The kids will be back in school before you know it and then you have to look at the expense of lunches once again. If you have a school aged child, be sure to read through these tips on how to save money on kids lunches to keep your budget in check during the school year.
- Use coupons. Just like with everything else, coupons can be hugely beneficial. If you plan to buy juices or other packaged items for your kids’ lunches, you are going to find lots of great coupons out there for those. Just keep track of sales and stack the two for smoking good deals.
- Plan ahead. Meal planning doesn’t just count for food you eat at home. Lunches need to be pre-planned and pre-packed in order to be as budget friendly as possible.
- Use leftovers. Just like in your lunches, you can easily pack leftovers for the kids’ lunches. My kids love taking leftovers for lunch as long as it’s easy to eat food (homemade pizza, burritos, etc.). When you are cooking dinner for the entire family anyway, it’s not a big deal to add in one more serving.
- Stick to the basics. Unless you are using coupons (see above), you really should stick to healthy, non-packaged foods for your kids’ lunches. You will save a significant amount of money and let’s face it, it is just better for them.
- See if you qualify for reduced lunches. Have you looked into whether or not you qualify for free or reduced lunches at the school? Reduced lunches cost about $0.50 per day typically, so this may be a really easy way for you to save big on lunches. I haven’t qualified for this for a while, but it was a lifesaver when my kids were really little.
What have you done to save money on your kids’ lunches during the school year?
