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Low-Cost Ways to Celebrate Mother’s Day

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low-cost ways to celebrate

This Sunday is Mother’s Day and it is my first as an expecting mother. It is also the first in a couple of years that I will actually be able to see my mother and grandmother during the weekend. Most of us are on a budget these days, so we’ve been digging around for some low-cost ways to celebrate as well as frugal gift ideas. Here’s how we are spending the holiday.

Low-Cost Ways to Celebrate

The best way to save money on your Mother’s Day celebration and other get-togethers throughout the year is by hosting a potluck-style event. This year, we will all be bringing something over to my mom’s for our meal together. I was in charge of bringing a dessert, which is always a relatively low-cost part of the meal. I’ll be bringing cookies and a pie. Here are a few more ideas for low-cost ways to celebrate.

  • Have the party later. Typically, having your celebration the week after the actual holiday can help save you some money. All of the Mother’s Day gifts and cards will be on sale next week, saving you some cash. You will also miss the rush of people at restaurants and other events, which could potentially save you money as well.
  • Scope out deals and freebies. This is another great way to save money on your celebration. Every year there are retailers and restaurants that offer deals and freebies for Mother’s Day. In some cases, you may even be able to score mom a free meal.
  • Create memories instead of buying things. If you are truly focused on finding low-cost ways to celebrate, finding ways to create memories instead of spending money is a good route to go. Do free activities with her like visiting a park or find cheap, fun things to do with her instead of dropping money on a big gift. Chances are, these activities will mean more to her anyway.
  • Start new free (or cheap) traditions. For instance, we used to go on a walk after big meals together (just me and mom). These walks are a memory I’ll always have with her. Look for some traditions you can start with your mom this year that don’t cost much if anything at all.
  • Do lunch instead of dinner. If you are going out to eat, lunch is always cheaper than dinner. You can save a good bit of money by heading to a Mother’s Day breakfast or lunch instead of a dinner out.

Small Gifts

Another way we’ve managed to keep costs down this Mother’s Day is by limiting the amount we are spending on gifts to under $20 per person. It may not seem like a lot, but the gifts we’ve picked out are meaningful. They each also signify each of our mother’s “graduation” into grandmotherhood with the coming of our new child (something each of them is excited about).

All in all, the best thing you can do to keep your Mother’s Day celebration low-cost is by setting a budget and sticking to it. This goes for all of the holidays throughout the year. If you are strict with the budget you have set for your celebration, you’ll be golden.

Readers, how much do you budget for Mother’s Day each year?

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How Much Does It Cost To Have a Baby?

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how much does it cost to have a baby

There are a lot of expenses that should be considered when you have a little one on the way. Prenatal care, the cost of delivery, and then the cost of taking care of your child should all be factored into your budget. So, how much does it cost to have a baby and how can you prepare?

Cost of Prenatal Care

Prenatal care is the first set of expenses you will face when having a baby. The costs associated with prenatal care can vary wildly based on your medical history, special needs, and choices you make throughout the prenatal phase. For instance, if you decide to have genetic testing done, it can increase the overall cost of your prenatal care. Similarly, if you are tested for gestational diabetes and need insulin to maintain your blood sugar, that will impact the cost as well. If you have a difficult pregnancy and require more care than others, this will also increase expenses associated with prenatal care.

Prenatal visits cost between $100 and $150 each and there are around 14 visits throughout your pregnancy. The average total cost lands around $2,000. Without insurance, you can expect to spend between $95 and $200 per visit. However, some appointments where lab work is performed can cost as much as $800. Most insurance companies will pay between 80% and 95% of these costs. So, if you have insurance, you may pay about $15 out of pocket for each visit.

The insurance I have only cover 60% of these visits though. At the end of it, I will be paying $1,060 out-of-pocket for my own prenatal care, possibly more depending on how the pregnancy progresses. If you’re in the same boat, don’t worry! Your doctor will likely have a payment plan available for prenatal care costs. I am paying $278 per month for insurance and $260 a month out-of-pocket directly to the doctor’s office.

