Ilyssa emailed in the following tip:
Since it’s back-to-school time, people are probably thinking a lot about the added expenses of going to school. I’ve found that one of the largest expenses is school lunches.
My children’s school charges $2.75 a day for lunch. That works out to be about $495 each school year (per child).
Since I’ve never been pleased with the school lunch options (a typical week at my child’s school looks like this: tacos, pizza, spaghetti, grilled cheese, nachos… ugh!), I decided to make sure my kids had a healthy, delicious lunch packed for them each day. It takes a little extra time each evening, but it’s worth it!
Entrees:
– Homemade pizza. An entire cheese pizza can be made for about $5. A slice in the lunchbox would cost about $0.60.
– Quiche Cup: (Can be made in a cupcake tin) A dozen eggs and a brick of cheese can make 12 quiche cups. The cost per cup is about $0.30.
– PB&J Sandwich: Costs about $0.35 to make at home.Sides:
Organic baby carrots go on sale at my grocery store for $0.49 a bag. They run this sale about once a month. I always stock up, because one bag lasts me a week. That’s only $0.10 a day! It’s a perfect side item in the lunchbox!
Crackers can be found for about $2 a box (without coupons). One box should last about 2 weeks. That’s only $0.20 a day. Cheese bricks often go on sale for $2. You could slice it up and add it to the crackers. One 8 oz brick lasts me about one week. Only $0.40
a day.Yogurt easily found on sale for $0.50 each.
You can easily put together a combination of these items for $1.50. And you can search through your stockpile to find items that might be even cheaper. At $1.50 a day, you’ll save $225 over the course of the school year. -Illyssa
Rachel says
I just read a great suggestion for keeping an apple from browning… cut it up and then put it back together into a whole to protect it from air! Also, love that the cheese slices are puzzle pieces and can be played with! Where did you find that cutter?!
sarah says
I’ve primarily packed lunch for my son since he started K. But mid-way through last year and again with school starting this year (3rd grade), he brings everything back un-touched. This despite me sending carefully crafted lunch trays each day. I’m discouraged because my food is healthier, whole food, and less expensive than the cafeteria. And what kid won’t eat grapes, cheese, turkey, and veggies? I offered to split the savings with my son, but he doesn’t understand that incentive yet. So, we’re shifting to buying lunch more / packing less. Who knows if he eats the school lunch. And this year I have two kids in school.
Teresa says
How does the poster maker her homemade pizza for lunch? I am just curious. I try to make “lunchable” style pizza with tomato sauce in a container, and cheese and pepperoni in silicon muffin cups inside a sandwich box. I have used various “crusts” but curious what others use. I have tried pita mini’s (from Trader Joe’s 1.79 for a pack of 16), English muffins, and those round flat sandwich thins. The pitas have been the most successful, but I would love to have other options.
Heather says
My kids also eat a limited number of school lunches but for a very different reason than the price. We live in a world of food allergies. My dd is peanuts, milk, eggs, and wheat…the least of these being milk. DS1 is milk, eggs, and wheat…the least of these being wheat. Because of the peanut allergy in our house, we do almond butter or cashew butter (best but expensive). We have to buy all our snacks to be milk, egg, and wheat free. This is not a cheap way to live but it’s still better than the alternative.
Does anyone have thoughts/suggestions about how to keep the price down on food with these kinds of restrictions in mind?
One of their favorite snacks is apples with honey, so the apple preserved is salt is something I am definitely going to try.
crenee says
Thank you! My youngest is lactose intolerant and I don’t send pb&j with my oldest because of all the kids with nut allergies. Your ideas were great! Sorry, I don’t have a whole lot of ideas to offer since our youngest is 1 and we just realized how severely lactose intolerant she is, but thank you for your ideas.
Lisa says
Ladies, and Gents….
