School Lunches

[potterfanatic]

I moved to the New England a couple years ago from Florida, and I am still in shock over how much food costs up here. We are a family of 5 and my food costs nearly doubled from what I was spending in Florida. All three of my kids take packed lunches and in a moment of defeat from sending the same types of things every day for lunch, I looked up what it would cost to buy school lunches. It would cost us $48.00 a week to feed all three of my kids school lunches. I am just in shock. So I won't be doing that. Does anyone have any good ideas for economically priced lunches that deviate from the traditional soup/sandwich route?

 

[mjkacmom]

Our school lunches are $3.50. Ds12 takes a buttered bagel, dd14 takes cheese, crackers, fruit, granola bar, trail mix (a combo of a couple of those items), dd12 either buys a salad or has peanut butter/Nutella on gluten free bread, ds17 doesn't have a lunch period.

My kids are happy eating the same thing over and over, and pack a brown bag - no time for lunch boxes or containers with the lockers.

 

[Cadiewampus]

I moved to the New England a couple years ago from Florida, and I am still in shock over how much food costs up here. We are a family of 5 and my food costs nearly doubled from what I was spending in Florida. All three of my kids take packed lunches and in a moment of defeat from sending the same types of things every day for lunch, I looked up what it would cost to buy school lunches. It would cost us $48.00 a week to feed all three of my kids school lunches. I am just in shock. So I won't be doing that. Does anyone have any good ideas for economically priced lunches that deviate from the traditional soup/sandwich route?

Actually the $48.00 a week for 3 kids is not a bad deal at all. My DS 15 buys lunch at school because he likes the variety they have to choose from. We spend around $90.00 a month on him.

 

[msmama]

My son usually takes a mini bagel with cream cheese, an apple (or usually apple slices as he's in the loose tooth years) and pretzels. Today I threw in some cherry tomatoes. Sometimes he'll get a cookie or fruit snacks.

He suddenly decided that he doesn't like cheese sticks anymore so finding an allergy free protein is the hardest part for me. He is also hit or miss on lunch meats.

Some other things we've done are soft pretzels, yogurt (my son doesn't like the squeezy kid though so that's my last resort), applesauce. Basically I pack things that I can buy in large quantities so I always have them around and don't have to think too much about making lunch.

However, it'd cost $48 to feed your kids every day at lunch. Why not buy some and pack some? My son buys pizza every friday and usually does "brunch for lunch" when they have that every couple of weeks. It doesn't have to be an all or nothing thing!

 

[JessM]

Check out 100daysofrealfood.com and their facebook page. TONS of school lunch ideas on there for little ones. I actually use quite a few of them for myself.

 

[kamik86]

Maybe its because I have always lived in New England but $48 a week for three kids would only be $3.20 a day. I am pretty sure I spend more then that for my lunch every day.

 

[sksjasams]

Maybe its because I have always lived in New England but $48 a week for three kids would only be $3.20 a day. I am pretty sure I spend more then that for my lunch every day.

I agree, when you do the math, its not that bad. I would think the $3.20 includes milk too. You could let them buy lunch on days they like what is being served and them fill in on other days with packed lunches.

DS17 packs a sizable lunch - sandwich with fair amount of meat and cheese, two string cheese, crackers or pretzels, granola bar, and then either a yogurt, banana or applesauce. And a bottle of water. Some days he doesn't eat it all, but some days he does. I think it would be hard to buy all that for less than $3.20. At his school though, lunch is all ala carte and he spends about $7. We can't afford that everyday, so he gets hot lunch once a week and brings a lunch the other days.

When DS was in k-8 grade he ate hot lunch everyday - I think it ranged from $2.50-2.80.

 

[barkley]

you could do a mix of hot lunches and bringing lunch from home. figure out what is affordable for you to spend monthly for hot lunches and let the kids know they can each choose a set number of days per month (this works if your school publishes the menu a month at a time ahead of time). I do this w/ds-I print the menu and he marks the days he will have hot lunch so I can then plan the from home lunches ahead of time.

for the lunches from home it's more often than not 'leftovers' which are really food items I plan to make for dinner but increase the amount I make to include lunches. if we are having meatloaf I make extra for meatloaf or "sliced meatball" sandwiches (the latter being meatloaf but instead of the traditional mayo/mustard on the bread I use some homemade pasta sauce that I freeze small containers of for this purpose when I make batches). he also takes things like spaghetti (he has access to a microwave but when he didn't we used a wide mouth thermos that kept food hot). dd has always been a less picky eater so with her pretty much any leftover worked-soup, casseroles, fried chicken, ham and beans....these entrees might be supplemented with a piece of fruit or some raw veggies and then for dessert/goodie it was a couple of cookies, a small handful of pretzels or this time of year and into the spring-I take advantage of and stock up on tiny Halloween sized prepackaged snack treats that offer a good value like the frozen themed cheese puffs in tiny bags I got last year that cost about $6 for 35 packs (so about 17 cents each) or the packs of 2 oreos each I got yesterday that went for 30 packs/6.50 (22 cents each). you can spend even less on the Halloween bags with individual packages of fruit treats.

the thing that always seemed to up the cost of packing lunches for us was the drinks. it often works out cheaper for milk drinkers to just buy their milk at school (I know it's less expensive here than the cost of an equivalent amount put into a thermos). we've done everything with this-juice (w/making concentrate it keeps the cost down) as well as stocking up on those crystal lite and other drink individual packets which the kids take with a water bottle from home (I can get bottled water packs of 24 for 2.50 so this keeps the cost WAY down).

