Josh Elledge - Chief Executive Angel
Buying school lunch or packing your own (“brown-bagging it”) is a hot topic every year. Parents weigh the pros and cons, and sometimes make different decisions from year to year. For me, my decision has been solid for years: My family is in the “brown bag” club. Aside from the positive financial implications, some families are in the club due to allergies, a special diet, or a limited “likes” list. Because, let’s face it… if your child can’t, or won’t, eat the school lunch – you’re going to be packing lunches. But that’s not all bad. Financially, you’ll save a lot of money over buying hot school lunch.
How much money are we talking for 2015-16? The US Department of Agriculture’s site states that schools can expect a starting point reimbursement $3.07 if qualifications are met. If that is the reimbursement start point, the full price cost should average roughly 30-40 cents less. We settled on an expected average price of $2.70 per meal, per person; a whopping total of $54 per month per child. Multiply that times 2, 3, 4 kids… and the upper-cut to the family budget can be a TKO.
Obviously, if you qualify for free or reduced lunches, you should take advantage of that. Can’t top completely free, even with a large stack of coupons. For that matter, it can be a challenge to beat the average of 40 cents a meal for reduced-lunch. So if you fall into that range, you’ll want to weigh the pros and cons, and come up with a plan. You might decide to sometimes bring, sometimes buy. If you don’t know yet whether you might qualify for free or reduced-lunch, check online. Many school districts have their own websites and post this information.
If you already know you’ll be brown-bagging it with my kids this year, consider employing a few favorite strategies. I’ve included some numbers that might surprise you… and, in my opinion, proves that, once again, brown-bagging wins over buying!
(1) Avoid the rut and follow the seasons and sales. Don’t feel trapped into the “sandwich, apple, milk” rut to save money. It’s actually not always the least expensive route. Instead, follow the seasons and sales. Purchase based on what is in season and what is trending for sales and coupons. Here’s what I mean…
Approximate cost of the classic packed lunch turkey sandwich, apple, and milk: 84 cents. One example of season-based choices, taken from Meijer’s sales this week: Yoplait GoGurt (recommend the healthier “Simply” variety), raspberries, milk, and 2 ham and cheese rollups (no bread, made from ham you sliced and real cheese) = 72 cents. A savings of 12 cents over the classic lunch combo, PLUS an additional food item; and a whopping $1.98 savings over buying lunch! That’s the paying $14.40 a month, instead of $54 – or 73% OFF!
(2) Shop early, freeze often. As you’re following the seasons and trends, stock up on whatever you can that is shelf stable or freezable. Apples, for example, will keep a long time if properly stored, and they can be eaten fresh or easily made into applesauce, perfect for lunch. Right now, numerous items are on sale that should be stocked up on for fall lunches. Take the GoGurt I mentioned earlier: you can get them for as little as 9 cents each this week. Compare that to the regular price – 37 cents– and that means you can buy and freeze FOUR for the price of one!
(3) Send leftovers for lunch. Many schools make microwaves available for student use. If they don’t have that option, try the old stand-by of warming until very hot, and quickly placing in a good heat-retaining container, like Thermos brand products. Or even try eating leftovers cold. The savings of this will vary greatly, but let’s look at Meijer’s weekly sales for an example. This week you could make a meal of chicken legs, eggplant or fresh corn, and biscuits. If you were to send a leftover chicken leg, some roasted eggplant or an ear of corn, a biscuit, and even some milk, it would cost approximately 80 cents; a total of $16 a month. That’s another budget-rescuing savings of $38 a month per child or 70% less than buying school lunch!