Looking for lunch ideas for school DS is dairy/soy/red dye 40 intol…
We are trying we wean out grains and he will NOT eat eggs :((((
Help
Lisa
Heather says
we do wraps, we have found a teft wrap (wheat free) at our grocery store….our health food store gave us the heads up. I also buy rice based cheese, and dairy free ranch dressing. I know these seem like extras but when you live with allergies and intolerance sometimes those little splurges are the saving flavor. 🙂 My kids also wouldn’t drink the soy milk so we went to almond milk with more success. My cousin who has one child that’s allergic to eggs and the other allergic to milk told me to search “vegans who eat meat” that got me headed in the right direction. I would also look for a good health food store. If you find one they will be worth their weight in gold as a resource for you. The one I use, both the manager and the owner have food allergies/intolerances and that made all the difference for us early on.
Carob Chips-taste like chocolate
Rice Dream makes rice based chocolate bars that my kids love (this was after a lot of trial and error)
There is also an egg substitute that you can buy….so like we will make french toast (yes means we’re using wheat) with almond milk, egg substitute, and a little cinnamon…we actually like it better than how we used to make them. 🙂
Pam@behealthybehappywellness says
My kids won’t eat the school lunches (thankfully!), so I created a simple “formula” to help me quickly and easily pack a healthy lunch – as long as I follow the formula I know they have a nice variety of food, plenty of nutrients and enough to keep them full! Here it is: http://behealthybehappywellness.com/2013/08/easyhealthy-lunch-formula-for-your-kids/
Carissa Houston says
I love this post for 2 reasons: 1. The prices you listed are easy to find, “everyday” sale/good prices that can be counted on week in and week out. [vs. crazy coupon sales prices you used to stock up once.] 2. You’ve subtracted the homemade lunch cost from the school lunch cost to get your real savings number. [vs. counting only the school lunch cost as your “savings”.]
Thank you!
Helena @ LivingGreenDayByDay says
You bring up some great ideas about saving money on school lunches. I want to point out another way to save money on school lunches. I NEVER buy plastic bags or disposable containers (like juice boxes or those Capri Sun pouches, or individual servings of fruit, etc.). Instead I use a reusable stainless steel water bottle that we save and use from year to year, reusable insulated lunch bags, reusable utensils that I place in a washable fabric bag I made with scrap fabric, reusable stainless steel or plastic containers for their sandwiches, snacks, etc. You can see pictures of the containers I bought years ago and still use for my daughter every year for school on my blog Living Green Day by Day. Since I started with reusable containers I imagine I have saved at least $1,000 a year at least compared to having to buy Capri Sun’s or juice boxes, plastic baggies to put snacks in, etc.
Amy says
I am all about saving money, and I think there is one aspect that no one has touched on. I work very hard to feed my kids well-rounded diets. I want them to try new things and to embrace a healthy eating lifestyle. With that in mind, I pack their lunches every day. I know exactly what they are eating (and in some cases, what they are not eating) and can make sound health-related decisions about their diet daily instead of a school deciding for me.
As I spend a tad more on some organic foods or healthier options I always remind myself of the sky-rocketing medical costs and cannot help but think that I am doing everything I can to help my kids avoid such bills when they are adults.
Bethany M says
SO loving the puzzle piece cheeses!
Laurie says
I have 2 kids in elementary school and they have never wanted school lunches. I have saved thousands over the last 5 years. They get to choose what they want packed everyday. I am currently only shopping at Trader Joes so my food bill has gone up,but our food no longer has a the additives,sugars and processed stuff. They are very good eaters. All the tips were great.
Jen says
I think it totally depends on the area you live in and how much your school lunch costs. It’s only $2 here, and kids get entree, side, fruit, veggie, and milk. I think that’s a good deal. Fruits, veggies, and milk alone are so expensive, that I’m not really saving much by packing. However, I do pack because my daughter is picky and won’t eat a lot of the cafeteria food. I want to make sure she has a nutritious filling lunch even if it costs me a bit extra!
Stephanie says
After taking a food safety course, I am very frightened about sending potentially dangerous food in a lunch bag. If food is not kept at the right temperature for more than 4 hours then the kids are at a huge risk for Food Born Illness. How do you ladies get the food to stay temperature controlled? I haven’t let my poor kids take lunch that isn’t PBJ, crackers, etc for a year now. They absolutely hate eating the same thing every day and its costing me school lunches twice a week to get them content. I have just been completely frightened by lunch meat, any meat left overs, eggs and yogurt.
