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How to Save Money on School Lunches

How to Save Money on School Lunches

School lunches can cost parents a bundle, especially if they’re buying individually wrapped snacks or paying $3-4 dollars a day to buy school lunches. Here are some helpful ways to reduce school lunch costs without necessarily cutting out tasty snacks.

Invest in Tupperware

Instead of paying money for Ziploc bags or individually wrapped snacks, buy a Tupperware container for each of your children. You can even buy reusable drink containers for juice instead of buying juice boxes. Not only is it saving you money to buy in bulk and portion yourself, it is environmentally friendly.

Utilize your Leftovers

If you come from a family that always have leftovers, save by sending some from last night’s dinner with the kids for lunch. You could even take it a step further and prepare soups, chilies, and stews ahead of time for lunches. Unthaw the night before and heat up in the morning to be stored in your child’s Thermos or send it frozen if he has access to a microwave. This is definitely a money saver for big families.

Avoid Pre-Made Items

Though purchasing Lunchables and Uncrustables seem more convenient than making sandwiches every morning, they are definitely costly. If your children prefer sandwiches at lunch, try preparing their sandwiches for the whole week on Sunday evening, and then you can save money and time.

Don’t over pack

Pack what you think they will actually eat and avoid adding extras.

It Pays to be Patient and Flexible

Look out for coupons and deals on your children’s pre-packaged favorites. Children are less likely to revolt against your new lunch system if you treat them to their favorites from time to time. All major grocery stores know what kids love and will have sales.

Stay in Season

When buying fruits and vegetables, buy the produce that is in season to save money. Out of season fruits costs much more than they normally would. Check out our Best Time to Buy guides to find out what’s in season.

Be Creative

Pick a day of the week before shopping day to have Hodge Podge day where you utilize the rest of what’s in the pantry. For example, you could make trail mix from the tail ends of a box of cereal, bag of pretzels, and can of peanuts. You could also use the end of your vegetables to make a salad. There are tons of creative ways to use up what’s in the refrigerator or pantry to make a fun lunch your children will enjoy.

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