Delivery Costs

One of the bigger expenses, of course, is the delivery of your new child. This is not included in your prenatal care costs. For patients without insurance, the cost of a natural vaginal delivery can range from $9,000 to $17,000, depending on your location. If you need to have a C-section or there are complications with your delivery, this can increase the cost to somewhere between $14,000 and $25,000. Other services that may add money to your total will be the induction of labor with drugs and whether or not you have a private room for aftercare.

Individuals with insurance may still have to pay at least a four-figure balance after delivery. The out-of-pocket costs can range from $1,500 to $3,000, but they can very well reach your out-of-pocket maximum for the year. For my insurance plan, the maximum out-of-pocket cost for the year is $6,000. I may very well reach that, depending on the cost of delivery and any unforeseen costs throughout the process.

These delivery costs only cover the cost of caring for the mother though. Your baby will also receive a separate bill. This bill will range from $1,500 to $4,000 for a healthy baby delivered at term. If your baby is premature or has any health complications at birth, this bill can increase significantly.

Cost of the First Year of Life

Beyond delivery and prenatal costs, you will need to think about the other “unseen” expenses of having a new baby. The average middle-income family in the United States can expect to spend about $12,000 on their child during the first year of life. By age two, this increases by about $500 annually.

In the beginning, you can expect to spend about $50 per week on diapers alone. Throughout the first year, this can rack up to an astounding $3,000. So, if you are invited to someone’s baby shower, they really do appreciate receiving those diapers. Oh, and new moms, if you find you have too many of one size, you can take them back. Huggies and Pampers will be accepted at any major retailer to exchange for a different size. If you receive store-specific diapers, you will need to return them there.

On top of the cost of diapers during the first year, new parents typically wind up spending $6,000 on other baby items such as the crib, strollers, car seats, and other big-ticket items to get ready for the new baby. Talk to experienced parents and get an idea of what you really need. You may be focusing on things that aren’t going to get all that much use, to begin with.

How Much Does It Cost To Have a Baby?

All of the costs above considered, to have a baby and get them through their first year of life, you could very well end up spending $50,000. Depending on your insurance plan, the help you receive from friends and family, and other financial factors, this could be dramatically less. There are also a number of resources you can use to decrease the overall cost of prenatal care and delivery. For instance, using a midwife instead of a gynecologist for delivery could save you about 30% of the overall cost.

Additionally, you can look for secondhand clothing, take hand-me-downs from friends and family, and do some bargain hunting when it comes to providing for your child. There are a lot of coupon programs and freebies you can receive that will help you deal with the cost of a new baby.

Readers, how much did it cost you to have a baby? What were the biggest expenses?

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Setting Your Child Up For Financial Success

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setting your child up for financial success

Since we have announced that we are expecting our first child, we have been putting a lot of thought into how we can set our child up for success. We’ve discussed private school vs. public school, reading to them, and teaching them various things. But how do you go about setting your child up for financial success?

Why It Is Important

Neither one of our families had great financial success when we were younger. In fact, there were a lot of moments we remember our parents struggling. Because of this, setting our little ones up with what they need to be financially stable is important to us. It should be important to you, too.

When you are able to display good money habits for your kids, it makes it easier for them to be a financially stable individual as an adult. Beyond that, providing a financially sound environment for your children will also help reduce their own anxiety and tensions in the home all around. So, how do you go about setting your child up for financial success?

Setting Your Child Up For Financial Success

At an early age, you begin doing things with your child to help boost their development. For many families, this takes the form of a nighttime reading session, socializing your child with others, and teaching them some level of responsibility. As they grow older, it is important to also teach them some financial lessons.

  • Encourage saving. Large purchases in life typically take some kind of planning and usually saving. Try and encourage your child to save up for big items they want or things that are important to them.
  • Open a checking account. When your kid reached high school age, it is a good time to open a checking account for them. It will help them learn responsible spending practices. Additionally, when they start working, they will be able to receive a direct deposit.
  • Add your child as an authorized user. Once they have gotten used to using a checking account, consider adding them on as an authorized user on your credit card. This can help teach them more responsibility and kickstart their credit score.
  • Talk to them about their credit. Many young adults enter their lives without knowing anything about their credit score or how to improve it. Be sure you talk to your child about their credit and educate them on secured credit cards. They can be a great way to help them at the beginning of their financial journey.

