School Lunches

Depending on when DH's raise goes into effect, we may not qualify for reduced lunch this year. If that happens I have to start packing lunches again. I was just curious how your family does lunches.

 

My kids have never bought school lunch ever. They refuse (and I really don't blame them). So we pack a lunch every day.

 

My girls buy their lunch everyday, unless they don't like what they are serving. Megan almost never takes hers now, because in middle school they offer so many options - salad bar/pizza bar/main line bar - that she will eat something. Elementary gets two mainline options, so Jesse will take hers if she doesn't like either one of them.

I work and packing a lunch is just one less thing I have to deal with! It does get expensive, though, and I know I could send something probably better, for less money.

 

Mine buy their lunch most of the time -- 3 or 4 days/week, occasionally only two -- and bring it if they don't like the choices. There has been a huge focus on healthy lately, which would be wonderful if they could translate it into something edible, too. Unfortunately, that hasn't been the case.

 

My boys have always brought their lunch. They have no interest in buying, ever, even on Papa John pizza day. I *thought* I would prefer them to buy since it would be so much easier on me, however, the kids who buy have a lot less time to eat their lunch plus elementary lunch has gone up to $1.75 so it's much cheaper for them to bring each day.

 

QUOTE(LisaGoeke @ Jul 23 2007, 10:27 PM) [snapback]342227[/snapback]
My boys have always brought their lunch. They have no interest in buying, ever, even on Papa John pizza day. I *thought* I would prefer them to buy since it would be so much easier on me, however, the kids who buy have a lot less time to eat their lunch plus elementary lunch has gone up to $1.75 so it's much cheaper for them to bring each day.


Our school lunches are also $1.75. I just can't see spending almost $9 a week for a mediocre lunch. On reduced lunch we only pay $2 a week and I can handle that. At the rate DH's boss is dragging his feet doing the paperwork for DH's raise, this may be a mute point. If our pay doesn't change we should still qualify and she will continue to buy her lunches.

 

Ours are $2.10 at the middle and high school. So that's $10.50 a week times three kids would be $31.50 a week. We pack a healthy lunch with things the kids will actually eat and not just throw away. I think even if it costs the same or more to pack three lunches a day for the week we're still ahead of the game, kwim?

 

Ours are also about $1.75, plus another $0.40 or so for milk. I figure the cost is fairly close either way, though, especially with peanutbutter being so strongly discouraged now (and my kids can't/won't eat any of the alternative nut butters, which can be pricy anyway).

 

When we qualify for the free lunch, they bought everyday. Thankfully, the boys are really good about chosing veggies and fruit with their lunch, even when they were in kindergarten. While we were in Kansas, I didn't qualify for the free or reduced lunch (they included my parent's income ) so they took everyday except for Fridays, I'd let them buy then. They're so independent now and like to make their own lunches so I usually let them...sometimes I'll just make the sandwiches and let them pack everything, certainly makes life much easier that way!

 

At the beginning of each month, Jackson browses the school lunch menu and picks the items he likes. That usually amounts to 4-6 lunches, and he buys on those days. To him, that's a real treat. Otherwise, I pack his lunch.

 

Well, I voted buys everyday. They did last year in Kindergarten in Louisiana because it was so cheap there was no way I could pack a lunch for that price ($.70 INCLUDING the milk). This year, back in PA for 1st grade, lunch is $2.40. Now, they will be packing lunch.

 

Last year we qualified for reduced lunch. It was $.40 and breakfast was $.30. Regular prices are $1.20 and $.80. At the beginning of the month Caitlyn would go through the menu and mark off what she didn't like. It was usually 1 or 2 days. Hopefully we will qualify again this year and the twins will like school lunches as much as Caitlyn does.

 

We do not qualify for free and reduced lunch. I voted brings lunch from home most days. My DD started off kindergarten taking a lunch from home everyday, but then started asking to buy lunch too because some of her friends do. So we let her buy lunch, only on days I know she will eat everything, a few times a month, but the majority of the time she packs from home. Our lunch in elem. school is $1.85 that includes milk.

 

We statred the school year with the girls buying their lunch but they were just not eating it at all, and were soooooooooooo hungry when I picked them up I was worried about them going all day with out eating so I started packing their lunch in Jan and I could tell a big difference in their behavior when I picked them up. We will be packing lunch this year as well

 

Wow! I did not realize how much more expensive our lunches were! Our school is private and uses a caterer. $4.00 per lunch per kid... I usually order them 10 per month. goodness, that is 80.00. I never order for myself, teachers don't get a discount. There are some children there that order everyday... that is a big food bill!

 

QUOTE(Tripsmommy @ Jul 29 2007, 05:39 PM) [snapback]348706[/snapback]
Wow! I did not realize how much more expensive our lunches were! Our school is private and uses a caterer. $4.00 per lunch per kid... I usually order them 10 per month. goodness, that is 80.00. I never order for myself, teachers don't get a discount. There are some children there that order everyday... that is a big food bill!


Yikes, that is a pricey lunch. My kids would be packing everyday for that price.

 

We bring lunch but my DS buys his milk every day. We definitely save a lot of $$$ -- about $3 a day.