I finally gave up on meal kit boxes after burning $240 in 4 weeks

For a while I was sure the boxes were saving me money because I hate grocery shopping and I kept telling myself the time was worth it. Then I did the math on a napkin at my kitchen table in Sacramento and it stung: $240 in one month for 12 dinners, and three of those nights I still ordered pizza because I didn't feel like chopping. The ice packs piled up in my freezer, the herbs went slimy in the crisper drawer, and I threw out at least two whole bags of stuff I never got around to cooking. The recipe cards kept promising 30 minutes but with washing and prepping it was closer to an hour, so my Tuesday nights were gone too. What finally got me was a coworker saying she just keeps frozen dumplings and a bag of spinach in the freezer and eats for $3 a night, and I sat there feeling dumb. I'm not saying the boxes are a scam for everyone, but they were a scam for lazy me. Did anyone else do this math and find a cheaper weekday system that actually stuck?