Ever heard of Huel? Probably. If you're like me and rarely go online anymore, though, probably not. "Huel (Human + Fuel) is nutritionally complete food. This means every Huel meal contains a balance of all 27 essential vitamins and minerals, protein, essential fats, carbs, fiber and phytonutrients in a single product." (From their website.) It's relatively inexpensive, filling, and quick to make. Huel Hot & Savory, which is their freeze-dried food product, is ready in five minutes, while the shake-powder version is even easier to prepare. Huel was recommended to me as a cheap and easy way to get calories and nutrients, while not breaking the bank. Let's face it, cooking every day is hard to do, even when living in a house or apartment. Never mind having to do the dishes at the end of the day. (My least favorite chore.) But Huel erases all that. For their Hot & Savory line, just add hot water to the bag and let it soak for a minimum of five minutes, although twenty is recommended. Still, for something that's nutritionally complete and fairly tasty while requiring no cleanup or prep, that's a pretty good bargain. Now, I'm not sponsored by Huel. So now that we've talked about all the pros, let's get to the cons.
Huel is, despite being inexpensive, not exactly cheap. I did a cost analysis of what it would take to buy a 3 month supply, not as a supplement to usual dining habits but if I was going to eat Huel and nothing but every day, three times a day. 1 bag of Huel Hot & Savory contains 7 meals. Eating 3 meals a day for 90 days is about 270 meals. 270 divided by 7 = ~39 (rounding up) 39 bags of Huel is a lot of bags. And with each bag being around 26 dollars... You're looking at at least 1,026 dollars. Divide that by 3 months, you're looking at roughly 342 dollars per month. Now, Huel gives you a 10% discount if you spend more than $120, so that number is closer to $308. Not a bad number, per say, but for van life purposes, well, it's erring on the expensive side. At least for me. So, what are the alternatives? Well, I listen to a podcast that had a sponsor on that offered food prep packages. You know, the kind you buy for when the end is nigh. My Patriot Supply, they're called, and unlike other food prepping companies, they've got some pretty good prices. Like, really good. The one that caught my eye was, of course, the 3 month supply package, which you can find here. And, unlike Huel's Hot & Savory, which is only roughly 400 calories per meal, My Patriot Supply offers 2,000 calories per day, with a total of around $6.63 per each day. So, to review; Huel Hot & Savory - 90 day supply = $1,026 (340-308/mo) 400cal x 3 = 1,200cal/day
Let me know if anyone's found any alternatives to the two above, or if you've managed to survive just fine on plain rice and beans without bothering with extensive budgeting. For me, budgeting is fun and helps my dollar go a lot further than it would have been if I had just gone with the cheapest or easiest option. See you on the road!
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Author"To see the world. Things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, to draw closer, to find each other and feel. That is the purpose of life." Archives
November 2023
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