Any ideas are so welcome!!
Jessica says
A refreezable icepack. Or freeze a waterbottle (leave 1″ at the top before freezing to allow the water to expand). Put the water bottle into the insulated lunch bag to keep it cold. If you put it in the lunch bag at 8am their lunch will stay cold till noon.
Jen says
I put an ice pack in my daughter’s insulated lunch box every day.
Heather says
Use an insulated lunch bag. Definitely use the cooler ice packs. I also put plenty of ice in the water bottle. Often, I make the sandwiches with frozen bread. Make sure that your meats aren’t about to expire, and you should be fine. In other words, choose the freshest ingredients so that they are just that much farther from spoilage. Sometimes they get homemade cookies or muffins from the freezer. So a lot of the lunch is starting out frozen.
I think that food safety courses sometime are a bit over the top in inducing fear. My mother sent us to school with tuna and other meat sandwiches with no cooler pack or anything back in the 70s and 80s and I’m hear to tell the tale! (I know, I know, that’s anecdotal, and proves nothing . . . ).
Maybe we need someone from countries without refrigeration to give us some tips!
Lori Ewart says
I found the Wonder Bread designed “Crustable” maker at the Dollar Tree yesterday. Also, I found a small Aladdin thermos for hot items for lunches for $2.99 in the clearance cart at Dillions (Kroger’s) today as well as a 5-pack of small freezable waterbottles for $ 2.99. 🙂
Jamie says
Any idea on where the cutter used for that cheese came from?? I haven’t seen cookie cutters that small but my kids LOVE those overpriced bag of Mickey Mouse-shaped cheddar cheese slices.
Rose says
Jamie, search for vegetable cutters on Amazon.
Michelle says
Try King Arthur Flour — http://search.kingarthurflour.com/search?p=Q&asug=&af=type%3Aproducts&w=mini+cookie+cutters
They have a ton of mini cutters (but I didn’t see the puzzle ones).
Jen says
I have that cutter pinned on Pinterest! Just went and got the link. http://www.thelunchpunch.com/lp/index.php/products/match-munch/
Jessica says
That’s nice if your kid will actually eat what you give them. My child is very, very, very picky. Most of the time, the food comes home destroyed (like last week’s crackers crushed into a million pieces and the cheese melted) or uneaten (yesterday’s peanut butter sandwich).
Also, the math doesn’t totally add up. The school lunch comes with a fruit/veggie, milk, entree and a side. If you send an apple $.40 or so, a pb sandwich $.25 or so, a cup of milk in a thermos $.25-.50 depending on the cost of milk in your area, and a side such as a granola bar of $.50, you’re almost at the cost of a school lunch.
In addition, many families will qualify for free or reduced school lunch. A family of 4 can earn up to $42,000 per year and get free or reduced lunch.
Our school district has free universal breakfast. It includes milk or fruit juice and a hot entree or cold cereal.
As a homeowner, I pay property taxes which is how our schools are funded in Ohio, so yes I’m paying for that “free” breakfast. But my daughter won’t eat at home before school because she claims to not be hungry that early in the morning. So she eats the free breakfast at school.
Lisa says
We do qualify for reduced lunches. They are .40 per lunch.
They are required to take 3 fruit/veggies or it doesn’t qualify for the reduced price.
The schools have also changed a lot in their menus totaled sure the kids get well rounded,
healthy lunches. My kids bring lunch from home on a day they don’t like what is being served.
amie says
School meals have changed. I am a teacher and students are required to take fruit and veggies. Their toast, bun, and biscuits are whole wheat. They are only able to get free seconds on fruits and veggies. Sadly, most students at my school hate it and toss out the good food. Last school year, I initially declined when students offered me their uneaten fruit because I wanted to make sure they ate enough, but after watching them use apples and oranges as basketballs for the trash can, I started to accept. I only bought bananas during that time. I am teaching older students this year and I am happy to say they eat their fruit. I think they are just hungrier than my previous class.
