We both classify ourselves as meal kit enthusiasts and were early adopters into the Blue Apron craze that hit a few years ago and has expanded to become a bit of a household name.

The basic concept is that a box filled with fresh groceries (produce, meats and pantry items) and pre-printed recipe cards arrive at your doorstep in time for you to make a few fresh and unique dinners without the hassle of grocery shopping or selecting menus. We both love to cook, but it’s a lot of work and it’s a treat to have a few of the tasks taken care of without sacrificing a home-cooked meal for your family. It’s fun to learn about new cooking techniques and to try unique and interesting recipes that use delicious and sometimes rare ingredients. We’ve both improved our kitchen skills and expanded our cooking knowledge while on the meal kit journey.

Now, on to the biggest drawback: cost. These companies have to make money and you certainly pay a premium to use the service. However, they are also desperate for your business especially since the market is flooded with competition. So there is an angle to take advantage of for sure. This post is our top hacks for taking advantage of those and getting to have the benefit without quite as steep of a price tag.

1. Add something to stretch the meal. The easiest example is an extra cup of rice, but get creative! We love to add a few things that we have on hand in the fridge to bump up the quantity and make it a meal for three if you have a friend over or create leftovers for your lunch the next day.
2. Order “family style” for just two. Many services offer the option to place a double order of a recipe so that you can make it for a family. This is great for when you have friends over or depending on the recipe can be an easy way to create leftovers for lunches the next day. Even the meals that are designed for 4 people usually become meals for 5 for us.
3. Refer your friends. As with so many things these days, if you get your friends to sign up, companies will compensate you. They rely on you to spread the word. We’d love for you to use our codes to sign up if these services are new-to-you.
   • Home Chef – $30 off your first box
   • Hello Fresh – $40 off your first box
   • Green Chef – $55 off your first box
4. Try different services and take advantage of intro deals. Everyone is vying for your business and they’ll offer you a deal to get it. We’d love you to use one of our promo codes listed above, (we get a kickback!) but certainly, do your own research and see what the companies are offering directly as well. There are so many different ones to choose from these days that you could order a new one each week. Just don’t forget to cancel and stay on top of who you are subscribed to!
5. Don’t book in advance. Put your subscriptions on hold most of the time and wait for the companies to reach out to you with a deal to come back. You can always opt back in if you like the recipes or know you have a week it’d be great to have your meal kit delivered. But by keeping the companies guessing if you’ll come back or not, your profile gets flagged as one that needs an incentive to re-activate.
6. Read your emails. First of all, this is important because you might have accidentally ordered and forgotten about it. But they could also be offering you a deal either to reactivate (see #5) or for scheduling delivery for a certain week. The could also be emailing you to give you free friend boxes (keep reading for a free box giveaway from us!).
7. Check your credit card offers. Occasionally, our cards offer a cashback deal purchases with these companies so keep your eyes out for those and don’t forget to activate them before your purchase goes through. It might only be a few dollars, but boy it can add up!
8. Lastly, set calendar reminders for when you are getting deliveries! This is a little bit less of a hack and more of a “don’t let it backfire” warning. We’ve both gotten the unfortunate email notifying us that our box is on its way when it’s too late to cancel and we are headed out of town. It is not fun. If it does happen to you, you can gift the box to a friend or make and freeze the meals and/or ingredients.

***Giveaway alert! Blue Apron does not offer a referral program, but they do give you free boxes to give to friends. We’ve both racked up quite a few of these and want to share with our readers. If you have never tried Blue Apron, email us at hello@areweadultsyet.com and ask us to send you a free box. We’ll keep doing this till we run out, thanks for reading!***

Is anyone else a meal kit enthusiast? What are your hacks for staying in budget? Let us know in the comments!