school lunch prices

[kidzmom3]

Inspired by a school lunch thread. Many people were of the opinion that if your child wants to buy school lunch, you should let them and it saves a lot of time and money for the parents and allows the child control over their food choices.

I have 3 kids in 3 different schools: High School, Middle and Elementary.

If all 3 of them had school lunch every day for a week, the bill would be $60. Plus I would have to send them with a drink because they are all lactose intolerant (Crohns runs in our family). This is not realistic with our budget. I allow them to buy lunch once a week. What about you?

 

[CEDmom]

DD8 has always brought her lunch because she wants to. I'd love if she'd buy every once in a while because I start running out of lunch ideas. She's an only child and lunch is only $2 a day so the cost is not an issue for us.

 

[disney4us2002]

When my youngest was in elem, he took a packed lunch nearly every day. Now the older two (hs and ms) NEVER take a lunch - that's completely uncool. School lunches for ms and hs run $2.10 if they actually buy that but they usually do a la carte and they know they get $75 per month so when it's gone, it's gone. I'd rather give them the money personally as keeping stuff in the house for lunches was a tremendous pain in the hiney!

 

[dcgrumpy]

DS is in elementary school. Lunch costs $1.45, he buys lunch 3 or 4 times a week.

 

[MushyMushy]

I'd much rather they buy their lunches at school. It's around $1.50-1.60 for lunch and $1.00 for breakfast. I give DD $3 a day and DS $4 a day (he gets more because he has vo-tech in the afternoons and I give him money for the vending machine.).

 

[Mickeyluver37]

They can buy lunch when ever they want. DD does about 2 times a week, DS does about 3 times a week. It cost $1.75.

 

[jmms1224]

My son buys lunch every day it's $1.50. My daughter brings lunch every day. I wish she would buy. I could save money if she would.

 

[MomofKatie]

DD brings her lunch from home every day- she doesn't like what the school serves. Meals cost $1.70 per day, so not too bad a price to pay, but DD won't even consider buying.

The school also serves breakfast for $1.10 per day- DD would love to buy it, but I can feed her better quality stuff on my own before the school bus comes. Every once in a while, I let her buy breakfast, but I know she pretty much only wants to eat donuts and other sugary stuff.

 

[Doe]

Dd 11 takes her lunch everyday (allergies, so she's never had hot lunch)

Dd 12 eats hot lunch about 3-4 days a week @ $2.00 a day

Dd 15 & Ds 16 either go out to lunch (open high school campus) or come home for lunch. I only give them each $15 a week for eating out so they usually come home 2-3 days a week.

 

[KikiFan]

My daughter used to bring her lunch everyday. But since she started middle school this year it's "uncool" so she's buy. But knowing my daughter, she'll get sick of school lunches in another few weeks. Our lunches only cost $1.25 so it's cheaper to buy then make it.

 

[Rafiki Rafiki Rafiki]

I didn't post about my teenager's prices.

Elementary school is $2.25/day
High school can cost upwards of $5/day or more depending on what entree is served.

 

[darlak]

DD13 is in the 8th grade, which is at our high school. Lunch is $2.75 per day. It is VERY uncool to bring your lunch in high school here. I write a check for her "lunch account" each month, but sometimes at the end of the month she has a positive balance, so the next month's check is written for a lesser amount. On days when she doesn't like the menu, she just gets a drink and a snack, which is only about $1.50.

There was a time when I had 3 in school and I remember how hard it sometimes seemed to pay for all their school lunches.

 

[MELSMICE]

I think my kids lunches are $1.75 per day. I send them each with $12 a week. It cost me $36 last year per week & now $24 per week now that one is in college.

Still a bargain if you ask me. I'd probably spend more in snacks, lunchmeat, etc. to pack the lunches with & end up throwing some of it away.

 

[Sherri]

We give the kids five dollars a day when they want to buy, anything additional they want then they have to pay for.
We figure five dollars a day should buy them a pretty decent lunch.
They both say the lines are so long and would rather pack. They give me a list of what they want and I buy it and I pack it for them as well. In my opinion they have enough on their plate with school work and extra activities, its the least I can do as their mother.

 

[va32h]

I have no idea how much school lunch costs - my kids have always preferred to bring their own.

 

[mellowmood]

My kids buy their lunches everyday. I have no idea what it cost per day, the only time that I will pack for them is once a month when they get out early and there is no hot lunch.

 

[CPM]

My son prefers to bring his own. He usually only buys when I forget to make it or I'm too late getting home from work the night before.
He hates wasting his lunch time waiting in line. It's $1.60 for hot lunch here.

 

[vettechick99]

Our county is so poor the kids qualify for free lunch. Everyone. Breakfast and lunch!

Unfortunately that doesn't count for teachers. We pay $2.50 for lunch. If you call it that.

 

[mickeysgal]

When my kids were in elementary school, they pretty much always packed their lunches and I let them buy when there was a favorite item being served.

Now that two of them are in high school, they buy every day as it is unheard of to bring your own lunch (the horror!). My middle schooler also buys every day and it is rare that he wants to bring his lunch. Everyone pretty much sticks to the basic meal and stays away from the a la carte items. DS, the oldest, has no problem eating and spending money at lunch...usually two entrees at lunch he's so hungry. (He swims competitively, is in very heavy duty training right now and needs to eat double his regular caloric intake). He's spending over $5/day on lunch.

Its incredible how fast their lunch accounts dwindle.

 

[87Heel]

Wow; school lunches are cheaper for most of you. In our district, elementary lunches are $2.55; middle school and high school lunches are usually more than that (all depends on your choices there). DD9 goes through the lunch menu for the month and marks the days she'd like to buy (about 2x a week). I just send in a check and restock her account as needed.