Last year I spent about $500 on school lunches for one of my kids. Breakfast and snack were not included.

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This school year I decided to sent her to school with her own lunch. I bought two thermos. I didn’t buy the kids ones with princess on it. It was more expensive. I bought 1.5 cups size which is bigger but cheaper. I purchased 2 for one child. One for cold food and one for hot food in case I would serve her in both.

After dinner at night, I serve leftover for my husband lunch, myself and my daughter’s school lunch. We all eat leftover dinner for the next day lunch. In the morning, as I am getting the kids ready for school, I boil water and pour in one thermos- and close it for 10 min. It allows the thermos to retain heat from the boiling water rather than from the food.

I warm the food very hot. After 10 minutes, I pour the water and transfer the meal to the thermos and close it.

To serve her cold snack from the fridge, I put ice and water in the second thermos for 10 minutes before putting the cool food like pie or cooked apple in light syrup in the thermos.

I first tested the thermos to ensure they stayed warm for many hours. I put boiling water in the thermos at night and in the morning, the water was still very hot on touch.

 

I do send her to school with dry snack like grape or cookies or crackers or homemade popcorn as well. I bag them in sandwich bag.

Proving my daughter with her own lunch didn’t increase my food budget. Instead, I don’t pay $13.5 a week for school lunch anymore.

I do pay school snack for her little sister that is in preschool and is not allowed to bring her own snack.

I was worried at first, thinking my first grader is too young to take lunch to school. But it is working so far.

Do you send your kids to school with lunch? How to you proceed? Does that save you money?