Can a packed lunch be done cheaply?

[UndertheCedartree]

My 8 yo DD has FSM at school. When they go back in September the provision for meals is going to be much reduced. There will be only 1 week menu rather than a rolling 3 week menu, only 2 options (instead of 3) and no jacket potatos and salad bar available. Consequently 2 of the days per week there will be nothing she will eat. So I'm going to have to make her packed lunches that I can't really afford. Has any one got good ideas of a frugal lunch box, please?

@SophieB100 - I'll find out, thanks

I had an unfussy, fussy DC too. Ate most things but a couple of the traditional kids crap items were not for him and almost always featured at school once a week.

Cheap lunchbox for him at that age was a tuna sweetcorn sandwich in bread bun. A few chunks of cheese. Either cherry tomatoes or cucumber sticks and a biscuit.

My 12 year old has a ham sandwiches, apple and a bag of crisps. Crisps £1 for 6 pack. Ham £1.50 lasts all week. Apples pack £1 That's packed lunch all week for £3.50. That's less than he would spend in a day in the school canteen.

Hi! Here's some ideas of what I make, hopefully this may help. I put a selection of stuff in IKEA plastic tubs each day, and often make dinner the night before with packed lunch in mind.

• Rice balls (see below)
• Cold noodles - I buy the plain dried egg noodles from the shop and don't bother cooking, just soak in boiled water from the kettle. *Little pot of soy sauce to dip the above *Cold pasta from night before *Cucumber sticks, carrot sticks, cherry tomatoes *Pitta bread cut into strips *DIY wraps - often a wrap, leftover chicken from the night before and different lots of cheese *DIY "sushi" made from rice balls with cucumber poked inside. Then with selection of whatever they will eat and can sit on top (eg slice of ham, grated carrot) with soy sauce dip and can assemble themselves *Dippy lunch - just pots with mayonnaise, ketchup, hummus, whatever. Then a pile of carrot sticks, cucumber sticks, peppers etc toast or pitta bread batons and also sticks made from a cheddar cheese block. Also bits of chorizo *garden Peas in the pod, when in season! *Squirty cream or Greek yoghurt in a tub and chopped fruit (any), jam or honey *Chopped fruit, we usually get 3 fruits per week - apples, a smaller fruit (strawberries or grapes) and a guest exotic fruit, basically whatevers cheapest and pick and alternate *Indian style- leftover veggie curry (eg chickpea), greek yoghurt, Indian wraps eg parathas (super cheap from continental shops). Plus chutney or sweet jams if they like *Ham and jam sandwiches 🤣 cut with a cookie cutter in a shape

This is actually a fun thread for me to try and think of what I actually do and also see peoples ideas! I will post more ideas as I think of them :)

Re: rice balls
Rice balls are easy to make from leftover plain rice, squish it in your hands when cool to make it sticky, roll into a ball or mould using cookie cutter shapes.

Apple that sounds alot of work and my kids would never eat that for packed lunch. Plain Ham sandwiches and an apple works wonders and no faffing with little pots with tne limited time they get to eat at school. They get a full cooked meal when they get home.

Which ones seem like hard work, in particular?
I forgot to mention that most of these are based on leftovers from the night before- like the rice, or pasta. I'm quite lazy lol.
Or I'll include carrots for dinner so I can put aside some chopped ones for the next day.

Apple, some great ideas there! Daughter starts school after summer and she would happily eat most of that. Sandwiches are great but a little (cheap and easy) variety always good to try too.

@Apple31419 - thank you

What would you make for her to take with you if you’re going on a day out somewhere or a long car/train journey? It’s the same situation. Yo answer the original question, yes you can make a decent packed lunch for less than a pound. Make your own bread rolls and freeze them - they cost pennies to make. Hard-boiled eggs - pennies, again. Carrot sticks, cucumber wedges, get a tub of cottage cheese and give her a good scoop of that in a small container. Raisins. Make a batch of flap jacks or something - they can be made with stuff you already have in the cupboards. I make batches of fruit muffins with whatever fruit is left in the fruit bowl and freeze them. Cheese scones. All these things are cheap to make.

Don't buy individual yoghurts, get the big tubs of full fat own brand supermarket fruit yoghurt and put some in a small tub each day. Full fat is better than the low fat ones with extra sugar or sweeteners, and will keep her full up for longer.

Same with cheese - don't buy the individual ones, just cut off a stick of cheddar or whatever you get and put that in. That and sausages will be filling.

Apples, bananas and tangerines are always on sale cheaply in bags at supermarkets.

You're welcome @Elizadoingverylittle and @UndertheCedartree 😁
This whole thread is actually very great, thank you for starting it!