Bottomline

There are a lot of things that go hand-in-hand with parenting a child that many people don’t often think about. Educating them about finances starting at a young age with saving and through their teenage years will help set them up for financial success later in life.

Readers, when you had your children how did you teach them about money, saving, and debt?

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What Is the Real Problem Behind This Couples’ $232000 in Debt?

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$232000 in debt

Occasionally, I also write on another personal finance website called Saving Advice. The site, which typically gives out financial advice and insights into saving methods, also has a blog section where everyday people can blog about their finances. There are a number of people who have blogged there for over a decade. One of the newest members is what recently caught my attention though.

An American Debt Story

In the original post, the blogger outlined their debt and broke it down into accounts. Immediately, people began to comment on the couple’s astounding debt figures. After having paid off more than $60,000, they remain $232,000 in debt. From the post:

A bit about myself, I’m a thirty-something-year-old woman living in Alaska with her husband who’s in the ARMY and 3 children (16yo girl, 13yo girl, and 4yo boy). I’m a Dave Ramsey enthusiast although I do disagree with some of his teachings (for example, saving $1,000 for emergency fund).

The comment section was full of suggestions on what the family should do as well as other personal stories to help her know that she’s not alone. In fact, a lot of people on the site have paid off six figures in debt. But the real question is how does $232000 in debt accrue?

How Do You Get $232000 in Debt?

First and foremost, if you take a look at the original post (linked above), you will see that the family has FOUR car payments they are in charge of making. This one of the biggest red flags on the list of their debts. They also have tens of thousands of dollars in credit card debt. There are also a number of personal loans and student loans listed as well.

All in all, there has been very little reflection (on the part of the blogger) on what got them into this situation, to begin with. They owe payments on a Prius, truck, van, and RV. There is no doubt with three children that the van is likely needed, but the other vehicles are excess. The blogger says that they use the Prius for Doordash, but even the average Doordash salary would not excuse the monthly cost in car payments.

When it comes to “how does this happen,” it is the lack of self-reflection that plays a huge role. When a problem arises, a loan came through for them in an emergency instead of a savings fund. They have also made a lot of unnecessary expensive purchases.

My Thoughts

Of course, I still hold quite a bit of my own debt. We have not been able to make much progress on our debt freedom journey in recent months, but we are able to truly examine our finances. At this time, while she’s made a huge step in blogging about their debt, she hasn’t truly examined their finances.

She lists budgeting as one of her hobbies in the first post. However, she is still budgeting outside of what they actually have coming in. She is budgeting around debt payments and loan money. I think before she truly makes progress beyond the minimum payments she will have to identify what got them there in the first place.

For our family, we continued to go into debt because we overspent or thought we could afford more than we actually could (i.e. higher rent, too high car payments, etc). This is because we lived paycheck-to-paycheck our entire lives. So, when we got paid, it was “treat yourself” day. Because of this, we have to budget a set amount of money for “fun” activities so we don’t splurge. The reasoning behind their family’s debt will likely look different and so will the solution.

Readers, what do you think about this couples’ $232000 in debt? What would you suggest for them? 

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5 Top Ways to Protect Your Family’s Wealth

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When we start a family of our own, one negative side effect that is shared unanimously around the globe is an anxiety over our loved one’s futures when we are no longer around to care for and protect them.

While this is entirely natural, and cannot be eradicated from late night bouts of insomnia entirely, there are practical steps we can take to make certain that our family’s wealth remains intact, even in our absence, and that they are always safe and provided for. Read more below.

  • Create a Will to Ensure Your Assets Are Distributed According to Your Wishes

Dying without a will represents a significant risk. The only way you can feel confident about your family’s future is by creating a will that is valid, comprehensive, and up to date.

Without it, you could be leaving the future of your estate in the hands of laws of intestacy, which stipulate that only certain, close family members stand to inherit anything from your estate. The rules preclude non-married partners, even those who have been cohabiting for many years, from inheriting, which can put your family’s future in jeopardy.

  • Look into Trusts and How They Can Help to Protect Your Family’s Finances

Trusts are utilised by many people to ensure that their assets are protected during their lifetime, and after their eventual passing. They can be used to ensure that the finances are safeguarded against tax and a wide array of other issues that may interrupt your wishes from being realised.

