How inexpensive can you make a school lunch?

[mhawk4]

During the year my daughters generally buy lunch at school because I have not really been able to find a way to make a lunch for much cheaper than $3, the cost of a school lunch. The girls like the lunches and they have a very good selection and to be perfectly honest, I work full-time and having one less thing to do in the morning is worth the small difference in price. One of my daughters will be going to summer school this summer and I will need to send her with a lunch every day. This got me back to thinking how much does it cost to make a lunch.

How much does it cost you per day to make your own lunch? By the time I do a drink, sandwich or other main item, fruit, chips, etc. the cost is close to $3.

 

[HeatherC]

I am going to say 1.42. I know that sounds crazy. But your question got me thinking so I tried to figure it out.

Basically, we are a family of five with 3 kids. I spend $150 a week for food and everyone brings lunches with them. So I just divded $150 by 21 meals divided by 5 people and came up with $1.42.

We also eat dinners home and don't do any takeout and very few restaurant meals due to our schedules so I think I figured pretty accurately.

I usually send a water bottle (refillable), sandwich, fruit, and two snacks each like popcorn or cookies, etc..

Hope this helps!

 

[mrsklamc]

OP- Keep in mind that you live in a pretty high cost of living state, so lots of folks are going to be able to make lunch far cheaper than you might be able to.

 

[MomtoGKC]

I have no idea how much our lunches cost, but it can't be too much. I try not to send the single serve packs of anything - it is so much cheaper to buy a bag of pretzels or grapes and dole them out myself. Here is an example of what I send:

Water bottle (refillable)
PB&J or cheese & crackers (turkey some days, but that's more expensive)
healthy snack (grapes, strawberries, carrots, apples)
salty snack (pretzels, goldfish)
dessert (usually 2 cookies)
extra for snack time (granola bar, veggie booty, sesame sticks, chips & hummus)


I don't think I'll ever take the time to figure out how much that costs once I break it down, but I wonder if it's under $3? Some days I wish my kids would eat the school lunch, I would happily pay the $3 rather than make 3 lunches at 6:30am!

 

[LaDonna]

well normally I buy everything and stock up when it is on sale or buy what is on sale for that week, my kids don't always have chips, sometime it is jarred applesauce or canned fruit I divide up for them......I always have a stockpile of stuff, but I normally never spend over .25 cents for a serving of any side items

loaf of bread $1
1 1/2# lunch meat around $5
chips on sale or Aldi brand around $1.25(if not chips another side)
juice drinks 10 pack on sale $1.50
granola bars on sale 10 pack maybe up to $1.50


Just that right there for 2 kids for 5 days = 10.25 so about $1 day per kid
even if I figure in another side besides chips I add about $1.25 more for the week.

I don't like the school lunches anyways....my dd first year of middle school I started allowing her to buy and she gained weight that first semester

 

[kirstenb1]

The only price i know for certain is the Hi C juice box. They come 10 for two dollars. Otherwise, I buy a loaf of bread, jar of peanut butter, strawberry jam, big bag of chips, and either a tupperware of mandarin oranges, or a banana. The oranges I buy a jar of Dole ones, and probably get 3-4 lunches out of them. I'm going to guess high and say 1.50 per kid per day. The fruit is probably the most expensive part, but very worth it to me.

Now, if you want to go the organic/health food route, or pack them with sushi, it could get expensive.

 

[Priorityonecb]

I'd say we averaged around $2.50 per dd's packed lunches. She always took a tortilla roll up w/turkey, spinach and lettuce, lemonaide Capri Sun, a chip or some sort, a fruit or veggie and a dessert of some sort (2 cookies, granola bar, fruit leather, yogurt covered raisins etc).

The last semester of school they started offering a salad bar that included several proteins, nuts and seeds, and lots of veggies for $1 per bowl! We couldn't believe it! We happily sent her $5 a week for her lunch, and she would take a water bottle or Capri Sun. The bowls were large, and she loved it!

 

[Kat&Dom]

For my 5 year son, I would say his lunches run around the $3-$4 mark. I always send a fruit (watermelon, strawberries, banana, etc) and veggies (carrot sticks, asparagus, Snow Peas, or celery sticks), a cheese whiz sandwich or Mac n' Cheese, and a snack item either fruit snacks, rice crispy square, popcorn or some chips in a container. He always drinks water which I send in a thermos for him.

For hot lunch program at school that is only 3 times per month - it cost me $12.70 so about $4.23 per lunch which I gladly pay so I don't have to make lunches 3 times per month. I also had him in the milk program which was $1 per day.

His school age care program does a lunch program on full days which is $3 on top of the daily fee.