Heather @ My Mothermode says
The new healthier lunch has motivated my children to happily take a less expensive packed lunch. It’s healthy, too, but they know I’ll throw in a little sweet yogurt or single piece of candy. I was all about whole wheat, organic, and anti-sugar the first four years of motherhood. Then peers, grandparents, and the schools introduced them to junk and it has been a battle ever since!
jc says
Our schools, too, proclaim to have a healthier food program. And while some of the food is healthier, all the options really are not. Our lunches are $2.40 for elementary school and the prices go up after that. I’m pretty sure I can make their lunch healthier (possibly cheaper) or at least the same price from home. And, I know everything that is going in it.
I let my kids try the “healthier” food program last year, and really the biggest change was an addition to fruit, which is a plus and the kids did enjoy it… but if you’re still serving processed, fatty chicken nuggets, or tacos dripping with grease I’m not sure I see the better quality or better decision in that. Anyways, I’m loving the ideas here, and dipping the apples in the pineapple or orange juices. My kids love apples, but won’t touch them if they are brown. And the pb&j in the freezer, I don’t know why I’ve never tried that, but I know my youngest would LOVE it. I’m looking into a good thermos for warm meals (soups, etc.)
Kim says
I guess it depends on where you live. Here in Georgia elem, lunch is 1.25. That includes drink, entrée and 3 sides. You can not pack a lunch for that price! I am not saying I would buy it for my children but it would be cheaper than packing.
Leslie says
We are in GA too but our lunches are $2.25/day. I can easily pack a $1 lunch myself and it’s much healthier than school lunches. She gets water in a re-usable bottle – free. When you add up the cost of two slices of bread w/ pb & j, or a few crackers, ham and cheese, or egg salad, etc. add in some fruit / veggies or pretzels, etc. It’s easily just as inexpensive as $1.25 for a school lunch. But, I also don’t buy food in small, pre-packaged wrappings – like raisins, pb crackers, goldfish, etc. I buy bigger boxes and dispense them myself in re-usable snack bags.
Stephanie says
I do the same things as you, Leslie. I’m in Coastal GA and we are paying $2 for lunch in middle school. Next year, my daughter goes to high school…so prices go up for us too! 🙁
We do water for lunch with the occasional fruit/vegetable mix juice when I can find pouches that are affordable with coupons. My daughter is a big fruit eater and the fruit/vegetable in her lunches cost me a fortune. She loves to make a big salad and put the dressing in a plastic baby food container to mix together. A few crackers, sliced cheese and that’s her preferred lunch. Honestly, I’m thinking that I am over the $2 the school charges. However, since the salad option at our school comes smothered in ranch dressing…my daughter won’t touch it.
amie says
I’m in GA too and I think our lunches are $1.75. I do shop with sales and coupons, buy manager’s specials, and bake from scratch, and we also spend less than $1 per lunch. Today’s lunch was a hard boiled egg (0.08), a pack of peanut butter crackers (0.08), a thermos of milk (.25), an oatmeal bar (I estimate just a few cents since all the ingredients were on hand), a fruit snack (.05), and some grapes (.30). My son is in Kindergarten and actually likes to save some snacks to eat in the car on the way home. We also do sandwiches (pb&j or bologna/salami & cheese) and carrot sticks. My husband and I always pack our own left-over lunches and it has saved us a ton over the years. My son’s district has applied to get free lunch for the county. They’ve asked that all families complete the free/reduced application. We did so knowing that we would not qualify, but wanting to help out. If everyone goes free than I may let my son eat school lunch.
Erin says
$2.40 for elementary lunch here
$2.55 for middle school/high school
This is in Texas and without the free/reduced lunch price.
The Prudent Homemaker says
A couple of ideas to put in the same items for even less:
Sam’s Club has cheese in a 5 pound block for around $2.50 a pound or less all year long. (The blocks at the grocery store are usually 8 ounces, or half a pound).