  • Protect Your Business Assets

It is easy, when looking into ways to protect your family’s wealth, to overlook any business interests or concerns, and to see them as entirely separate. When you are a business owner or shareholder, for instance, ensuring that measures are put into place that ensure the continuity of business as usual will mean that both your business and your family do not run into difficulties in your absence.

One of the most common and effective ways of ensuring this is by appointing LPA, or Lasting Power of Attorney, to someone you trust to continue making importance business decisions on your behalf.

  • Ensure Your Will and Legal Documents are Kept Up to Date

Not only is creating a will essential to protecting your family’s future, but ensuring that it is kept up to date and reflective of your most recent wishes will prove just as vital to your own peace of mind over your family’s future.

For instance, if you and your spouse make the decision to enact an informal separation, then they still stand to inherit from your estate under the rules of intestacy, or under an outdated version of your will.

You cannot feel certain about your family’s future, and the dispensation of your wealth, unless you routinely revisit and make amendments to your will.

  • Don’t Forget Your Digital Legacy

Just a few short decades ago, creating a will meant considering assets that were far easier to keep track of, such as your estate and bank accounts. Nowadays, our estate is also being spread increasingly thin across the digital sphere. The term ‘digital assets’ comprises things as diverse as our digital photo albums, social media accounts, and, in recent years, virtual currencies and e-wallets.

Forgetting this means overlooking a significant portion of your estate – a portion which may be lost or forgotten about entirely. It is equally as important as property and savings accounts, and must be acknowledged fully within a valid will.

The ‘Feel Good’ of a New Year

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new year

Most of us were ready to kick 2020 to the curb at midnight on December 31st. While 2020 definitely was not our best year, it certainly wasn’t our worse. We have so much to still be thankful for in this world and now we have even more to look forward to in the new year.

The new year brings hope to many people. It is a fresh start, endless opportunities, and all of that, right? But what about when the “feel good” of the holiday season wears off and you’re stuck here, in March, with none of the same optimism you had before? What then?

This year, I’m looking for ways to renew that “feel good” of the new year every day.

Why Tomorrow Always Seems Better

As a chronic planner, tomorrow always seems like a better opportunity or day to get things done. Why? Because then I can plan, or really daydream, about everything I’ll get done and how perfect it will be. News flash – nearly nothing works out that way.

In high school, we read The Great Gatsby in class and examined a very similar theme: the idea of something is always better than reality. This is true of many things (in Gatsby, it was The American Dream). My teacher at the time made a connection that has forever stuck with me though. It is like when you wake up on Thursday and all day Thursday you are looking forward to the weekend. It has been a long week, you’re ready to let loose. Once the weekend arrives though, we rarely do all the things and plans we set out to do.

Tomorrow is always where we seem to place the best of what is to come.

Today is the Day in the New Year

This year, I’m attempting to extend the “feel good” of the new year to each day by treating each day as a new opportunity. I’m not a morning person so I can’t say my feet will hit the floor with joy each day, but they will hit the floor with purpose.

Many of us, myself included, could adopt this mindset when it comes to our finances as well. Think about it: if you wake up and decide “today, I will pay $100 towards my debt,” and you do it, you will be that much further along. Instead, much of the time, we put things off until the payment date or until we can pay in full.

Get what you can get done today done and remember tomorrow is yet another opportunity to do even more. This is what will help me (and hopefully you) extend the “feel good” of the New Year beyond the first week.

Readers, we hope you have had a safe and healthy holiday season! What resolutions are you making this year?

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Update: Settling Into Our New Home

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new home

There has not been a lot of time to stop and reflect on financial or life updates for the blog recently. We have been running around like crazy for about four weeks now preparing for a move, moving, and settling in. Finally, we are starting to have what resembles home and a new routine for our family. Here’s how we are settling into our new home.

Goodbye, Atlanta!

new home

I met some truly fantastic people in Atlanta, but living there was not good for my mental health, my marriage, or my relationships with others. My husband and I started looking at homes to rent closer to our original homes again (back to North Carolina). A few weeks into our search, we decided we would probably wait until March to move so that we could be financially prepared. No more going into debt just to improve our immediate circumstances, right?

Well, the universe had different things planned.