 

[wishesuponastar]

I pay for the school lunches. $3 gets them a variety of choices from sandwiches on many different breads, hot meals, pasta and a drink.
I am flabergasted at the cost of deli roast beef these days $9.99 lb and won't pay it! Roast beef is something one of my DD's would take from home but I would want to roast it myself and use my slicer.

 

[taymaesmom]

I find lunch from home to be cheap, but my dd usually takes leftovers. She doesn't eat sandwiches or chips at all so that limits a quick fix lunch for me. She will gladly take leftover pasta of any kind, meatloaf, pork chops etc. I just warm them up and put in her thermos.

Even still it would be cheaper for her to buy lunch, our school lunches are only $1.50.

 

[cari12]

I usually send an almond butter and jam sandwich (no peanuts allowed), a fruit or vegetable, a granola bar and water (refillable bottle). I buy larger quantities of each item listed so they last a week or two. Costs under $2 per lunch and I know exactly what they are eating. Some schools lunch programs are not very healthy.

 

[Dashzap]

My kid usually takes a bowl of cereal and a bottle of milk for lunch. Cost depends on the cereal.

 

[J3nn78]

I estimate about $1 or less

For the Week
Loaf of Whole Wheat Bread $1.50
PB-get a month out of a jar-so $0.75
Jelly-homemade from berries in garden $0
Carrot sticks-$0.25
Homemade cookies-$1
Water-$0
Pretzels-$0.25

So about $3.75 for the week-maybe $5 if I use occasional juice boxes or honey instead of jelly

 

[turtlegirl25]

My girls beg for school lunches, but they are so terrible for their little bodies. I let them choose one hot lunch per week. Elementary hot lunches are $2.20. Really hard to beat that price, but I refuse to compromise. Lots of pasta, cheesey dishes and everything is loaded with salt.

I find it funny that they offer whole apples when half of the school can't eat them because they have wiggly teeth, lost their teeth, or their teeth are just coming in.

I am a teacher in the same school district and I buy a "hot lunch" everyday for $3.20. At the secondary level they offer boxed salads which are awesome. Fresh romaine, hard boiled egg, pea pods, cucumber, radishes, carrots, dressing, an apple, a roll and a carton of milk. It's huge!

I wish they would offer more healthy options at the elementary level. I'm trying.

 

[SandrA9810]

You could always make up lunches the night before. That's what happened when I was in school. I thought the school lunches were nasty for the most part. I also don't drink milk and hated that it was the only option.

 

[ancestry]

Our school lunches are $1.85 per child. I insist that my children (I have twins) buy the school lunches because I have not found a way to make a lunch for under $1.85.

One of the cheapest lunch alternatives, Peanut Butter, is completely banned from our school so that makes it even hard to make a cheap lunch.

 

[mhawk4]

OP here - it seems like the cost of school lunches and making lunches are all over the place. We are lucky to have good, healthy school lunches. My daughter gets a fresh fruit cup everyday. All of the bread is whole wheat, including the pizza crust (shhh don't tell my kids) and anything with rice is made with brown rice, there are also lots of fruit and veggies. For example one day in May they had:
Chicken bowl with chicken, mashed potatoes, butternut squash, corn, and gravy, watermelon and spinach salad. The alternative for that day was salad with spinach hummus and chips.

I cannot compete with the cost of the lunches. The fresh fruit cup alone would cost me $3 to make.

There are restrictions on peanut butter so we are limited in what we can bring.

 

[mhawk4]

OP- Keep in mind that you live in a pretty high cost of living state, so lots of folks are going to be able to make lunch far cheaper than you might be able to.

Yes, you are right, the cost of living here is high

 

[DisneyAndRedSox]

I found this interesting since DD is starting full-day in the fall and we have been talking a lot about what she wants to bring for lunch. I am amazed at what some of you are getting bread for, the bread I was buying at Walmart (wonder white whole grain) was 1.97, it is now 2.58. I am going to have to check out the Wonder outlet.

I was surprised, school said we also have to pack a snack with a drink. When I was a kid only the 5th grade brought a snack since they ate last. We think we are going to send one drink and have her buy milk. The school is now doing an account for each kid so they don't have to bring money and you can see what they actually buy.

I just wanted to add something that might save a few bucks... If your kids like Uncrustables, Walmart has a Uncrustables "maker" by Wonder bread for 1.99 that works great! I found it hanging on the side of the bread area. I am actually going to get another for when it is in the dishwasher.


Edit: here is a pic of the sandwich maker. http://www.amazon.com/Wonder-Sandwich-Sealer-N-Decruster/dp/B004M5J1NG

 

[Irin997]

If it's a pain to make lunch in the morning (which it is) make it the night before like we do.

I can't guarantee that my daughter will actually choose the healthy school lunch options so that's why I make it. And honestly, I know I can do better than $3 per meal for lunch.