I get a somewhat confused with posts like this, you say you can’t really afford packed lunches but you obviously have to feed her lunches during the weekend, holidays and of course during this lockdown process, it’s 2 days a week, how can you not afford it you’ve been affording it.

Speak to the school in September as I'm sure they'll have a range of sandwiches on offer

@PinkyU

I get a somewhat confused with posts like this, you say you can’t really afford packed lunches but you obviously have to feed her lunches during the weekend, holidays and of course during this lockdown process, it’s 2 days a week, how can you not afford it you’ve been affording it.

I agree. We are talking about a couple of quid a week. Isn’t that what child benefit is for? I assume she gets CB if she’s on such a low income that a few quid for food is a struggle.

During the school closures here they still did the fee lunches to those that get them. I imagine the same happened in the UK.

I’m surprised at the number of posts suggesting eggs - I assumed all schools had banned eggs but maybe it’s just ours. It was frustrating as I’d often make quiche but then was told dd couldn’t have that due to egg allergies in the school. Eggs are so healthy it is a real shame but we have that at weekends now.

We are on a low income but didn't qualify for FSM until now, due to the specific rules. Things I give DD, in one of those lunchboxes with the separate compartments:

Leftover pizza slices
Macaroni cheese, lots of cheese in so it's really cheesy. Done in a dish, cool & cut into squares/rectangles. Served with tomatoes, carrots, cucumber slices etc in a separate container to keep them fresh.
Big scoop of hummus with veg for dipping.
Peanut butter & jam sandwich (they're allowed peanuts in recipes etc, but not as loose nuts).
She loves brie, so sometimes as a treat, she gets a slice of brie wrapped up, & little tub of crackers. And a few grapes. Makes her feel very fancy!
I quite often boil up half a dozen eggs, cool them, store in the fridge, & put one in DD's lunchbox if it's a little low on protein. Cheap & easy. They usually last about 3-5 days. Good for sandwich fillings as well.
Leftover sausage, or other meats. You could do leftover veggie alternatives. I'm veggie but DD & DH aren't.
Flapjack. Soft recipe, homemade, lots of dried fruits etc. Nuts (if you're allowed). Cheap, filling, reasonably healthy.
I almost always put in a portion of carrot sticks, cucumber & cherry tomatoes.
Sometimes I put in some mixed dried fruit, plain popcorn, a few pieces of chocolate covered raisins (I buy a big bag & put in a few per day). DD likes dried apricots, cherries, cranberries, apple slices, pineapple, mango.
Obviously, fresh fruit as well.
Crisps once a week.
Chocolate biscuit a couple of times a week.

Obviously, watch the balance of protein of fat/protein/carbs.

Wow seriously some schools ban eggs? Ours haven't even banned nuts except as a loose item. They are allowed peanut butter sandwiches & nuts in flapjack etc. I wonder some schools they cope with children with multiple allergies which result in there being very few foods that they can actually eat.

Buy a couple of packs of rolls and make them up, wrap individually and freeze them. Then you can just grab one each morning (thaws by lunchtime) and add other bits per other suggestions to make up a lunch.

DD was at a small primary but quite a lot of the kids were allergic to one thing or another. No foods were banned.

Thanks, @BluebirdHill - I'm definitely going to do that.
@pinkyu - everyone on FSM has been getting help with lunches throughout lockdown including over the holidays.

@BritWifeinUSA - I've been unwell and am on benefits. I'm still not getting what I'm entitled to and therefore my outgoings are higher than my income. So yeah, it might not be much to you but for me I need to work out how to do it as cheaply as possible. And we've been getting help with FSM all over lockdown including the summer holidays. Have you never heard how food bank usage goes up over the summer?

[quote UndertheCedartree]@1Micem0use - the Monday is fish fingers and the Friday is a burger and she doesn't like either - don't feel I need to really push her to eat those foods. The other days are more 'normal' meals which she is happy to eat.[/quote]
Those are "meat" options. Are you saying that the school won't offer veggie options? I think they are obliged to.
But cheapest thing to do is leftovers - whatever you had the night before either cold, or in a thermos flask.

@Beamur peanut butter? Not in the UK surely?! And @Querencia...if it's a primary school they definitely wont have a range of sandwiches available. It's one cold option a day, normally 2 hot options and jacket potato. But OP says it is a reduced menu so it'llbe even less. School kitchens are not accommodating of children's likes and dislikes.

@UndertheCedartree

I've costed my dds lunches for a week..roughly

She has a sandwich, veg sticks and a small cake/biscuit

Loaf of bread...50p
Packet of ham...£1
Cucumber....50p
Pepper....40p
Biscuit bar or those mini packs of chocolate animal biscuits, there's enough packs for all five days...£1

She had water in a reusable bottle.

So £3.50 for a week.

@DelphiniumBlue - the other option is vegetarian version of the same.