Our tiny 450-square foot apartment got bed bugs (again – the second time in two years). Thinking about having to deal with an exterminator coming in, finding a place to go during COVID, and the multitude of other concerns on my plate, I was pretty close to having a mental breakdown. I didn’t even want to be in Atlanta anymore, why were we fighting so hard to stay?

A few things crossed my mind. “Just abandon the lease, there are bed bugs in the apartment.” “We can sleep on an air mattress for a few weeks.” “We have to call the landlord.” “Oh, God, we are in no way financially prepared for this right now.”

Help From Mom

I started talking to my mom about what was going on. She was there throughout the first ordeal with bed bugs. I just needed to vent to someone, but she offered to help pay for us to move out immediately. Who could turn that down? So, we started looking for a new home as if “money weren’t an issue,” as mom said.

Within a couple of days, we found a cute three-bedroom and two-bath house close to where my husband and I grew up. We were approved within a couple of hours of applying and mom helped with all of the deposits, moving truck, and other moving essentials. Just like that, our lives completely changed (and for the better).

The move, in general, has been an immediate improvement in the quality of life for us. We are happier, there is more space, we can see people we love. More importantly, we have so many things to keep us busy.

Shopping and Gifts

We did not bring a single piece of furniture from our apartment in Atlanta. There was no use in risking us bringing bed bugs into our new home. So, instead, we started saving every penny we could to get some small essential things (i.e. a cheaper mattress, living furniture, new towels, etc). We have furnished the house (pretty much) for under $2,000 out of pocket.

Amazon has some great buys as far as mattresses go. We grabbed our 10″ mattress for about $300. My grandmother had a box spring she did not need that we got for free. We also got a side table for the bedroom for free. The living room furniture took some more digging. We spent $300 on a futon and ottoman for the living space and used our old coffee table, TV stand, and television.

new home

A family friend came by with a glass dining table, four chairs, and two barstools. These were a gift. They need to be reupholstered, but that will only cost about $100 to $120 in total. That isn’t too bad for a dining set and stools. Then, last, but not least, my mom bought us a refurbished washer and dryer set ($750 with delivery and installation).

new home

Today, a new desk arrived for my new office space ($65 on Amazon). A new office chair will arrive within a couple of weeks. By February, a beautiful sectional my grandmother purchased as a gift will be here.

Making This Our ‘New Normal’

Overall, as I sit curled up on my futon which will eventually be in my spare room, I can’t help but think about how very blessed we have been. There is no doubt this year has been hard for everyone, but I am feeling hopeful. It is hard to settle into this space when it feels like there is so much to do – so much to straighten up, so much to organize, so much to decorate – but it is already home.

In the mornings, we open the back door and the dog goes into our new backyard. We have a cup of coffee together, then I go into my make-shift office (photo for the laughs).

new home

We are beginning to have what we never did in Atlanta: a routine. Eventually, this little place will fill up with things that depict our character. Memories will flood the hallways and we will make a wonderful life here. For now, there is still a little bit of settling to be done.

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The Quest for Cheaper Housing

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cheaper housing

As I’ve been talking about for a few weeks, we are looking at moving… again. If you have been following the blog for a while, you know we started our financial journey while living in a motel (that is just a step above being homeless). We got moved into our apartment after that, then shortly after got the offer to move down to Atlanta. Since being in Atlanta, we’ve moved twice, and now we are just ready to move away from Georgia altogether. So, we started looking for cheaper housing to start saving more but questioned if it was the right decision.

Cheaper Housing vs. Quality of Living

The first thing you really need to decide is how much of your quality of living you’re willing to give up for cheaper housing. Cheaper is almost always going to mean giving up something. You may find it means shared laundry space, small living quarters, or heavily used appliances.

Consider how much money you would be able to save and how that would help the progress of your financial goals. Would that be worth giving up your quality of living for a short period of time? As a family, we’ve done this. We have been in a studio apartment for going on two years now and it wasn’t worth the discomfort we saved moving here. It has sent us running away from apartment living altogether. Giving up space was not the right decision on our part.

Which brings me to my next point, what are your limits when it comes to pursuing cheaper housing? Is it space, is it amenities, is it location? For us, being able to stay the next place we land for a while is important. We want to have a yard for our dog, extra room for expanding our family, and a home office. This way, we can stay put until we are either debt-free or ready to buy a home.

