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Are meal kits worth it? The case for meal delivery in 2024
If you’re wary of signing up for a meal kit delivery service in 2024, you’re probably not alone. Higher-than-expected inflation rates and dizzying housing prices likely have many people hesitating to add more expenses to their daily lives.
But when you consider how much people are spending on food every week — as well as all of the added benefits that come with a great meal delivery service — there’s a case to be made that meal kits are very much worth the investment.
Are meal kits worth it?
Did you know that the average person spends a little over an hour in the kitchen each day? That includes meal prepping for the week, preparing ingredients, and cooking meals — not to mention all the cleanup that comes after.
A big advantage to meal kits is how much time they can save you. Many meal kits take less than 20 minutes to whip up, and there’s no dirty dishes to worry about (or ignore until the morning) afterwards.
Some meal delivery services take this to another level with prepared meal options; Factor and other services like it offer fully prepared meals that are ready within minutes. In Factor’s case, they’re also nutritious and delicious — a triple win in our book.
Still on the fence about meal kit delivery services? Read more about the benefits of signing up for meal delivery in 2024 below.
Meal kit delivery services are affordable
Let’s face it: those trips to the grocery store are, more often than not, everything but cheap. You have to carve out a chunk of your day to write out a shopping list, sit through traffic, find everything you need, and, if you’re lucky, make it home without a pricey pitstop at the gas station.
The average two-person household typically spends between $450 and $800 per month at the grocery store. That’s up to roughly $27 a meal, which is a lot, even if you’re thrifty. In comparison, meal kit delivery prices are typically between $9 and $13 per meal, making them great budget-friendly alternatives to grocery shopping.
Seek out the cheapest meal kits by cost per serving. Look for budget-friendly meal delivery services like EveryPlate, which has prices starting as low as $4.99 per serving. This is ideal if you’re cooking for four or more, as the cheapest EveryPlate meal plan offers six four-serving meals per week.
Or, most meal kits offer attractive discounts for new subscribers. Perhaps the best example of this is Blue Apron. This popular meal kit currently offers new subscribers 65% off the total price of their first week, as well as free shipping (another $10 discount). That brings Blue Apron prices down to as low as $2.80 per serving (for five four-serving weekly meals).
The best meal kit services offer more than just nutritious meals
Most meal kits have you covered when it comes to dinnertime meals, but that’s far from the only thing on the menu. The best meal delivery services offer a variety of other options to choose from, such as sides, snacks, and marketplace add-ons.
Another benefit to meal kits that is easily overlooked is what they offer beyond meals for the dinner table. Daily Harvest is a meal delivery service that offers a wide range of lunch and breakfast options, from grain bowls and pasta dishes to smoothies packed with whole fruits and veggies. With a bit of planning ahead, subscribers could take care of most meals fort the week using meal kits alone.
NEW YORK — Former New York Gov. David Paterson and his stepson were attacked in New York City on Friday night, authorities said.
The incident occurred just before 9 p.m. on Second Avenue near East 96th Street on the Upper East Side, according to the New York City Police Department.
Police said officers were sent to the scene after an assault was reported. When officers arrived, police say they found a 20-year-old man suffering from facial injuries and a 70-year-old man who had head pain. Both victims were taken to a local hospital in stable condition.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the former governor said the two were attacked while “taking a walk around the block near their home by some individuals that had a previous interaction with his stepson.”
The spokesperson said that they were injured “but were able to fight off their attackers.”
Both were taken to Cornell Hospital “as a precaution,” he added.
Police said no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
The 70-year-old Paterson, a Democrat, served as governor from 2008 to 2010, stepping into the post after the resignation of Eliot Spitzer following his prostitution scandal. He made history at the time as the state’s first-ever Black and legally blind governor.
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A 17-year-old boy was critically injured and a person is in custody after a gunman opened fire on a SEPTA bus in North Philadelphia Friday evening, police said.
At around 6:15 p.m., Philadelphia police were notified about a shooting on a SEPTA bus traveling on Allegheny Avenue near 3rd and 4th streets in North Philadelphia, Inspector D F Pace told CBS News Philadelphia.
There were an estimated 30 people on the bus at the time of the shooting, Pace said, but only the 17-year-old boy was believed to have been shot. Investigators said they believe it was a targeted attack on the teenager and that he was shot in the back of the bus at close range.
According to Pace, the SEPTA bus driver alerted a control center about the shooting, which then relayed the message to Philadelphia police, who responded to the scene shortly.
Officers arrived at the scene and found at least one spent shell casing and blood on the bus, but no shooting victim, Pace said. Investigators later discovered the 17-year-old had been taken to Temple University Hospital where he is said to be in critical condition, according to police.
CBS Philadelphia
Through their preliminary investigation, police learned those involved in the SEPTA shooting may have fled in a silver-colored Kia.
Authorities then found a car matching the description of the Kia speeding in the area and a pursuit began, Pace said. Police got help from a PPD helicopter as they followed the Kia, which ended up crashing at 5th and Greenwood streets in East Mount Airy. Pace said the Kia crashed into a parked car.
The driver of the crashed car ran away but police were still able to take them into custody, Pace said.
Investigators believe there was a second person involved in the shooting who ran from the car before it crashed. Police said they believe this person escaped near Allegheny Avenue and 4th Street, leaving a coat behind.
According to Pace, police also found a gun and a group of spent shell casings believed to be involved in the shooting in the same area.
“It’s very possible that there may have been a shooting inside the bus and also shots fired from outside of the bus toward the bus,” Pace said, “We’re still trying to piece all that together at this time.”
This is an active investigation and police are reviewing surveillance footage from the SEPTA bus.