It’s Sunday and you’re meal planning, talking oh-so-confidently about how well prepared you are for the week. Suddenly, Tuesday rolls around and you’ve completely derailed from the plan. Yeah, we’ve all been there. Hello Fresh is a fantastic meal service to help combat the looming pressure of cooking a timely, cost-effective and taste bud-satisfying meal.
- It makes meal planning *that* much easier.
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Hello Fresh has six new meals every week for you to choose from. The company delivers and offers flexible cancellation policies.
- Don’t worry, it’s still a healthy option
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If you had to pick between greasy fast food and Hello Fresh, the meal service is probably your best bet. Most meal plans are between 500 and 800 calories. Each recipe offers a breakdown of the nutritional facts. According to The Washington Post, Hello Fresh has an in-house dietitian to review every meal.
- It’s doable on your cliche-college-ramen-noodle-budget.
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The website advertises the price as $3.49-$4.99 per serving. Cheaper than going out to eat, right? (For reference, it’s cheaper than my Boss Lady Pizza, Chick-Fil-A and Noodles and Company orders.)
- There are a few ways to hack it!
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Typically, if you leave your shopping cart sitting for a day or even a few hours, you will get a coupon emailed you to incentivize you to fulfill your purchase. Through the UNiDAYS service, college students automatically receive 15% off and free shipping on every box. You can verify your college and student status super easily and then you get a code to use on your next purchase. So rally your roommates, rack up the discounts and split the price!
- The power of substitutes
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If the little green lime logo isn’t doing it for you, check out Home Chef, Green Chef, or Blue Apron. Both have similar trial-period deals and Home Chef uses Student Beans to give you 50% off your first order (and of course, all the brands pop up in your Facebook and Instagram feed just minutes later showering you with coupons and deals!).
- Talk about good marketing!
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If Jessica Alba and Hillary Duff on the cute lil’ @hellofresh Instagram can’t convince you, I don’t know what will.
- ~Expanding your taste buds~
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As the pickiest eater ever, I’ve still tried spices and flavors I’ve never been exposed to and, quite frankly, wouldn’t have tried on my own.
- It actually teaches you something.
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As someone who has little to no cooking interest or expertise and the pickiest palette known to man, I’ve loved Hello Fresh. I’ve always had a fun time cooking it (blasting music of course)! The service teaches you how to manage both an entree and sides. You have to sautee, stir, and slice things all at once.
My roommates and I have set off the fire alarm one too many times to not try Hello Fresh and absolutely love it. It makes shopping, prepping, cooking, and cleaning faster and easier for our busy schedules, impatient appetites, and tight wallets. Go online now to Hello Fresh and get cooking!