Most stores have a lower price on carrots in a bulk bag (2 pound bag, 5 pound bag, or 10 pound bag) if you want to cut them up yourself. In a 10 pound bag I pay .39 a pound for regular carrots.
Homemade crackers are just a couple of cups of flour, a little salt, and some type of fat (oil, butter, etc.). My family would go through more than a box at a time with 7 children; they love homemade crackers and they are simple.
We also make homemade Greek yogurt. If you have containers with lids, you can just put it in there.
When apples go on sale, fill your refrigerator drawers with them; they will last a few months when kept cold. (So will oranges).
eva says
I was wondering how you make homemade Greek yogurt?
Anna @ Frugal For You says
I have made “greek”-type yogurt by straining regular yogurt (the big container, not the small single packs) through a fine-mesh sieve. I put it over a bowl, which collects the whey. It gets thick in a few hours in the fridge. And then I just put it back in the container. I also add the whey to smoothies.
sarah says
Thanks Anna – I’m going to try this. Although I don’t know where to find a fine mesh sieve.
Michelle says
Coffee filters inside a regular colander do the trick too.
Anna @ Frugal For You says
I was excited to find that apples last so long in the fridge veg crisper. We picked some from an apple orchard mid-October ($1.29/lb) and were still good in December. I will have to try the salt trick and dipping them into pineapple or orange juice.
Cheryle says
My question is for The Prudent Homemaker. How do you make Homemade crackers?
crenee says
When you add it up, it is a lot. I went an entire year (kindergarten) without packing a lunch for my oldest and duh! If I don’t pack mine, it adds up, so it will for my child too. We try to do at least 3-4 times per week. I know I will have to eventually do it every day as my youngest is severely lactose intolerant and a lot of the lunches at school have cheese or some sort of dairy. I use to pack my oldest pb&j for lunch but every class she has been in there has been a student with nut allergies and I feel nervous about it especially since we have an extended family member with severe nut allergies. So, I’m trying to be creative and see what options are out there.
Housewifeforlife says
There are quite a few nut-free butters out there… SunButter (sunflower seed), Wow Butter (soy–website offers free sample), Sneaky Chef (pea butter)… I would highly recommend trying one.
Jen says
This is a great post! I’m curious how you warm the quiches? My kids would never eat cold quiche. Of course, neither would I!
Our kiddos pack their own lunches once they hit about 2nd grade. Of course, I oversee but each night while I’m cleaning up dinner, they are required to pack their own lunches. Works for both of us that way!
Staci says
We use a Thermos. I heat the thermos with boiling water before adding hot food and it stays warm through lunchtime. My 8 year old is picky about temperature and he says its perfect!
amie says
I have got to look into a food thermos for my son. I like all the warm food ideas that I see. I did buy him a thermos for his milk, but I think he’d like some warm meal options, too.
Betsy says
My kids (and husband) eat all manner of cold stuff that I wouldn’t eat. Cold quiche, cold spaghetti, cold enchiladas, cold quesadillas, cold beans and rice. You get the idea. I probably wouldn’t go with the “they won’t eat that” until you try it. You might be surprised.
Lisette says
I try to pack my kid’s lunches for about $1. Over the course of 18 years with 4 kids, I should be able to fund at least 1 college eduction from the savings! ; )
Lana says
That is a good way to look at it! We home schooled our five and they are all grown but I wonder how much we have saved by packing my husband’s lunch for over 35 years!
Amy Lauren says
I’m really jealous of the prices. The cheapest I’ve found baby carrots was $1.29, for a smallish bag that lasts me like 3 days (and not organic- organic is about $1.99 for a small bag here). Sometimes I can get the Greek yogurt for 50 cents a container if I use coupons, but the cheapest it ever really goes on sale here is 5/$4 without them.
It is still cheaper to pack lunches, though. Back when I worked in a corporate office, I could easily spend $40-50 a week on lunches out; I eventually cut it back to one day per week, a $10 splurge- much better on the budget!
