Review by Shannon for Kidspot NZ
As a family of five with three kids under five (yes, there was a point when they were three under three… what were we thinking?), life is pretty full-on most days. We recently moved across the ditch from Australia and were keen to try a meal kit service here in New Zealand to see how it compares.
Between school drop-offs, kindy runs, activities and everything else, dinners can easily turn our house into an absolute state. So I was curious to see if Bargain Box would actually make the week any easier or if it would add to the chaos.
Premium produce and simple savings
The first thing that stood out when it arrived was how great the produce was. Everything was really fresh and easily lasted the whole week. The vegetables were some of the best I have seen, even compared to the two big supermarkets in our town.
Bargain Box definitely made the week simpler. Having everything planned out meant I wasn’t constantly trying to figure out what to cook at 5 pm, and I didn’t end up doing those extra supermarket runs that I usually do. With food prices the way they are, we actually noticed we would have spent less than normal too, which was a nice surprise. We also had leftovers from a couple of meals, so my partner took those to work for lunch the next day, saving a bit of money.
Fuss-free and flexible dinners
What I liked most was the variety. I can easily end up rotating the same few dinners on repeat, so it was nice not having to think about it and just cook something different each night without overcomplicating things. It also meant my partner and I were eating proper meals alongside the kids rather than finishing off leftovers from their plates, which can definitely happen in our house!
One thing I really liked was how flexible the meals were for family life. The recipes were easy enough to follow even after a long day. The two bigger kids got involved here and there, which helped with getting them to actually try the new foods (not sure how helpful that was for mum though!). We tweaked most of the meals, like keeping some plain chicken aside for taco night and turning the crumbed fish into little bites for the kids. For the Pulled Beef Massaman Curry, I put some of the beef, broccoli and pumpkin aside before adding the curry flavours, and served it with plain rice instead. I knew my kids weren’t going to eat a curry, but it meant everyone could still eat the same meal base with a few simple adjustments. We didn’t need any extra ingredients, just a couple of tweaks to keep everyone happy.
My partner also jumped in during the week and somehow managed to cook a perfect medium-rare steak while two kids were basically hanging off him, which felt like a small miracle at the time.
Reducing the mental load
Bargain Box took away a bit of that mental load (which any mum would know: if you can do this, it is always a small win!), it made dinners less rushed, and gave us a bit more variety without adding much extra work.
And of course, the box itself didn’t go to waste in our crafty house. It quickly became a colouring station, then a car, then eventually a spaceship.
Bargain Box for the win
Overall, I would say the week trial of Bargain Box was a success in our mad house and I will be ordering it again. Dinner felt less stressful, everyone was fed and happy, and it just made evenings feel a bit easier than usual, which is really all you can ask for in a busy house like ours. Thanks, Bargain Box.
Our reviewer, Shannon, was provided with a complimentary Bargain Box subscription for one week for the purpose of the review. All views are those of the reviewer.
7 July, 2026
