How much for lunch?

[longdiling]

Just that really! Dd spent nearly a fiver the first day, too much for me to sustain. Especially with her brother starting in a couple of years too which would make it a tenner a day! So I've asked her to stick to £3. She seems to be eating well enough on that but her friends allegedly don't have budgets....what does everyone else do?!

[SpaceDinosaur]

Check the school's website or look at the information you were given. That should give you a really good idea of what things cost

[hugoagogo]

Mine get £2.20 which is what school dinners cost.

It's tight, but they are free to take biscuits, fruit and drinks with them or to just buy drinks and fruit at school and have a toastie when they get home, which is what ds does.
I make my own lunch and dh spends about a £1 or a dried up sandwich from the corner shop

[Yankeetarts]

Mine take £4 each

[Laniakea]

£3 at dd's school (gone up from 2:20 in the four years she's been there). She takes a packed lunch now!

[babbafishbabe]

Wow you expect a child to go from 9-3 on nothing but fruit?

2.20 is what primary lunch costs. You are setting them up to eat chips and coke!

[longdiling]

There is no information available to parents on how much things cost unfortunately. Sounds like £3 is a reasonable amount then! I've also encouraged her to take a snack and a drink from home hug. My sister made me feel really mean when I told her about my budget but her kids are older so she probably had to give them more when they were late teens. Thanks all

[ggirl]

Ours is all done through paypal , finger print payment..ds spends too much.

[Squeegle]

My DS had s limit of 2.50 a day, he says he needs more though. I think some of his friends don't have a limit! I buy milk shakes, apples and crisps for him, and he is free to take biscuits or extra sandwiches. It's annoying really as all he tends to buy are pizza slices, and if I give home more he buys cakes and biscuits. Not a proper lunch

[longdiling]

Finger print system here too. Yes squeegle, the first day she'd bought cakes and biscuits and milkshakes!! I have said she can have extra for a bacon roll on Fridays.

[troutsprout]

A Meal deal is £2.30 I think (main/dessert and one of those tiny cuplet drinks) .. But dd usually gets pasta and a sauce of some sort. Drinks are expensive so she takes water/ juice from home.. And usually a cereal bar or dried fruit as well.
I have an app where I add money to her account and can see what she has bought.

[troutsprout]

Should add that dd had packed lunch 3/5 days

[MyWineTime]

£3 per day - but takes extra snacks with him

[eyebrowsonfleek]

Our school sells mains for 2.20, drinks for 50-70p and desserts for 70p. My kids sometimes get a bacon roll instead at break time.

I'd ask the school if they have a school dinner price list. Our school caps food spends at 3.50 a day unless the parent requests otherwise.

[longdiling]

A cap sounds like a great idea eyebrows, as does an app. I will keep on doing what I'm doing then I think. Thanks again

[TeenAndTween]

£2-£3 / day here. DD2 has just started.

I have said no buying drinks as I think a lot of money can be spent that way. She takes a snack from home to eat at break.

They have a fingerprint system but I can see what she buys online.

[redskytonight]

Meal deal (main+potatoes/pasta/rice + veg + pudding) is £3 here. That is also the amount that FSM eligible children have transferred to their card.

DS tends to buy a chicken burger and a slice of cake. (He takes his own drink)
Some DC seem to buy breakfast+something at break+ lunch every day. No idea how parents afford it!!

[overwhelmed1]

DS gets £15 a month put on his bistro account but he is meant to take a packed lunch so this is just to cover extras ie a drink if he forgets his, if we ask him to have a school lunch as I've not had chance to get bread etc then I'll give him £3 extra

[Ragwort]

Perhaps I am mean but no way am I paying for DS to have a school lunch every day - perfectly easy to make a couple of rolls/sandwiches from whatever we have at home plus a piece of fruit. DH also takes a packed lunch to work so we have the 'right sort of stuff' available. Very rarely he will have a school lunch and then I give him £2.

[Laniakea]

£3 a day here (for a sandwich & bottle of water), dd just takes her own - no way am I spending £15 a week!

[Laniakea]

Though if she's feeling flush she buys sushi at the station on her way in ... her money not mine!

[longdiling]

I would prefer sandwiches to save on money but nobody has sandwiches apparently! I wouldn't be surprised if she reverts to sandwiches over time when she's found her feet and her confidence as she never had dinners at Primary school. Luckily her younger siblings also prefer sandwiches or I'd be spending the best part of £40 a week on school dinners

[redskytonight]

I found once the novelty wore off that DS was quite happy to have packed lunches (he has school dinner once a week). A big part of the attraction is not having to spend half your lunchtime queueing!

[longdiling]

Glad to hear that redsky! Dd also moans about the queue and I'm hoping the novelty will wear off too.

[BackforGood]

Last year dd was taking £2.20 and managed fine. This year she has gone back and said everything has gone up 10 - 20p. I am now giving her £2.50 a day.
My other dd (now at a different school for 6th form) has one of those systems you can see what they've bought. Her dinner tends to be £1.65 - £1.90 for a main meal (she's not a pudding person).

I've always pointed out to mine how much 'bought' drinks cost, and they usually drink water with meals, or, if they want a milkshake of something, they know it's a 'treat' and have to budget around it.

I'd say £3 is very generous.

[PikachuBoo]

Our main courses are around £2.10. That's not a pudding or a drink other than water.