Ann says
I’m guessing she isn’t sending Greek yogurt. My kids love the Chobani tubes, which are regularly on sale for a pack of 8 for $2…that’s $0.25/each. And the recent coupons make them $1 a box!
There is the added expense of a good lunch box, water bottles (refillable that don’t leak), and containers, but it is still totally worth it! We started when my first was a kindergartener–he mostly didn’t want to wait in the line, as when you were done you were excused to the PLAYGROUND!
Cheryl says
We find baby carrots don’t taste like much of anything and sometimes get slimy. They are not really “baby” carrots, but are formed from immature regular carrots. Probably why they lack taste. I just buy regular size carrots and cut them into sticks.
Kris says
Good tip!
Trina says
Maybe this is just a “stock” photo, but how do you keep the apples looking so good in a lunch box? Thanks!
Elizabeth says
I soak my son’s apple slices in a mix of 1T lemon juice and 1 C of water.
Lana says
Sliced apples will stay fresh and not darken for several days if you put them in salt water as you cut them. I use a teaspoon per quart of water. You can cut several days worth at once and put them in ziplocs this way.
Trina says
Lana and Elizabeth, do you just soak them in the mixtures, or do you pack them in the mixtures to when you send them to school/work?
Lana says
I slice them into the salt water and then drain them and put into a ziploc bag. No soaking required and you cannot taste the salt which I really like.
Trina says
Thanks so much! I will be filling this away for later too! Amazing tip! I will definitley try this!
Tatyana says
I drop my apple slices in a glass of orange juice
cheri says
My kids think they taste salty this way and won’t eat them…I use the juice off of a can of pineapple instead…works just as well, and my kids will eat it 🙂
Kimber says
Thanks for sharing! I’ve heard this tip but I had forgotten it. We’re having pineapple with dinner tonight – thanks for the timely reminder!!
Alisha @ The Savvy Bump says
Wow – that’s easy. I am storing that tip away for later!
Meredith says
No one has mentioned it here, but pineapple juice works just as good and lemon juice. I just dip the slices in the pineapple juice and put them in her lunch. I’ve been helping with the Kindergarten lunches and know they hold up. Something else, some apples turn browner quicker…like red delicious. I tend to get a fuji or something like that, which hold up better.
Erin says
Thank you for sharing. Since Kindergarten (he’s in 2nd grade now), my son has had packed lunches almost every day. It saves us a ton of money and I know exactly what he is consuming. About twice a month, we allow him to eat from the cafeteria as a treat.
I’ve never done the math but I know for a fact that we are saving a ton of money by packing his lunches ahead of time.
Tip: I learned this from MSM that you can freeze PB&J sandwiches! This allows me to make about 10 at a time so that all he will need to do is grab one from the freezer every night. One of my favorite tips from this site.
Alisha @ The Savvy Bump says
Wow – I had no idea you could freeze sandwiches! So they don’t get mushy when they thaw out?
Kimber says
I am actually doing this today! (I sprang for a cute Wonder Bread gadget that seals it like an Uncrustable – about $5 on Amazon.) I’ve found they thaw well, but if you make a PB&J, lightly add peanut butter to both sides of the bread, then spread a little jelly in the middle. The jelly touching the bread is what makes it soggy. My kids are excited about their little “sandwich pockets”, but it works just as well with regular sandwiches!
Alisha @ The Savvy Bump says
Good to know – thanks! I am definitely going to try this.
Kimber says
Someone below shared that they found the Wonder Bread tool at the Dollar Tree! Learn from my mistake and check there first, if you have one nearby! :o)
Alisha @ The Savvy Bump says
I do and I’ll be checking – thanks!
Dawn says
This week we used the Wonder Bread tool to make P,B &J. I made them on Sunday and put them in the freezer. My daughter loved it. She helped make them. They are considerably cheaper than Uncrustables, too. It’s a win-win! NOTE: Using fresh, soft bread works better with the tool. Dry bread has a tendency to tear.
Erin says
I don’t believe they get mushy. He sure hasn’t complained anyway 🙂