School dinners / packed lunch

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Dd just gone into year 3 and is no longer eligible for free school meals.

Dh thinks packed lunches are better value and you know what they are eating.

But, I'm getting fed up of making them already! I find it stressful thinking of what to put in them everyday that is healthy and filling.

I work pt and dh ft with very long hours and he doesn't want to make them anyway so AIBU to just pay for school meals out of our shared account (even though dh says it's wasteful). Dd is not fussy and likes both.

school dinners are £2.50 per day

It's not the making of the lunch that is the drag, it's the remembering to have the stuff in all the time, making sure the lunch box is emptied and washed every day, it's just another endless task.

I agree, maybe speak to the school and see what that can do? Maybe they can send a teacher round to do these for you!!??

Same situation here. We’ve settled on school dinners 3 x week on the mornings we’re really rushing about, and packed lunches the other two when i wfh.

I hate making packed lunches with a passion.

Oh for goodness sake. The reason women's work is so invisible is because even women insist that it "really is no bother " and "only takes 5 minutes ". It's like the amazing 5 minute laundry or 5 minute changing bed.

It's a rubbish task. Tried to delegate it to Ds now he's in secondary, he won't do it, why should I? Luckily we can afford lunches which in our school are significantly more than £2.50.

They’re not completely unreasonable when you only have one child. I have three in school so point blank refuse to pay almost £40 a week when packed lunches cost me at least half that.

Think you're the unreasonable one imo, he works considerably more hours than you. As already mentioned. It's really not that difficult to put it together the night before and make a sandwich before you leave.

Wow- mine make their own lunches! This is a ridiculous argument.

I have 4 at school and apart from my 6th former mostly do packed lunches other wise it was costing me £12 a day.
I always make them the night b4 and they pretty much consist of salads, pasta, mabe couscous, pots of fruit, quiche, and at wknd i make muffins and flapjacks for the wk ahead.
I usually say friday they can have a school dinner but then tend to prefer packed lunch.

I would do hot meals for the autumn and winter, and move to packed lunches in the spring if j could afford to. I'm "lucky" that we get free school meals til the end of primary.
We adults take packed lunches and I've done 2 years of nursery packed lunches and we don't find it any bother to make an extra sandwich at night and put it all in the boxes while waiting for the kettle to boil in the mornin.

@DefinitelyNOTamum yes I may work less hours, however I also do all school runs, washing, dinners, uniforms, book bags, reading, spellings, homework, food shop, bath times and majority of household tasks.

We can afford school meals, dd likes them so I don't see why dh is being insistent on packed lunches, we've decided I've told him that she is having dinners on my working days and packed lunches on the 2 days I don't work.

We have 2 children, young one in reception so FSM and a dog that I walk 99% of the time.

Dh comes home from work to a clean house, a hot meal and children bathed and in PJ's ready for him to read them a bedtime story, all he has to do is a sodding sandwich while his making his own. He can get ready in peace in the morning, I've myself and 2 kids to get ready and I find it stressful, especially when I have to get to work myself.

Yes... the hardest part of my day so far was chopping the cucumber, tomatoes and grapes, putting them in a container and putting it in the lunch box along with a piece of ham in a wrap and an apple, a yogurt and some crackers! Must sit down now!!

@joblotbubble I spoke to school this morning, the reason they request to know in advance if dinners are required is to do with catering costs. We can't just switch and change everyday, it's done term by term.

I've now requested school meals for 3 days.

If you can afford school dinners and your DD likes them then I see no reason to stop having them. I like knowing that the DC have had a decent hot meal with pudding in the middle of the day, especially in the winter.

We can't just switch and change everyday, it's done term by term.

Sorry I had no idea there were schools that did this.