How much are your kid's lunches? $4.25 here!

[MaryKLady]

I almost fell over...lunches at my DD's school are $4.25 a day! It's completely optional of course, but OMG! Am I over reacting? I thought it would be nice for her and it would save me some time in the morning but at $765 for the year maybee not.

Lets get real...I have to pay for a DCL cruise!

 

[Tiffany_MommyOf3]

Ummm HOLY COW!!

Ours are $1.50. We pack lunches though because I don't want the processed crap and it isn't organic.

 

[myprincessgirlisa]

DDs school only does pizza fridays = $1.50 1 slice
& hot lunch wednesday $3.50 a meal(can add more for extra charge)
milk is $17 for the year

 

[Fantasmic23]

$4.25? Did the school cafeteria hire a French chef or something? Does every school lunch come with a diamond pendant? HOLY COW is right! I thought $2.00 was bad (it was $1.60 last year).

Yeah, put that $765 toward your DCL cruise! Do what you can (lunchwise) the night before. How old is DD? Maybe she can help you with her lunch.

Times sure have changed. I remember in the late 70s (when I first started elementary school) lunch was fifty cents or so and milk was ten cents.

 

[lisadr]

WOW! It's $2 here and I thought that was bad

 

[kimsuenew]

WOW that is a lot for a standard school lunch!

My DS (HS senior) pays $2.25 a day for the "basic" school lunch (it is $4.00 for the "special offerings lunch"... fancier than the typical school lunch).

My niece (different school, same Ohio County however, pays $2.25 and she is in 3rd grade.

We really cannot pack a lunch (including milk) for the $2.25 we pay (at age 17 I doubt he really wants a PB&J sandwhich ) but we would definately be packing for $4.25! That is a hefty "school lunch" price, I am hoping your DD at least gets a "gourmet school lunch" for that price!

 

[thegrimdwarf]

Wow, that's nuts! How are they justifying that cost? Is everything fresh, made from scratch, etc? At that price, I'd expect a good amount of local/organic produce and high-quality protein.

My younger boy has an optional hot lunch plan at his preschool. It's $2/day.

 

[EnchantedPrincess]

My dd is in Kindergarten, and she brings her lunch due to her food allergies but lunches are $1.75 at the cafeteria, $1.00 for breakfast, and $0.40 if you want milk only.

 

[coneeny4]

My kid's school breakfast is $1.50 and lunch is $1.50.

Since I work in the Cafe they get both free. .

 

[perkinsrose]

$2.oo for elementary--$2.25 for highschool
Metro-Detroit, Michigan

 

[Jen117]

Mine is $2.00 this year and my daughter is in 2nd grade. I let her pick what days she wants to eat at school and pack a lunch the other days. She isn't a big eater, so I can pack it for less than $2. However her eating at school is a time saver.

 

[DjdBrit]

Our school lunches just went up from $1.75 to $2.25. Also they upped the cost of milk if you want to buy it seperatly it now 50 cents (was 35 cents).

 

[Xcited4Disney]

We just got the lunch form to fill out, dd started school yesterday. Here in NYC, breakfast is free (if your school offers it). Full price lunch is $1.50, reduced fare is $.25 and milk is $.25. Depending on income, some children get all meals free.

DD is in Catholic school and somehow they always fixed it so that I never had to pay out-of-pocket. However, this year she's taking lunch. She would come home starving because she disliked most things they served.

 

[K and K's Mommy]

We are $1.40. Milk is $.40. An adult lunch is $2.00.

 

[mjkacmom]

$2.50 elementary, $3.00 JH, I don't know HS, but I expect my kids will eat out anyway.

 

[Our 2 Princesses]

Our dds are in elementary and jr high. Both girls pay 2.50 per meal.

 

[PollyannaMom]

$2.oo for elementary--$2.25 for highschool
Metro-Detroit, Michigan

same here - Southeastern Mass.

 

[chip 'n dale rule]

$1.25 here and snacks are $0.50- $0.75. I make my kids bring a snack from home most of the time because I dont want them paying 75 cents for one. I can not imagine paying that much for lunch. I think the lunch special that my husband gets at the nice full service mexican restaurant in town is less than five dollars. It is crazy to charge that much for a kid's lunch.

 

[Goofy'slady]

Holy Shoots and Ladders BATMAN! Is someone from culinary class whipping these meals up for practice and serving them and carrying her books to class afterward? I think lunches in our district are 2.30 this year not sure tho my daugther (5th grade) carries her lunch from home. I've always packed her lunch but this year she is getting breakfast in school but even that is free.

I know some kids don't want to have packed lunches from home but I try to make my daughter some nice lunches, ones she'd be proud to say her mom fixed. Here are some ideas:

Chicken salad with crasins and apple chunks, Sun chips, Quaker granola bar and bottled water(my daughter's fave- Vitamin Water)

Sandwich wraps-use any lunch meat & cheese and roll 'em up in a wrap, sliced apples with carmel dipping sauce and drink

Small salad -you can add diced chicken or ham and have the dressing on the side, pretzels and drink.

Sounds expensive but usually what I make for her I turn right around and make for my lunch so I buy the ingredients once and get two lunches out of it, saves a ton of money in the long run. Oh, and I pack lunches the night before so in the morning we can grab and go.
T.

Ps.-can't forget about my childhood favorite the Banana Fluffer Nutter - YUM-O!!!

 

[GothTink]

Breakfast is free (and encouraged!) and lunch is $2.00.