Saving Money on Lunch Box Food Items
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Make Your Own Snack Sizes
To save money on snack items for lunches, I buy large bags of favorite chips or boxes of Ritz and put some in ziploc bags inside the lunch box. Those small bags of chips and packs of crackers can really add up!By Julie
Pack In Reusable Plastic Containers
Buying large bags of chips and splitting them up into single servings is a great way to cut costs for packing lunches, but you can save even more (and help the environment) by using reusable plastic containers instead of disposable ziploc bags. I know some people wash their ziploc bags, but plastic containers are much easier to wash and will last a long time. I have picked most of my containers up at yard sales, so it is possible to use them and still be thrifty.By Allison
Pack Homemade Treats or Fruit
Chips in large bags are not cheap either. Popcorn is a low price snack. A piece of fruit or homemade cookie makes even more sense.By Barbaral
Stay Away From Convenience Items
If you're looking to save money on lunches, whatever you do, do not buy convenience foods! By convenience foods, I mean things like Lunchables (a simple sandwich instead), juice boxes (use a thermos to bring a drink from home), Handi-snacks, small packages of chips and cookies. Like the previous poster said, it is so much better on your wallet to pack them into your own baggies at home. Not using convenience foods will not only save money, it will increase the nutrition value and lets you eat more varied lunches every day!By KellyinNY
A Different Perspective
"and lets you eat more varied lunches every day!"Actually, the only real advantage to "convenience foods" is that they allow for a wide variety of daily change. Using bulk to "pack your own" only means that little Susie has to eat a lot of whatever you bought in bulk. I remember one particular year when mom got in a rut, I had PBJ and chicken noodle soup every day for about a year. I still won't eat PBJ.
Better idea, don't buy bulk foods but instead make your food from scratch. Prepare enough that there is some left for lunches. When using a block of sharp cheddar in a recipe, slice or cube some for lunch this week. When you bake a cake, slip a tray of muffins in there too. Get creative with leftovers but not "darn mom, what were you thinking?"
It's cool to save money and all, but if you think your kids really think "it's cool" to not have the same thing everyone else has, then you are very mistaken. Their whole world is about fitting in. Is it really worth a few dollars to have her sitting over at the "nerd and geek table"? Or, could that same amount of money be saved somewhere else without the social skills damage...
By John
Great School Lunch Ideas
My daughter loves salads, cut up veggies with ranch dressing for dipping, cheese and crackers (cheese cut from a block), apples cut up with cinnamon sugar to hide the brown. Also noodles with butter and Parmesan cheese are a favorite. I use a combination of plastic containers, thermos and ziplock bags to fit it all in a lunchbox. Check dollar stores for small containers.By Catherine
Make Your Own Sandwich Spread
I go to the deli department at the grocery store and by the end of lunch meats. I bring home the ends, put them in the food processor. I then add pickle relish and salad dressing. Salt and pepper as needed. This makes a great sandwich spread and less expensive then the Oscar Meyer brand.By Anonymous
Individual Servings Of Peaches
My husband likes bowls of canned peaches in his lunch every day. So I buy canned peaches and bowl our own, rather than buying those pre-made fruit cups. It's much cheaper by doing it ourselves. We also buy big bags of chips and make up our own little bags of chips. This way we get more than about the average 6 chips the name brand has in their lunch size bags. The possibilities are endless as to what to put in your own lunch, rather than eating out.By Badwater
Leftovers for Lunch
Brown bag your lunch with the previous dinner's leftovers! It's amazing how much money my husband's co-workers spend on lunch everyday. They are always envious of the yummy homemade things he brings!By Holly Dawson
Making Your Own Sandwich Meat
I find it much cheaper to buy a joint of meat at the weekend to fill sandwiches through the week instead of buying deli meat, I just slice it quite thinly myself!By Julie UK
Mr. Thrifty Takes On School Lunches
Why not just plain peanut butter and jelly crackers? Or make up your own lunchables with say, honey, syrup or apple butter. Just place in a small plastic container. Make your own popcorn balls or caramel corn. You can even buy popcorn ready to pop already caramel flavored and even colored and sugared. I forget the brand but I know I bought both several years ago.Puddings and jello still come in those familiar boxes. You can also make cornstarch Tapioca, homemade sheet cakes of all flavors. Celery, peanut butter and raisins have always been a favorite of mind. Dried apples and Apricots. Make your own trail mix.
Make your own cookies, muffins or pies. If you still have a oven in your house, all these things are possible and not that time consuming or difficult. The art of candy making still exists outside of Hershey and Mars foods. How about Pickled eggs? Not difficult at all.
As far as bags, look at your cereal boxes. Inside each size box, there are very strong bags that you could use in place of baggies for everything from your children's lunch to storing your homemade treats in them in volume. As far as fresh fruit, pack some extra peanut butter with that banana or apple. If your school doesn't allow peanut products in their cafeteria then substitute it with apple butter or molasses.
Homemade drinks? If they still make thermos' then hot chocolate is possible also homemade lemonade, orange juice, apple cider and iced tea.
Think how proud you children will be having you make stuff that tastes better than what the stores sell. They will remember you for that and pass it on to their children. Me, I am 58. This kind of food was always in our Lone Ranger lunch boxes.
I wish you the best!
By Mr. Thrifty
Feel free to post your ideas below!
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