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If you’re looking for a meal kit in Canada, Chefs Plate could be just right for you. Is it really going to save you money?
When you initially look at Chefs Plate, you may question how it could possibly save you money on food. After all, you still need to go to the grocery store, right? Well, while you do, I’ve found that this saves me a lot of money.
I will be transparent about my family and eating habits first. I’m a single mom to two kids on a 50/50 basis. So, I end up needing dinners for seven nights out of 14. The other nights I’m on my own and my meals work a little differently as I’m not a big eater, anyway. I find other ways to save money on meals.
If you’re a bigger family, it may not work out. When my ex-husband lived with us, it didn’t help us save too much (mostly because of his spending habits on lunches).
Save money on wasted food
Something that I have noticed since using Chefs Plate over the last two years is the lack of food waste I have. I may have to throw out a leftover head of lettuce now and then from a grocery shop (I give it to the rabbits outside) but I don’t have to throw out a lot of other ingredients.
The ingredients from the meal kits are preportioned. I get the two-person meals for three of us as my children are small. We’re looking at upping to the four-person meals. However, we find two-person meals work with just a few of our own ingredients added in, usually via an extra handful of pasta or some extra vegetables. I get a vegetable box and there’s always something that will bulk out the smaller meals.
I end up not really throwing out a lot each week. In fact, I sometimes have leftovers as one meal can make two dinners when I’m on my own.
Chefs Plate keeps the costs down
While the grocery store prices went up, this meal kit didn’t. So, as meat became more expensive, I stopped buying it. The meat in the kits is perfect for the three meals that I get each week. And yes, I opt for three meals a week. The weeks that I have my kids, I’ll sometimes choose to add a fourth but not always. I can make the most out of other vegetables and anything I’ve bought through my Flashfoods app and frozen.
I don’t feel like I’m missing out by not buying the ingredients from the grocery store. I did once try to recreate a meal with the recipe but buying all the individual ingredients ended up costing more than the meal kit did. It still tasted just as good, but why would I pay more when I don’t need to?
Of course, I don’t not buy anything else. I have a vegetable box delivered that also helps to save money. Some weeks, the only things I buy from the grocery store are cheese, yogurts, bread, and tuna. There’s no need for a lot of other items between the meals and my vegetable box.
How much did I save?
It’s alright me saying that I save money, but how much? Well, let me break it down for you.
I do have to base things on when my ex-husband was here. We would spend around $200 per week on groceries. Some of those items were the bulk buys or items designed to last weeks (like laundry detergent) but with the meat, vegetables, fruits, and snacks, I couldn’t get the bill below $200 per week. That’s especially likely the case now as I look at the cost of meat. It’s probably closer to $250 where I live.
Now, I typically spend $36 on the vegetable box, $60 on Chefs Plate, and $50 average at the grocery store (some weeks, I spend $10). So, my weekly costs have gone down to just short of $150. If I see some fish on offer through Flashfoods, I’ll buy it and freeze it. That can sometimes take me to $200 for the week across everything but if I average out the fish, I’m probably spending $5 per week at the most.
I don’t eat out that much any more. One thing I love about the meal kits is that I can add different types of dishes in. I always have a pasta dish for the kids once a week, but there are curries, soups, Greek-style dishes, and so much more. I get the tastes of what I would have eaten when out, so don’t like to eat out as much anymore.
MORE: Chefs Plate review
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