 

[SSRFred]

DS10 is pretty picky so it makes it hard to come up with lunch ideas. He doesn't like traditional sandwiches but likes a bagel once or twice a week, without cream cheese. But the best thing I have found he likes is fruit smoothies. I make one batch a week and freeze them in silicone popsicle molds and he gets one every day with the usual sides (carrots or celery and pretzels/goldfish/chips). By the time lunch rolls around, the frozen smoothie has defrosted into a slushy consistency. I also send an occasional yogurt instead of the smoothie.

As a pp said, we also look at the hot lunch menu and he chooses a few meals he likes and we pay as we go, probably twice a month.

 

[indimom]

When I was in nursing school and working part time our budget was too tight to pay for the school lunches. Especially when the school lunch left them starving by the end of the day. Seemed crazy to spend that much and still have hungry teens.

So, we packed filling cold lunches for the kids.. But, my kids also got sick of the same old, same old, day in and day out.

One day while I was out shopping I came across small Coleman containers (a small version of the Coleman coffee thermos) in the camping department at Walmart. I knew the thermos had always kept my husband's coffee hot when he worked outside so I figured these smaller containers would work also.

They did. I was able to pack a warm lunch and it opened all sorts of new doors for the kids. With those containers, they ate leftovers from our dinners: spaghetti, lasagna, soups, casseroles, black beans and rice, meatloaf, loaded baked potatoes, etc. We even put fries and nuggets or hot dogs in there once in a while (they could take the bun on the side, and create a warm sandwich super easy.) I'd guess the thermos held about 2 cups, more than enough food even for my ravenous boy.

Added bonus, the thermos did not warm up on the outside, so they could still keep cold drinks or yogurt with a cooler pack in their lunchbag as a side item. No problem.

(One tip we picked up along the way, make sure you cut everything into bite sized pieces before you warm it and load the thermos. It makes it easier for the kids
to eat in their limited lunch time if they are not fighting to cut up lasagna noodles down inside a thermos. )

It really worked out well. We saved money, the kids were not ravenous by 3 p.m., and we didn't waste anything since all four of us were using up leftovers.
Good Luck with your meal planning. Hope this helps.

 

[barkley]

When I was in nursing school and working part time our budget was too tight to pay for the school lunches. Especially when the school lunch left them starving by the end of the day. Seemed crazy to spend that much and still have hungry teens.

So, we packed filling cold lunches for the kids.. But, my kids also got sick of the same old, same old, day in and day out.

One day while I was out shopping I came across small Coleman containers (a small version of the Coleman coffee thermos) in the camping department at Walmart. I knew the thermos had always kept my husband's coffee hot when he worked outside so I figured these smaller containers would work also.

They did. I was able to pack a warm lunch and it opened all sorts of new doors for the kids. With those containers, they ate leftovers from our dinners: spaghetti, lasagna, soups, casseroles, black beans and rice, meatloaf, loaded baked potatoes, etc. We even put fries and nuggets or hot dogs in there once in a while (they could take the bun on the side, and create a warm sandwich super easy.) I'd guess the thermos held about 2 cups, more than enough food even for my ravenous boy.

Added bonus, the thermos did not warm up on the outside, so they could still keep cold drinks or yogurt with a cooler pack in their lunchbag as a side item. No problem.

(One tip we picked up along the way, make sure you cut everything into bite sized pieces before you warm it and load the thermos. It makes it easier for the kids
to eat in their limited lunch time if they are not fighting to cut up lasagna noodles down inside a thermos. )

It really worked out well. We saved money, the kids were not ravenous by 3 p.m., and we didn't waste anything since all four of us were using up leftovers.
Good Luck with your meal planning. Hope this helps.

those are the type we've used-and they are worth the little extra cost b/c of the heat retaining quality (and they are darn near indestructible). I forgot about the chicken nugget days-did those allot when the kids were younger (w/a small container of ranch for dipping). dd liked taking pulled bbq meats in hers-packed with a bun it made a nice hot meal (and again-it was made from dinner leftovers), and ds likes these days to take what he calls a 'taco bowl'-just ground beef I make up in batches w/taco seasoning that he takes warm in the container-tops w/some shredded cheese and taco sauce I send as well. sometimes he eats it out of the bowl, other times he'll take tortilla chips and use it to dip it out.

