Are meal kits the answer to saving money while enjoying quick, nutritious meals? We explore their budget benefits and introductory offers to save on New Zealand’s most popular meal kits.
How do meal kit services work?
Meal kits are a box of precisely proportioned ingredients (except for pantry staples like oil and eggs) and delicious recipes ready to be cooked.
Usually, meal kits are delivered weekly and packaged to stay fresh for days. Just refrigerate all the ingredients, and when you’re ready to cook, follow the easy recipes provided with the meal kit delivery or in the app, and create delicious dinners!
How much your meal kit service will cost varies depending on the company and the type of plan you select.
How can meal kit services save you money?
According to a 2022 Canstar Blue survey, 75% of New Zealanders spend between $100-$300 on groceries per week.
When you’re too tired to cook after a hectic day, eating out or calling Uber Eats is tempting to save the hassle of meal prep. However, these quick, convenient options can add up quickly —especially if you feed a family and pay a delivery fee for every meal.
Here’s where meal kits come in — they offer a similar level of convenience without the added expense. With pre-measured and pre-portioned ingredients, meal kits make cooking at home quick and easy. Plus, you don’t have to worry about buying too much or too little.
Most dinner time kits can be cooked in 20 minutes or less, and you don’t need to think about anything; just follow the simple recipe and bon appétit!
Meal kits can also offer a more nutritious option than fast food meals like burgers and chips — and can help people lose weight (check out the nutritional information at the websites below). While they may not save you money compared to a super cheap grocery shop, meal kits can offer a cost-effective and potentially healthier alternative to eating out or ordering a takeaway. You’ll also enjoy a range of meals of the week rather than the same budget batch of home-cooked bolognese.
Reasons why meal kits have boomed in popularity:
- Help you avoid the temptation and cost of takeout or dining out; cooking at home with fresh produce is easy and convenient.
- Reduce food wastage (and the expense of food wastage) as everything is perfectly portioned, so you only have exactly what you need to cook with.
- Enjoy high-quality, nutritious meals without the hassle of time-consuming weekly grocery shopping and meal prepping.
- Explore new culinary horizons with a wide variety of meals to choose from.
- You can skip weeks or change meal options to suit your budget, which can offer additional savings.
Compare meal kits to save money
You have a pick of meal kit options in New Zealand; here’s a quick overview of the most popular options.
Bargain Box
For pricing, Bargain Box was voted the best meal kit in New Zealand, according to a review by Canstar in 2022. The standard price per meal is $5.99 per plate when ordering the “5 nights for 6 people option.”
- Choose from 11+ different recipes each week to suit your tastes, including free-range and free-farmed meat.
- A great value option for family-friendly meals without the frills.
- Meal options to suit vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free or plant-based requirements.
- Meals can be cooked in as little as 5 steps and 20 minutes.
My Food Bag
My Food Bag offers quality, locally sourced meals inspired by celebrity chef Nadia Lim.
- Local ingredients — My Food Bag partners with over 250 local suppliers, growers, and farmers across Aotearoa.
- Choose from a menu of 15 chef-designed, seasonally inspired meals each week.
- No lock-in contracts.
- Average meal cooking time is 30-35 min.
Fresh Start
Along with My Food Bag and Bargain Box there is also a the Fresh Start option which offers calorie-controlled recipes, with unrefined carbohydrates and avoids refined sugar.
Visit their site and choose from all 3 options and get 40% OFF your first delivery
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