Frugal Back to School Lunches
It’s that time of year where many families start getting ready for their kids to go back to school. One thing every child will need everyday is a lunch. As a parent, you will have to figure out what you plan do about school lunches. You want to feed your child a well balanced meal but one that won’t put a big dent in your budget. Here are a few ideas to help you save money on those school lunches.
Compare Prices
Take a look at the school menus and decide if you feel it is a well balanced meal for your child. Also consider the price of the lunch and how much it would cost for you to bring food from home. It will depend on what school your child goes to and where you live to determine which one is the better value.
Free/Reduced Lunch Program
If your family is at a certain income level, your child may be eligible for free or reduced lunches. Every year, you will need to fill out a new eligibility form to see if your family qualifies. If you qualify you would be able to save money and not worry about school lunches altogether. So, take advantage of the school lunch program if your family qualifies.
Back to School Sales
If you decide to bring lunches form home, then you will want to stay on the lookout for items you will need. Grocery stores place a lot of lunch items on sale during the back to school buying time. This usually starts mid July through August. You will also find a lot of coupons for lunch items during this time. This is a great time to match coupons and stockpile on items your child enjoys for lunch.
Buy a Lunch Kit
During back to school time stores offer lunch kits (or boxes) at a great deal. Buying one now will save you money later. Many kits come with a thermos and plastic containers to store foods. Usually you can find one of these for under $10. You can also purchase extra plastic containers if needed. These will help you save money by preparing items on your own.
Buy in Bulk
Buying foods your child enjoys for lunch in bulk will help you save money. Some items that you should consider buying in bulk are puddings, yogurt, juice pouches, and canned fruits.
Use Leftovers
Buying your own lunch kits will allow you to save money by using leftovers. Leftovers can be heated in the morning and placed in a thermos to eat later for lunch. Leftovers will stretch your food budget for lunch.
Consider Making It Yourself
Cooking from scratch may take longer but it will save you money on school lunches. If you feel like you do not have the time to cook from scratch, consider making weekly snacks on one day, like Saturday, for the whole week. Making your own snack size portions from larger cans and bags will also get you more for your money than buying the premade individual servings sold at the grocery store. Here are a few items and recipes you can make for your child’s lunch to save money.
Cut fruits and vegetables
Trail mix (I just use whatever I have on hand like cereal, nuts, dried fruit, chocolate chips, candies like M&M’s and mix it up)
Cookies (Use your favorite recipe)
Pudding (Make a big box of instant pudding and then make individual serving size to pack in lunch)
Cakes (Leftover cakes work great in a separate plastic box with a fork)
Homemade Fake GoGurts (Freeze these and place in lunch box by lunch time they will be thawed out to eat)
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