Should You Relocate to Save Money?

Another thing people often think of doing to help them financially is relocating. Especially now, when many people are working from home, relocating may be a good option. For instance, if you are self-employed, you may consider moving to a state with a lower income tax or if you are starting a family you may want to move somewhere with good schools and low property tax.

You may also find some rural areas have cheaper rent prices and even cheaper real estate. Those moves seem enticing when you look at the large savings, but you should also consider how it will impact your day-to-day life. How far will you have to drive to the store? Will you have to pay more for an internet connection?

Bottomline

There is more to making decisions about your life than how much money you’ll save making that move. You should consider your entire life, happiness, and long-term goals when you are making any big decision in your life, even if it is something as small as seeking cheaper housing.

When it comes down to it, making decisions about your everyday life should take more thought and consideration. For us, our next step will be to find reasonably priced housing that our family can grow into and stay in for a while. Somewhere we can reach debt freedom and start saving for our first home. To me, this will be the perfect find over saving (insert amount here) each month.

Readers, what things do you place more importance on when making decisions in your life? Have you ever made a similar choice about housing? 

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It’s Okay to Need Help

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need help

Sometimes the biggest thing standing in the way of my own progress is my pride. Over the years, people have offered to help us monetarily and otherwise. In almost every instance (unless it was life-or-death), I’ve turned the help down. Something in me would rather count dimes at the Aldi checkout counter than accept help from a friend or family member. But, through the pandemic, I’ve realized something: It is okay to need help. Even more importantly, it is okay to accept help.

Giving Up Power

A lot of the struggle with receiving help from friends or family is giving up the power behind the situation. If I receive help from someone, they are now involved and I owe them something in return (or at least that is how my mind has always worked). I also have to admit I’ve lost control of the situation at hand and need help.

For those times, I have to step back and give up wishing for power over the outcome. Then they can be allowed to help to the best of their abilities, whether it is monetarily or otherwise.

Reaching Out When You Need Help

That being said, most of the time people are not going to offer up help unless they see you are struggling. You may have to reach out and ask your loved ones for assistance. Here are some things you need to consider doing when you reach out for help…

  • Show that you have tried to help yourself. If you need help, your friends and family will be more likely to assist if you have tried to solve the issue on your own.
  • If they have given you advice, demonstrate that you’ve taken it prior to asking for more help.
  • Think about the timing of your request and consider how it may impact them.
  • Don’t make them guess. Just ask for what you want.

These four tips will help guide your discussion in a productive way. Remember, if the answer is no, don’t be upset. No one is obligated to assist you financially or otherwise. Simply tell them you understand.

Conclusion

When it comes down to it, more people need help now than ever. The global pandemic, in conjunction with several other national crises, has made it difficult.

I wanted to share these reflections with you all today because I’ve spoken with a lot of people who are feeling defeated. More of my friends are being forced to move back home or significantly change their lifestyles just to scrape by. There is no shame in it.

There is no shame in packing up and moving home if that is what you need to do to get further ahead.

There is no shame in receiving money from a relative in a time of need.

There is no shame in needing someone else’s help.

Readers, can you think of a time where you had to rely on others to get by? How did it change you? 

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An Honest Blue Apron Family Plan Review: Is It Worth It?

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If you are active on social media, are a foodie, or just love convenience, you may have heard of Blue Apron. It is classified as a meal delivery service that allows you to make gourmet meals from home. It’s even supposed to be great for families! Well, my family tried Blue Apron for a few meals, and here is our full Blue Apron family plan review.

Blue Apron family plan review

So is it worth it?

First things first, we need to go through the pros and cons. Now, it’s important to remember that this is a Blue Apron family plan review. If you plan on ordering the two-person or four-person menu, your view may differ. With that being said, let’s get into it!

Pros:

Convenient

As an introvert, I love convenience whenever I can get it. Blue Apron was delivered right to my doorstep, and everything was already measured and ready for me to use it when I was ready. Plus, I didn’t have to worry about my food overheating because it was packed with two ice packs to keep it nice and cool. I loved that I didn’t have to go out to be able to prepare meals for me and the hubby. 

