for this to change, but it’s easy to work around, and I try to plan ahead with the vegetables that I do get.
Substitutions Are Possible with OddBunch
The menu for the week is released on a Monday, and you have until Tuesday night to confirm the box size and make any substitutions you want. One of the downsides is that you have to go to the website or the social media channels to see what the items are going to be, but that’s just a small inconvenience.
If you don’t like something on there, you can request a substitution. Now, annoyingly, it took me a while to find the page, and now I only ever find it by going through my emails! But it is now easier to find on the website.
You get one free substitution per box, and if I ever see eggplant on the list, I will always sub it out. Nobody in the house likes eggplant. You can sub with whatever other item you want, so I tend to double up on something that is a favorite or will be needed for meal planning.
My small gripe is when it says “surprise item” or “surprise fruit/veg.” There have been times that it’s eggplant, and without a way of saying I never want that, it means I can end up getting something I know I’m not going to eat. We also don’t get told before the box arrives, so going through the box and trying to figure out what the surprise items are can be annoying.
After the first substitution, there is a small fee for more. I do have to question about when it comes to dietary needs and allergies, but I’ve never come across it to have to ask.
OddBunch Can Get the Order Wrong
There is a downside that I’ve seen happen a little too often for my liking, and that’s missing an item in the box. It’s even more problematic when it comes to the surprise items, or when there has been a substitution due to quality — and OddBunch hasn’t informed us.
The first thing I now do when I get my box is just count my items. There have been way too many times I’ve ended up with 19 items. Now, granted, it’s a quick email to get it sorted out and get a small refund for the item that is missing, but at this point, it’s just getting tiresome. I can go three weeks with no issues, and then suddenly, there’s a missing item for three weeks in a row.
Each time, it’s the same response about how it typically doesn’t happen, but that’s not quite the truth with how many times I’ve had to email. I would love to see this change for the better.
As long as you let OddBunch know within 24 hours of the box delivery that something is missing, a refund is given. The same applies to anything that isn’t as good in quality as you would expect. I did once have a vegetable that was moldy by the time it arrived, and I got a refund immediately when I mentioned it, so at least the customer support is good.
Overall, OddBunch is an excellent way to save money on your groceries if you’re in Canada and focus on healthy foods. I still rave about it to my friends, despite some of the drawbacks. The missing items haven’t made me want to spend more in the grocery stores just yet!
If you want to try out OddBunch, head over to the official site* and place your first order. This isn’t a gimmick.
