This summer will be the first time I'm living alone in the city, working a 40 hour week, and cooking for myself. The entire experience is daunting, and after a long day at work the last thing I want is to cook food. Some days I get home and think, "Wouldn't life be a little easier if all the ingredients I needed could magically appear in front of me?" And that is where food subscription services enter!

They're a bit easier, still homemade and healthy, and cheaper than takeout. While this isn't a complete list of all the subscription services out there, these are the most commonly known and have the ability to deliver across the country!

Blue Apron

First up, Blue Apron. When you hear "food subscription service" you probably think of this company. As one of the first pioneers into the food subscription service market, they're often one of the first names to come to mind. Their mission is to bring farm fresh produce and vegetables to your table, and they source most of their ingredients from farms they've partnered with.

Pricing: Two or four person plan, ranging from 2 meals/week to 4 meals/week. Pricing ranges from $9.99/serving to $7.49/serving with individual serving prices decreasing as the # of meals + # of people on the plans increase.

Meal types: Offer a vegetarian option. 

The down-and-dirty tip: Customers have complained that it can be a bit difficult to cancel Blue Apron since they utilize an email cancellation process.

Fun fact: Blue Apron recently started a partnership with Chrissy Teigen and is currently offering a few of her recipes to be included in your subscription!

Sunbasket  

This one's a personal favorite. I was recently introduced to Sunbasket when I spent a week with some family friends. Their seared pork was so delicious that it actually begged the question of whether or not I should use a food subscription service this summer. Sunbasket emphasizes convenient, healthy eating and their recipes do just that!

Pricing: Classic Menu or Family Menu plans, ranging from 2-4 meals/week. Pricing ranges from $11.99/serving to $10.99/serving. On their site, they say that the Classic Menu will offer more variety while the Family Menu will offer more value. 

Meal types: With the Classic Menu you can choose from Chef's Choice, Paleo, Lean & Clean, Gluten-Free, Vegetarian, Mediterranean, Vegan, Pescatarian, Diabetes-Friendly, or Quick & Easy. On the Family Menu side, you can pick from Chef's Choice or Vegetarian.

The down-and-dirty tip: No matter what meal plan you begin with, you can always mix & match.

Fun fact: If there's a part of the recipe that they're less than pleased with, Sunbasket will send you a substitute with a note explaining the reasoning behind the substitution. 

HelloFresh

HelloFresh is a food subscription service all about convenience, from the way they market their product to the way their subscriptions are monitored. Not only do they offer 7 days/week delivery, it's free of charge! Part of their business model is that they also make it easy to pause, cancel, or change your subscription. 

Pricing: There are three plans you can choose from- Veggie Plan, Classic Plan, and Family Plan. The first two are $9.99/serving and the Family Plan is $8.74/serving. You can choose between 2-4 people and 2-4 meals/week. 

Meal types: Classic and Veggie. 

The down-and-dirty tip: HelloFresh doesn't include salt, pepper, sugar, and oil in their packages since they assume that their customers already have those ingredients.

Fun fact: You can get a student discount for 15% off each box through UniDays.

Plated

Plated has a simple premise- delicious, healthy, and easy meals for food lovers, from food lovers. Well known for its high level of customization and its quality products, the higher price tag of this food subscription service may be well worth it. 

Pricing: You have the option to choose between 2-4 servings and 2-4 nights/week. Pricing starts at $11.95/serving and goes down to $9.95/serving. 

Meal types: Meat, Seafood, Vegetarian, Dessert.

The down-and-dirty tip: Plated is only subscription service on this list that allows you to add a dessert option!

Fun fact: TIME Magazine rated Plated as their #1 choice for meal kits in this article.

So what's the big takeaway? These meal kits can definitely be more convenient for you as they do the heavy work of planning out meals, grocery shopping, and separating ingredients for you. Keep in mind, the pricing means that most of these services will be a bit more expensive than the average home-cooked meal.  However, they may provide the taste and convenience of takeout without the price tag!