Relatively Easy To Cook

If you aren’t much of a cook, my Blue Apron family plan review may not be a big help for you. I love cooking, so the meals from Blue Apron were fairly easy to make for me. However, if you can easily burn water, you may need to order Blue Apron a few times before you get the hang of things.

They do offer recipe cards, but mistakes can still happen, so keep that in mind. Overall, I think Blue Apron does a great job and showing you the process of making the meals they send you.

Options For Meat Eaters

Are you or your family meat eaters? Then you will love Blue Apron.

In our box we received recipes for Chipotle-Glazed Meatloaf with Crispy Potatoes, Moroccan Chicken with Prunes & Brown Rice, and Spicy Shrimp Coconut Curry with Green Cabbage & Rice. All three dishes had different meats, so it was hard to get bored, like you get when you eat chicken three or four days in a row.

Gourmet Food Without Going Out

Grabbing a fancy dinner sounds less appealing when you can get a fancy dinner delivered to your door. This is something my family, especially my husband, enjoyed. Not only did it get us all into the kitchen, but we were able to create what we felt were beautiful masterpieces. So if you are looking to have a special dinner with your family, the Blue Apron family plan could be a good choice. 

Customer Service

My Blue Apron family plan review wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t add this pro. The customer service at Blue Apron is amazing! Our order was late when FedEx couldn’t find our home. Instead of saying “Not our problem.” Blue Apron apologized and guaranteed our food and satisfaction or they would make it up to us!

I didn’t even really mind if the order was a little late, but it was nice to know that Blue Apron cared enough to reach out to me and take responsibility for something that wasn’t their fault.

Cons:

Now that I’ve given you the pros for my Blue Apron family plan review, let’s take a look at the cons:

Too Much Packaging

This may not be a con for some, but I didn’t like how much packaging came with all of the food. Although I understand that Blue Apron has to keep items like eggs safe, it was a disappointment to see so much plastic. I tend to buy almost all of my grocery items using reusable bags and jars, so of course my opinion may differ from yours.

Food Can Be Bland

My family loves spice. We love our food well seasoned, so we choose our meals based on what sounded spicy or super flavorful. To our surprise, two of our three dishes were bland. Even I had to add quite a bit of salt to up the flavor of my dishes, which I normally don’t salt my food at all. For food that looked so tasty, I definitely expected more flavor.

Portions Are Too Small

As with the other pros and cons for my Blue Apron family plan review, your opinion may differ from mine. For my family, I thought the portions were incredibly small for what Blue Apron was charging per meal ($10/person). When I first started unboxing our items, I thought the portions wouldn’t be enough, and I was right. My husband was usually hungry after each meal. Even I found myself grazing on food from the fridge after eating our dinner.

Expensive

This brings me to my next con for my Blue Apron family plan review. While I love the convenience of delivery, I don’t like that for $10/person I only get a small serving of food that I have to make myself. If your family normally spends an exorbitant amount on groceries every week, Blue Apron may save you money, but for us, it would cost more in the long run.

I am normally able to buy all of our food (for a family of two) for about $80 or less a week. With Blue Apron, I only got a few meals for about the same price. Because I love saving money, and don’t want to spend a small fortune on food, this is one of the biggest cons that I had about Blue Apron. 

No Options For Non-Meat Eaters (Family Plan)

Blue Apron has a lot of catching up to do if they want to appeal to vegetarians or vegans. I typically eat vegan when cooking for myself, and my family is mainly vegetarian. We understood that Blue Apron didn’t offer a family plan for vegetarians, but it was still disappointing. There are also not many options for the non-veggie eater, like my husband. Almost every meal has veggies along with it.

There are so many people jumping on the vegan and vegetarian bandwagon, and Blue Apron is losing out on potential loyal customers because they don’t offer meatless options. But of course, I understand this may not be an issue for everyone. If you are a meat eater, or don’t mind eating meat, you are good to go. If you are a vegetarian or vegan, you may want to look elsewhere for your meal delivery service (at least for now).

So there you have it, my Blue Apron family plan review. Overall, I don’t think I would use Blue Apron again, but I do think they have quite a few perks that may appeal to others. If you want to invite me over for dinner though, I won’t object!

Try out the Blue Apron family plan for yourself. You can use our link and get $30 off your first order!

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Photos courtesy of Kim Studdard.