Did you know a family of 4 in California spends over $1,200 on groceries per month? That doesn't even include the time it takes to drive to the grocery store, the gas it costs to get there and back, the time it takes to shop, prepare meals, and then cook said meals (hopefully everyone likes what's prepared as well, if not that's another trip to a restaurant or back to the grocery store).
The average person in America spends around 45 minutes at the grocery store, and around 45 minutes to 2 hours a day (we know some of you like to channel your inner Martha Stewart at home) cooking dinner, which means you could lose over an hour a day just trying to meal prep for your family! When you consider what you can get done in an hour - hello gym time, "you" time, or movie time - that's pretty significant.
Remember, your time is also your most valuable asset, and also comes with a price, which is why today, Primal Balance Nutrition goes over how a meal prep company can help you budget and save money on food.
How Can a Meal Prep/ Meal Delivery Service Save You Money?
Have you ever thought about your hourly rate? If you have a job or own a company, you know what this number is, and if you don't, I'm sure you have an idea. Your time is valuable. And meal prepping for yourself is time-consuming. A meal prep company puts time back into your life, saving you money, reducing stress, and creating space for other things like family time! Let's take a look at the costs of meal prepping:
Costs of Meal Prepping for Yourself
Gas
The first cost to consider is how much you will need to go to the grocery store. Now, if you have certain dietary restrictions this might mean going to more than one grocery store. And, if your store of choice is out of something, you will then need to go to another one. The cost of gas right now in San Diego, CA is $4.34 a gallon.
Grocery shopping time
It also takes time to grocery shop. If you want to eat healthily, have an allergy, or are Keto, Paleo, or gluten-free, you need to pay close attention to food labels. Grocery shopping may take you anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and a half. You also need to keep in mind how busy it might be at the store. If you work during the week and can only hit the grocery store on the weekend, you may be in for a long wait. Have you seen Costco on a Sunday? Yikes!
Unloading groceries
It does take time to unload groceries and put them away. If you have children, this task may be more or less difficult depending on your kids' moods. We suggest having the kids do it!
Prepping and cooking a meal
Once you've gotten everything unloaded at home, it's time to brainstorm what to eat. Unless you're a cook or a cook/nutritionist combo (like our founder here Alec) trying to figure out a healthy recipe that the entire family will like may prove challenging. Maybe it's easy for you, and you love cooking - fantastic! According to CNBC, 50% of people in America actually don't like to cook! We get it.
Cleaning up after the meal
Hopefully, you have kids (that's why we have them right, to help us with chores?) who will take care of post-meal clean-up. If not, then it's up to you to clean and wash the dishes or place them in the dishwasher.
So, what's the total amount of time per week to grocery shop, prep, and clean? Let's see what this looks like:
- Grocery shopping time per week: 2-4 hours
- Unloading groceries: 1 hour
- Prepping and cooking meals (just dinner): 4-7 hours
- Clean up: 3-5 hours
Total: 10 - 17 hours per week (can fluctuate according to family size).
Now, if you feel an hour of your time is worth $50, then that's anywhere between $500 to $850 you're spending a week JUST on meal prepping. I know our jaw dropped too when we wrote this.
Meal prep saves you time, which is money, so you don't have to go to the grocery store, unpack groceries, prep your food, cook it, and then clean up after.
What Meal Prep Company in San Diego Is the Best for Those on a Budget?
When it comes to budgeting, you're already saving money by choosing a meal prep company, especially one that delivers to your home or location of choice for free. When it comes to meal prep budgeting and quality, Primal Balance Nutrition is the choice in San Diego County. Plus, we offer free delivery!
Our delicious gluten-free bagel breakfast sandwich with organic, pasture-raised eggs, organic bacon, avocado, tomatoes, and spinach.
We had to toot our own horn here. We have a 6-meal plan for as low as $100 a week, a 10-meal plan for as low as $167 per week, and a 12-meal per week option for $200 a week. That's only $16.66 per meal! And these aren't just frozen meals, they are organic, non-GMO, allergen-friendly, healthy, nutrient-dense meals made with fish and protein from PureFish and Paleo Valley's Wild Pastures.
We curate these to ensure you're getting the best quality food possible, and we cook these meals for you 24-48 hours before they're delivered right to you!
Why Using a Meal Prep Company Like Primal Balance Is Worth it
When you look at the costs associated with grocery shopping, cooking, and cleaning up for your family, a meal prep company like Primal Balance saves you lots of time and money. Here are our favorite reasons to try our meal prep company in San Diego:
- You don't need to obsess over what to cook.
- You don't need to worry about where your ingredients are sourced from, and if they're organic.
- You don't need to spend time at the grocery store reading labels.
- You don't need to go to the grocery store.
- You can relax when you get home from work and quickly heat up meals for the entire family.
- You can rest easy knowing your meals are organic and allergen-friendly.
- You don't need to worry about if your meals have enough protein in them (we do that for you).
- You can sleep in more since your breakfast is already prepared for you.
- You don't need to rush off to get some fast food if you've forgotten to prep food for your kids/self.
What about you? What are your favorite benefits of a meal delivery service? Let us know in the comments section. And be sure to order meals from us - even if it's just for a week - and see how stress-free your week gets!