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Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To ask how much you spend on packed lunches?

35 replies

Mumof3xx · 13/09/2013 16:01

Our school charge just under £10 per child a week for a dinner

Just curious how much those who send packed lunches spend as I reckon I don't even spend £10 on lunch stuff for 2 dc!

OP posts:
picnicbasketcase · 13/09/2013 16:03

Probably around £7 but I've never actually added it up properly

Groovee · 13/09/2013 16:07

1 loaf of bread or bagels £1.50 at most
Cold meat/cheese £2
yoghurt £1
cookies £1
Fruit £3

£8.50 divided by 4 = £2.12 divided by another 4 = 54p a day per person.

StraightJacket · 13/09/2013 16:07

About £7-£8 probably. School meals are £9 a week here, so not a huge saving but DS is a fussy eater so prefers packed lunches.

StraightJacket · 13/09/2013 16:09

1 loaf of bread divided by 4 for 5 days? Wow, my DS gets through a loaf all by himself!

AngelsLieToKeepControl · 13/09/2013 16:11

I spend about £25-£30 on 3dc, well 4 really as my youngest has lunch before nursery and has the same as the older ones.

Tee2072 · 13/09/2013 16:12

£11 a week for school meals here.

I probably spend about £7 a week on food to make lunches for 2 people.

Dinners are a rip off.

Groovee · 13/09/2013 16:12

1 loaf of bread divided by 4 for 5 days? Wow, my DS gets through a loaf all by himself! that's the one for lunches... we normally have to buy an extra loaf for day to day stuff.

ClaimedByMe · 13/09/2013 16:15

I probably spend about £10 a week on pack lunches I would be £20 for dinners.

Mumof3xx · 13/09/2013 16:15

£25-30!!!!!

Good god!

OP posts:
StraightJacket · 13/09/2013 16:15

I am on about just for lunches Grin but he has an appetite which I am sure will bankrupt me one day

No idea where he puts it all Hmm

ClaimedByMe · 13/09/2013 16:16

How do you manage to get hrough so little bread? This week we have gone through 5 loaves and a pack of wraps!!

SolomanDaisy · 13/09/2013 16:22

I am mystified by the loaf of bread or single pack of bagels that lasts five days for four people. Do they only eat a quarter of a bagel a day??

bonkersLFDT20 · 13/09/2013 16:24

Groovee I don't understand your list.
16 lunches = 32 slices of bread of 16 bagels. How do you get them so cheaply?
Likewise with the yoghurt.

I spend £20 a week on school lunches - £1.85 for primary child and £2.50 for secondary. Might need to reconsider what's going on with DS1 though as he often just has a wrap.

HappyMummyOfOne · 13/09/2013 16:38

£1.40 loaf of bread
£3.50 for ham (only lasts for 48 hours opened(
£2.00 fruit
£1.50 cake
£1.50 fresh fruit juice
School lunches are £11.50 but DS not always keen on them. We canpick and choose though so do a mixture in winter

namechanger1979 · 13/09/2013 16:40

I do 10 lunches a week (dss aged 9, 6 and 4).

I buy basics pitta breadsx2 50p
Cheese (always get whats on offer) £1 ish
Carrot sticks 50p ish
Some kind of homemade cake or biscuit £1-2 ish
Basics bananas or apples or fruit from market. £1.50 ish
Oh and frube type yoghurts bought on offer/ with a short date and frozen then defrost in packed lunch. 10p - £1 depending on how much thry are marked down.

So £7 ish. Sometimes vary it with rolls if cheap rather than pitta, tomatoes rather than carrot sticks.

School dinners are £2.10 so considerably more expensive.

littleducks · 13/09/2013 16:59

I don't really budget for lunches. Some weeks they have expensive things like innocent smoothie cartons (50p a carton and I only buy on soecial offer!) other times its just plain (free) water. I don't find bread lasts a week unless I buy one packed with preservatives so have a variety of things like salads, pasta instead.

phantomnamechanger · 13/09/2013 17:08

roll with cheese or ham or tuna or egg - 40p max?
smoothie 50p
fruit 20p
veg/salad sticks 20p
choc bic/slice malt loaf/or small homemade bun 20p?

£1.50 a day - school dinners are £2.30

sending water or squash would drastically cut the price - but he wont drink squash and will drink smoothies, plus it counts to his 5 a day. If you were economising, you could use cheaper bread and go for plain rich tea or digestive biscuits - about 5p for 2-3 biscuits

phantomnamechanger · 13/09/2013 17:12

groovee - please come back and explain your list Smile

are you saying you can get 16 yogurts for £1? 16 portions of fruit for £3 probably doable, but I too wonder about the bread and whatever fillings you are using. I could not make 16 lunches with one loaf and £2 worth of cheese are you Jesus?

Silverfoxballs · 13/09/2013 17:17

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

AngelsLieToKeepControl · 13/09/2013 17:25

I don't think £25-£30 a week is too bad for 20 lunches is it? Confused

Bread/wrap ham, cheese, youghurt, fruit, veg, a biscuit or cake and juice for a little over a pound a day.

We are £2.65 a day here for lunches so I would be spending about £50 odd a week if I bought school dinners.

whois · 13/09/2013 17:31

There is some dodgy maths on this thread!

AngelsLieToKeepControl · 13/09/2013 17:58

Mine is 2 loaves and 2 packs of wraps a week - £4

Ham - £3

Block of cheese - £3

Cheese like babybell or whatever - £3 or £4 (depends on how many are in the pack)

Fruit - £3

Veg - £2- £3

Biscuits - £2

Yoghurts - £3

Juice/Squash - depends what's on offer but around £3 or £4

Sometimes its a bit more, sometimes a bit less.

TeWiSavesTheDay · 13/09/2013 18:07

Very little. DD is only 4. The budget is thus, but jot spending this much so far:

Bread/crackers/pita/wraps £1
Ham/chicken/egg/tuna £1.50 max
Salad: £2
Fruit: £1.50
Treat: £1

£7

If I have to add dairy free milk that will add another £2.50

Still less than £10 a week for school dinners and she can eat them all.

cathers · 13/09/2013 18:13

I have to do lunches for 3 DC for 5 days, working out at,
2 loaves £2.20
Ham £4.00
Fruit £3.00
Yogurt £2.00
Crisps. £3
Cakes. £3
So that's about £17 or £5.75 ish a week per child or £1.20 a day.
School dinners are £2.30 per day.