It is our job to show people how to make the most of their Vitamix. We tout its potential to improve health and wellbeing. But one day we realized we needed to take a closer look at our at-home blending habits.
How much do we actually use our Vitamix?
Tracking our own Vitamix usage
We decided to start tracking our own Vitamix usage. After all, we were curious to see if we were truly practicing what we preached. So for one year, we published monthly “Vitamix Usage Reports” showing the frequency and variety of our blending. And we were surprised by what we discovered.
On average, we used our Vitamix 1-2 times daily, and double that if you count the cleaning cycles. Some staples, like green juice, smoothie bowls, and queso, we made several times over the month.
If you break down the ratio of staples recipes to new, it as about 80/20. Most of the time, were making the recipes we knew well and made all the time. But in that 20% of the time, there was a wide variety. Each month, we made all sorts of soups, sauces, dressings, ice creams, and other seasonal recipes.
Interestingly, we noticed that the act of documenting our usage actually motivated us to use our Vitamix even more. Of course, we were accountable to our audience. But even being accountable to our self would have boosted our creativity and got us blending more. It’s amazing what a little white board can do!
The eye-opening results and their impact
Over the year of publishing these Usage Reports, we began to calculate the health benefits and cost savings of our Vitamix habits. We compared the nutritional value and cost of our homemade blends to their store-bought counterparts. To no surprise, our Vitamix was saving us thousands of dollars while providing healthier, more nutrient-dense meals for our family.
To illustrate these findings, we created a video titled “Our Vitamix is Worth $134,159.50 to Our Family.” This video broke down the cost savings and health benefits of our most frequently made items, showcasing the incredible value our Vitamix provided.
Specific learnings from various reports
Looking back at all the monthly reports, there were several interesting takeaways. Here are a few that stood out:
Our Vitamix usage went up when we were busy at work. We used the Vitamix as a tool to make quick meals for immediate consumption and for batches of food we could eat later.
Our Vitamix usage went down when we were traveling. But when we got back, we so grateful for the healthy food and drinks.
We blended seasonally more than we give ourselves credit for. Most holidays we found ourselves putting the Vitamix to work in more ways than one. At times, we were making dishes for traditional family meals. And after, we made the staples like green juice and detox salad which made us feel alive again after the rich meals.
We discovered new staples like smoothie bowls. We are usually hesitant to buy into the hype of trending recipes. But the utility and creativity and overall goodness that smoothie bowls provide, for example, had us thinking, “What took us so long?”
Business ideas frequently came up in conversation about the food and drinks coming out of our Vitamix. Should we do a food truck featuring our queso and other incredible sauces we’ve been making? Ultimately, we’d come back to the satisfaction of how much value we were generating from our lifestyle over actually starting a business around that feeling.
Moving to a new home made us realize that you should pack your blender last. That way, you can feed yourself until the last minute. And when you’re unpacking, you can access the blender first. Being unsettled is really challenging, and having the ultimate tool for nourishment available for as much as possible is key.
Looking back
By tracking our usage over a year, we learned some valuable lessons about accountability and the true value of our Vitamix. Now, I don’t recommend starting a blog and writing up your Vitamix usage in detail with links to each recipe. But jotting down how you use your Vitamix over your first couple of months is an exercise you definitely might want to consider.
