To ask how much you spend on packed lunches?

[Mumof3xx]

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!

For 2 dd
1 loaf of bread £1.50
1 pack of meat £2.00
Bag apples £1.50
Pack yogurts £1.00
Pack of biscuits £1.00
Pack raisins 50p
Cucumber 50p
Carrots £1.00

All rounded up and they don't have all that every day.

This week I made pasta bake which lasted 3 days for 2 boys and then I made another pasta concoction for the last 2 days. (Approx £3.50)

Apples (£1 for 5 at market so £2 for the week)

Jelly (£1 for 3 packs and only youngest took it because eldest is a vegetarian. So 35p

Homemade biscuits and cakes approx £2

Crisps for eldest tesco value I think 60p for 12 pks so 25p

Total £8.10 for 2 boys. I was paying £9 a
Week for Ds2 and £10 a week for Ds1. I didn't realise I was saving so much.

I spend about £20 on packed lunches for Yr1 DD and for me and DH to take to work. Nursery DD has meals included in her fees so it will go up a bit when she goes to school.

With dts I spend about
£1.50 bread
£1 kitkats/penguins, sometimes homemade cake/cookies
£2 fruit or veg (try to alternate, raw veg cheaper and healthier than fruit!)
£5 fillings for sandwiches
£2 crisps

So about £11.50/£12 a week for two. Could do it cheaper, they feed school dinners for 5 years and just started on packed lunches through personal choice.

For me though, DS gets a proper two course hot meal with school dinners, meaning I can give a lighter meal in the evening. So the money difference is more complex than just the price difference. Our dinners are £2.10 and I reckon that's a good deal for a two course meal. Also means he eats a wider variety of food.

School lunches don't just cover the cost of the food, it also covers the cost of staff to cook the food, fuel to cook the food and manpower and energy to wash the dishes afterwards.
Personally I think that all children should be entitled to a free school meal.

dd gets a marmite sandwich an apple and banana, sometime we have grapes and she takes a yogurt.

So loaf of bread is made for toast and sarnies - about 20p, an apple and banana 60p and a yogurt 40p - £1.20 x 4 £4.80 and then she has a hot dinner on a friday and gets £2.50

That frugal families lunches don't sound too healthy i think they work out about half the price of school for us which is £2 per day.
I don't include juice, crisps or biscuity things just sandwich/wrap/pasta/houmous & veg sticks
Fruit
Homemade muffins or something
Cheese/dried fruit& nuts
Water
Baking batches on Sunday night would work out lots cheaper.

loaf of bread, 50p

5 apples, £1
5 plums£1 (or 75p) (could be substituted by another piece of fruit eg pear)

grapes, approx £1 worth

squash, 10p if that. they have it like gnats piss extremely diluted

cheese,/soft cheese approx £1 worth

cucumber 50p

assorted bits of veggie from the fridge, possibly about £1 in total as taken from stuff i use for main meals.

possibly about £6 per week for two children. I often get fruit that is on offer.

1 child, bread products £1 per week then £1 per day for protein content and snack. Drink bought in canteen 50p.