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Late July and every August is financially tight month. With back to school supplies, clothing, classroom fees and sports/club dues our family spends every September getting back on budget. This year my husband and I took an extra week (without pay) from work to go on a cruise with our children. Since we have zero credit card debt, we used our monthly surplus to make up for our loss of income in July. This September my family is getting back on track and ready to start saving for the our fall vacation and upcoming holidays.
This month I am starting a new series that will feature various ways to save money without using coupons or discount. Instead we will feature ways to get back on track naturally and provide an organic way to change your buying habits. Today we are featuring items worth buying at a thrift store.
If you need to pack back to school lunches, you may be seeing dollar signs. Packing a daily lunch can be expensive, but the good news is, there are ways to cut costs. Take a peek below at some helpful tips on how to save money on back to school lunches. When you follow these tips, you can back a healthy lunch for less. Take a look!
1. Buy in bulk.
Items such as crackers, snack mix, and granola bars are great to buy in bulk. They stay good for a lengthy amount of time and are less expensive when purchased this way. Buy the items your child loves in bulk so you have them on hand for less!
2. Try reusable packaging materials.
Don’t waste money on disposable bags, napkins, and containers. Instead, pack your child’s lunch in products that can be reused time and time again. This way, you are not only saving money but the environment as well. It will cost a tad more upfront, but in the end you save.
3. Opt for meatless lunches a few days per week.
Meat can be pricey, so try for one to two meatless lunches a week. On these days you can opt for salads, soups, hard boiled eggs, nuts, peanut butter wraps, or various meatless wraps. Your child can still get full and get plenty of protein, and you save cash.
4. A thermos is your very best friend.
You can pack all sorts of hearty yet inexpensive foods in a thermos. Soup, pasta, even last night’s leftovers can all go in a thermos. The thermos will keep it warm and your child is sure to enjoy a hot lunch!
5. Plan ahead around sales and save.
Just by planning your menu around store sales you can surely save. View weekly sales flyers and plan your child’s lunch menu based on the items you can buy at a discount that week.
When you give these tips a try, you can pack a lunch that is yummy yet costs less. Give these tips a try and see how painless packing a back to school lunch can be!
How will you save money on back to school lunches?
Planning ahead is a great tip, if I could plan my meals, list the items I needed and stuck completely to that list it would be great, ‘if I could’.
I don’t have to worry about packing school lunches-nor do I have to worry about packing go to work lunches anymore since I’m semi retired. These all would definitely have saved me money back when I did work full time–I used to spend a minimum of $5 every day for lunch!
You have some really great tips! I love the meatless meals and the reusable products. I always go for reusable lunch bags. I have found some super cute templates for making your own fabric sandwich bags that I want to try to make.
With my son back in college and then working there in the evening, I need to pack him lunch and dinner. Thanks for the great advice! I’ll be sure to follow it.