To make DD buy her own lunches?

I have never given my kids lunch money, they have always had plenty to choose from to make nice lunches. You only have to read the uni FB pages to see how poor at budgeting some kids are so you definitely need to teach her just now. They get an allowance to spend on clothes/ fun with friends so can choose to go out for lunch or go to cinema occasionally so are not deprived at all. They are welcome to choose to buy school lunches but I don't think they have ever except in an emergency.

Assuming you have ingredients for her to make a packed lunch at home, then that's perfectly reasonable. Eating out is not a basic expense, so she can cover that.

I’d still give the £25 as I would want to encourage them to work and earn their own money. I’d decide what is a reasonable budget for clothes / shoes / outings and anything extra is for them to buy.

I wouldn't be giving her £25 per week for lunches! She can make sandwiches to take the night before, with a bottle of water. That's what I do!

I’d also keep giving her the £25 and then if she wants drinks and snacks she buys them.

I think continue paying for the train and giving her £25. This is more than reasonable.
Is it a college as part of a school or is it a college that is separate, so all new and exciting?
I know some students who go to college get excited about the different freedom compared to school and often the college is near to town and shops, so any frees they have they initially go into town meaning it soon adds up. She needs to learn though that she has a set budget, and if she wants to spend more on one day that is fine, but then needs to spend less the other days.

It is a life lesson she needs to learn. I think once she is actually earning her own money she might start to realise the value of it. I think it is good for there to be a limit to budget in and honestly £5 a day with subsidised meals through school is plenty. Ds used to take packed lunches some days depending on his timetable and always took his water bottle as he could top that up for free at school.

Yes this is what I do, once a week - they can choose which day and they buy stuff like slush puppies and donuts. You can see it on their parent pay account 😅. I certainly wouldn’t be lacking a lunch for a 6th former. Dd2 has been making her own lunch since primary 4 when she decided she wanted packed lunches rather than the free lunches provided by the school. 6th formers old enough to work can chuck a sandwich or a salad together 😆

I would carry on paying what you are for now, no more. If she wants to spend her own money on food, that will teach her the value of money.

Mine all took their own. No way would I give them £5 a day when they could take stuff from home. Maybe on a Friday as a treat. It’s wasteful and probably spent on shit food - time for her to be more responsible with cash-or to spend her own.

5 a day is plenty for lunch it’s what I give my 6th form DD16. She eats in the subsidy canteen.

Besides which, the canteen at school is subsidised and £5 is more than enough for a meal deal deal.. what it is not enough for, is breakfast, lunch and frequent drinks through the day which is what DD would like!

No, YANBU. She can eat breakfast at home before going to school. I'm pretty sure you will have cereal, milk, yoghurt, eggs or beans on toast etc in the house as standard?
Also, can't she make her own packed lunch at her age? Why should you have to do it? If she can't be arsed that's on her, it only takes a few minutes the night before.
Drinks, again she can take from home (at supermarket multipack prices rather than paying inflated prices for single cans/bottles elsewhere).
It's up to you if you keep giving her the £25 a week for her lunches, but if she wants more than that will buy, she should either take packed food/drink from home or use her own money.
You should definitely still be paying for her train pass though.

Absolutely- it’s a good lesson for her! She could also contribute some board eventually too.

Definitely not mean. My ds's both received £100 per month from me. Ds1 had a part-time job (made about 1/5 of what your dd does - it was lunchtime supervisor in the sixth form he attended) and ds2 has yet to find one (because he isn't looking). I provide food for packed lunches and will get whatever they ask for when shopping (within reason). If they can't be bothered to pack/make it and spend money in Greggs, which is opposite the sixth form, that's on them. They are both fine with that. I take lunches to work and it is a chore but I can't afford shop lunches every day, or if I did get them it would eat into my disposable income for no real benefit, and they need to learn the same lesson. No complaints here and they would fall on deaf ears anyway.

She should be paying for her own lunches. She has the option to eat 'for free' if she takes something from home so you're still providing for her. It's up to your daughter if she wants to buy lunch out. It's a great life lesson for her.

I packed my DDs lunches for school. If they wanted extras they paid for it from their monthly allowance.

my oldest DD is now at uni and doing a really good job budgeting her food bill: mixing some canteen food (for socialising) with plenty of supermarket shopping/ cooking.

I'm glad she learned about budgeting when she was at school.

As soon as I had a weekend job (lower 6th = Yr 12) I had to pay for my own lunches. Seemed fair enough to me 👍

From when my ds got a paid job I always said he could continue taking packed lunch from home but if he wants to buy it then he used his win money.

he on PL 4 days a week and 1 day he would do to MDs with his friends.

it’s funny how when you aren’t paying they suddenly don’t “need” stuff 🤣

I have 4 DC
At secondary school...I never gave them money for lunch ,I made them packed lunches ..but mainly because we are vegan ,and there was no choices at school for vegans .. eventually they took over making their own lunches ..
I definitely could not of afforded £100 a week on lunches ..that's laughable

Continue to offer the 25, but if she wants to spend more then it comes from her own earned money.

£25 a week for school lunches is plenty. Our 12yo get £20. He budgets to get something a bit nicer on Fridays.

OP should be providing lunch of course but presuming there is food available to make sandwiches and snacks at home to take with her, she is! I don't buy my lunch when I go to work, I take leftovers, so I'm sure as hell not teaching my college age DS that you buy convenience food every day rather than take food from home. She's earning money and can buy her own convenience food if she prefers but as you say, she needs to learn the value of money and might think twice if it's her own hard earned that disappears like water.

Seriously? Were you nipping out for a three course lunch?