School Lunches

[BackInTime]

My DD tells me that I am being mean for not paying to buy food at school every day. Apparently most kids spend £5 a day in the school canteen and tuck shop buying breakfasts and lunches. I am happy to pay for lunches a few days a week and provide lots of food and snacks at home to make packed lunches the other days. I cannot afford to treat myself and buy lunch out at work everyday and mostly take a packed lunch. I also think it's an unnecessary expensive way to eat and over a month it really adds up.

AIBU?

I don’t know how people’s afford it, my 7 YO is happy with pack lunches but my mum gives my sister @ 15 £3.00 a day and I think that’s a lot a month

No, you're not being unreasonable. Quite apart from anything else, it's irrelevant what other kids and their parents allegedly do.

I used to give mine a packed lunch and £10 a week on top. That allowed them to buy hot chocolate or an additional hot snack.

People will spend what they can afford. I wouldn't be dictated to and neither should you.

A paid lunch was like a once a week treat for me. Your daughter sounds like she's being a brat.

£5 a day? That seems awfully high.

DS1 said he wanted to stop taking a snack and use the tuck shop in school instead, and the canteen at lunch. Fair enough, we gave him a reasonable budget and said the condition was that he got that amount at the start of the week, and had to ensure it lasted.

It didn't, and as a consequence he went back to taking a snack.

I think packed lunch and a little bit of money to buy a snack and sit with their friends is fine.

From age 11-17 I gave my youngest 5 a day for school lunch. Little did I know he would instead go to his best friends grandmas house where she would make them all sorts of yummy food. I eventually found 300 all rolled up under his mattress...

A paid lunch was like a once a week treat for me. Your daughter sounds like she's being a brat.

I was allowed to go down the street for lunches on Friday apart from that it was pack lunches

I think £5 a day is a bit much! Do you have any independent information as to what things cost at school?

£5 a day??? Blimey even I don't spend that! Primary school dinners are £2.60/day here and my DC at secondary (in canteen) spend each £1.80-£3.00 max a day . Insteadthiugh I prefer & mostly do them packed lunches as that works out 80p-£1.25 /day each including treats and drinks for snack time too.

No I agree. I pay one say a week for school dinners £3 each for 3 kids. I could easily make a wks worth of pack lunches.

Mine aged 13 spends about £5 a day. Private school though. DH about the same at work every day. I'd much rather that than faff about with Tupperware and sandwiches every night, or nag them to do it. I appreciate that it's just not an option for some people though.

I refused to pay for mine to have school dinners - there are so expensive for what they get

When I was at secondary school my mum always gave me money on a Monday, and that was my money for the week, so up to me how I spent it. There was always food at home too. Give her say £10 on a Monday, she can either buy a treat daily or 2 full days food if that's what she says it costs. She will learn to budget it.

From age 11-17 I gave my youngest 5 a day for school lunch. Little did I know he would instead go to his best friends grandmas house where she would make them all sorts of yummy food. I eventually found 300 all rolled up under his mattress...

Laughing my head off at that one. Canny sort of a lad, isn't he?!

From age 11-17 I gave my youngest 5 a day for school lunch. Little did I know he would instead go to his best friends grandmas house where she would make them all sorts of yummy food. I eventually found 300 all rolled up under his mattress.

Have to admit, I was impressed with this. Technically speaking, it's just creative money management, eh?

Calling her a brat is uncalled for. Surely you remember being that age and wanting what your friends had even if it wasn't achievable or realistic.

Calling her a brat is uncalled for. Surely you remember being that age and wanting what your friends had even if it wasn't achievable or realistic.

Absolutely agree with this. Name calling a kid is a really shit thing to do.

And to be fair to OPs DD she doesn't sound like her behaviour is bratty!

My eldest's account can only be topped up in increments of £10. So I give him £10 to last 3 days. He always moaned it's not enough so I tell him he's welcome to make himself a sandwich and take snacks from home... not that he ever does!

Thank you all for your replies. DD is certainly not a brat and is not demanding in general. I think that she is tempted by the canteen food (pizza, chips, pasta, hot wraps etc.)and sees this as more appealing to her packed lunch. I realise that when kids say everybody has money for a school lunch everyday that this is to be taken with a pinch of salt but I wondered if it was more usual than I thought.

Have to admit, I was impressed with this. Technically speaking, it's just creative money management, eh? grin
😂😂

So OP, even my huge 16 y.o. spends £3 or less (he takes a water bottle in) each day. So no, £5/day in school canteen is beyond most parents. Our secondary school sets a £3 /day limit on pupils accounts , unless parents deliberately waive it and set it higher.