You’ve seen all the advertisements on the television and online about Meal Delivery Services.
You’ve had a quick look but geez, some of them are expensive! If you have had these thoughts, you certainly aren’t alone!
But there is a reason more and more meal delivery services are popping up everywhere – they are convenient! And with the expanding market – there are now low cost or budget options to take advantage of!
Table of Contents
1. The Benefits of Meal Delivery Services:
There are really two different types of Meal Delivery Services – ones that provide whole pre-prepared meals that just need to be reheated and eaten – and those that provide pre-measured ingredients and a recipe that you follow to enjoy a delicious meal at the end. Both have their pro’s and con’s and both are considered meal delivery services.
Pre-Prepared Meals Pros and Cons:
- The meal is already prepared – so it is fast – you just need to pop it in the microwave
- Fantastic for time-poor people or people who don’t like to cook
- The whole meal is already pre-measured and pre-portioned
- Pre-prepared meals don’t always look tremendously delicious from a microwave dish
- No option to tweak the meal or change ingredients
Pre-Measured Meals Pros and Cons:
- All the ingredients are usually fresh and pre-portioned so there is no waste
- Meals can take a while to prepare
- You can leave out ingredients or add ingredients in should you wish
- You can learn new cooking techniques by following the instructions
2. Can Meal Delivery Services Really Save You Money?
For some families, yes they can! If you are the type of person who can’t shop with a list, and consistently over-purchases at the supermarket – and struggles with what to make for dinner every night – then meal delivery services are perfect for you!
They save the stress out of having to think about what to make, what ingredients to buy, portion control and budgeting. Look – that stuff isn’t for everyone – and that’s okay!
3. What the Difference Between Other Meal Delivery Services and These Cheap Ones?
Two words – Purchasing Power. If meal delivery services provided meals that didn’t taste good or their ingredients weren’t fresh and of good quality – they wouldn’t be in business anymore. When a company is doing a great job, they can afford to negotiate better deals on their ingredients and therefore pass their savings onto their customers – you!
Some meal delivery services are more expensive because of the actual food – if they are specifically catering to food sensitivities, a strict diet or lifestyle, you are going to be paying more per meal. For example, vegan meals, keto or dairy and egg-free diets or weight loss plans take a lot of pre-planning and work to ensure they have all the required dietary requirements in a single meal – that means time and preparation – which of course means it costs you the consumer more!
Plus most of these cheap meal delivery services have no lock-in contracts – so if you don’t like their meals – just cancel and change! Easy!
More Reading:
4. What is the Cheapest Meal Delivery Service in Australia?
Well, it depends on whether you are looking at pre-prepared or pre-measured meal delivery services. We have a list of the cheapest meal delivery services in Australia below – including pricing and what you get for your money! We have listed these Meal Delivery Services from the cheapest through to the most expensive.
5. List of All the Cheapest Meal Delivery Services in Australia
1. EveryPlate (Pre-Measured Meal Delivery Service)
EveryPlate has no lock-in contract and you can skip weeks in advance if you are planning on going away. EveryPlate keeps its prices down as it cuts out all the ‘frills’ associated with most other meal delivery services.
EveryPlate was the cheapest meal delivery service I could find in Australia. The recipes were easy but most took longer than the 30 minutes it said it would take. So it is a delicious meal delivery service – without the hoo haa of branding.
Some of the recipes that were on offer when I looked (and these chan9oige all the time by the way) include:
- Asian Pork Meatball Tacos
- Spiced Chicken & Roast Veggiesb
- BBQ-Style Beef Bowl
- Sweet Chilli Pork Stir-Fry
2. Dinnerly (Pre-Measured Meal Delivery Service)
Dinnerly are great as they offer different meal delivery kits depending on your dietary requirements (ie they also offer dairy-free, low-calorie, gluten-free, kid-friendly, vegetarian and reduced-carb meals). Dinnerly touts itself as the most affordable meal delivery program in Australia.
Advantages of Dinnerly are:
- No locked-in contract – you can skip, pause or cancel your order at any time
- They offer a large range of meals including a great range of multicultural meals
- Meals are simple but filling
More Reading: Our Honest Dinnerly Review
Dinnerly Coupons
3. Hello Fresh (Pre-Measured Meal Delivery Service)
Hello Fresh is a global leader when it comes to Meal Delivery Services. I have personally used Hello Fresh before (and I have another box coming tomorrow) – and it is absolutely scrumptious! The only negative I have about Hello Fresh is that some of the recipes take a bit of time to make – so if you love cooking and love learning new recipes – then this is the meal delivery service for you. If you aren’t a fan of cooking – I’d look for another one!
Their recipes include:
- Vegetarian Options
- Quick Dinner Ideas
- Low Carb Recipes
Hello Fresh meals are truly spectacular – and I’m yet to find a person that has tried Hello Fresh that doesn’t actually enjoy the meals. I love that every recipe comes with a cardboard recipe card so that I can recreate the same recipe again. Even my fussy eating boys loved Hello Fresh.
An example of some of the recipes that were available when writing this article include:
- Classic Pork Sausages & Scalloped Potatoes
- Quick Mild Tomato Chicken Masala
- Quick Sesame Beef & Broccoli Stir-Fry
- Chicken Tenderloins & Cheesy Garlic Sauce
Hello Fresh Coupons
4. YouFoodz (Fully Pre-Prepared Meal Delivery Service)
YouFoodz is a pre-prepared Meal Delivery Service with all the foods pre-made – frozen and ready to be reheated when you are ready to eat them. They have a great range depending on your dietary requirements including:
- Clean Eating Range (under 350 calories)
- Large Range
- Gluten-Free Range
- Vegetarian Range
- No Nuts Added
- No Eggs Added
- No Dairy Added
And their meals aren’t all ‘Seaweed and Snot’ – they have some nice big ‘man meals’ including Steak & Chips with Mushroom Sauce and BBQ Meatballs and Potato Salad. I like that there is a range to suit the whole family – especially if the family have different requirements – everyone can have a separate meal without all the rigmarole that goes with cooking separate dishes.
More Reading: Our Youfoodz Review (MUST READ)
5. Muscle Chef
My Muscle Chef provides meals for those striving to achieve health and fitness goals. You choose the plan depending on your preferred outcome. These frozen meals are available at many supermarkets and gyms. Use the My Muscle Chef promo code below to make a great saving off your order.
This is a list of the Cheapest Meal Delivery Services in Australia. What do you think? Do you still consider them cheap or do you find them an expensive luxury not suitable for families?