I've only got the one still in school that I have to plan lunches for but I still plan meals w/an eye to leftovers for him-as well as periodically making batches of stuff I know he likes to take that I can freeze up and use down the line. I remember making massive batches of chili, sloppy joes as well as hamburger helper-only since ds isn't a huge carnivore it was made w/about 1/2 of the meat it normally calls for. stuff freezes well and he likes taking it for lunch.

 

[havaneselover]

My now 5th grader was spending over $5/day on the days he bought. And some of it he had to buy and ended up throwing out. Neither of my kids like sandwiches much. Dd takes cheese tortellini in a thermos every day. She throws in a yogurt or fruit, a bag of popcorn, and takes a water bottle. It probably costs me $2/day. Ds rotates between spaghetti (I make a big batch on Sunday and reheat in the morning) and trader Joe's chicken fried rice which I add more chicken to. He adds a granola bar and a yogurt and takes ice water in an insulated water bottle. Again it probably costs me $2. My kids also like left over pizza so if we have any they will take that.

 

[barkley]

My now 5th grader was spending over $5/day on the days he bought. And some of it he had to buy and ended up throwing out. Neither of my kids like sandwiches much. Dd takes cheese tortellini in a thermos every day. She throws in a yogurt or fruit, a bag of popcorn, and takes a water bottle. It probably costs me $2/day. Ds rotates between spaghetti (I make a big batch on Sunday and reheat in the morning) and trader Joe's chicken fried rice which I add more chicken too. He adds a granola bar and a yogurt and takes ice water in an insulated water bottle. Again it probably costs me $2. My kids also like left over pizza so if we have any they will take that.

do you make the trader joes dried tortellini? I recently tried it for the first time and cannot believe how much those tiny tortellinis grow in size! I was skeptical but now that I've tried them I realize they are much more cost effective than the identical type of cheese or pesto ones in the freezer department at the grocery store.

p.s.-my dd loves tortellini too-hot w/sauce or chilled w/some chopped veggies and Italian dressing.

 

[havaneselover]

do you make the trader joes dried tortellini? I recently tried it for the first time and cannot believe how much those tiny tortellinis grow in size! I was skeptical but now that I've tried them I realize they are much more cost effective than the identical type of cheese or pesto ones in the freezer department at the grocery store.

p.s.-my dd loves tortellini too-hot w/sauce or chilled w/some chopped veggies and Italian dressing.

No I buy the Buitoni refrigerated tortelini. I didn't know TJ sold that--I'll have to pick some up next time I'm there. Thanks for the recommendation!

 

[tvguy]

Maybe its because I have always lived in New England but $48 a week for three kids would only be $3.20 a day. I am pretty sure I spend more then that for my lunch every day.

Yeah, didn't sound bad, but checked Sacramento City schools and their going rate is $2. I know they make money at that price, so I guess $3.20 is high. Especially since districts get so much of the food for free from the U.S.D.A.

 

[Minnesota!]

I let my kids pick 4 hot lunches a month. I throw $40 in their account every few months.



But, I just added it up and if I let them take hot lunch every day of the week, it would be $37 for the two of them. So, $55.50 if I had your 3 kids. That includes one entree, a milk, and unlimited salad/fruit bar. An extra entree will run another $1.25. So, on pizza days, we pay it.

 

[Alexle2007]

I have packed DS8 lunch every school day since he wad 3 years old. (He went to Montessori for all day pre-k.) now days he gets some sort of fruit (apples, grapes, strawberries, etc), carrot sticks, a snack (chips, pretzels, Chex Mex, etc), a treat and a drink. He is super picky and will not touch lunch meat, peanut butter, etc. When he was in pre-k I would pack him noodles almost every day. I am not sure why I stopped in elementary school.

 

[shoney]

My ds14 will not take lunch. Our school lunch is $2.25. DS16 likes to take lunch...by the time I buy cold cuts and rolls, gatorades, snacks it costs more than that.

 

[abcboys]

We pack most days too. Peanut butter and jelly a lot for my boys. We do have 2 thermoses. My boys like leftover taco meat with soft shells or fritos and toppings on the side, chicken noodle soup or chili, spaghettios, or the occasional hotdog. Sometimes we just do snack foods like cheese and crackers, applesauce cups, raisins and peanuts, pretzels, apples with peanut butter....stuff like that.

 

[wishesuponastar]

I moved to the New England a couple years ago from Florida, and I am still in shock over how much food costs up here. We are a family of 5 and my food costs nearly doubled from what I was spending in Florida. All three of my kids take packed lunches and in a moment of defeat from sending the same types of things every day for lunch, I looked up what it would cost to buy school lunches. It would cost us $48.00 a week to feed all three of my kids school lunches. I am just in shock. So I won't be doing that. Does anyone have any good ideas for economically priced lunches that deviate from the traditional soup/sandwich route?

We can only afford school lunch for two teens once a week at $2.85 for each. My girls grew tired of sandwiches but I have been having luck sending them meatballs with sauce on a hard roll once or twice a week, pasta salad twice a week and buy once. I like pp idea of tortellini in a thermos. also like pp idea of cheese, crackers and granola bar.