A site called SuperMarket Guru posted an article in May, 2006 about the economy of the Easy Meal Prep business. Using statistics gathered by the US Government, they calculated the average price per dinner serving for a member of a four-person family unit, and then compared that to the price per serving offered by several different Easy Meal Prep businesses.

"According to U.S. government statistics, a family of four spends about $4,800 per year on "Food at Home" and another $3,360 on "Dining Out." Add those figures together for the total amount that 4-person families spend on meals, divide by 365 days, and that comes to $22.36 per day. If we allocate 50% of that cost to dinner, figuring that's the most expensive meal of the day, that's $11.18. Divide that by four people and you get $2.80 per serving."

The result? Not too surprising. Cooking with Easy Meal Prep costs about the same amount as cooking from scratch, give or take a little. The Easy Meal Prep companies surveyed averaged out at $2.50 to $2.80 per serving -- but not all of those meals included vegetable side dishes or desserts.

However, the article also mentions that the time customers can save on shopping for ingredients and preparing meals, as well as the quality time friends can spend together if they attend the same prep session, makes up for it. After all, every family could do with a little more conversation and a little less running around.