Why I’m switching away from school lunch.
One of the main things my kids always looked forward to since we moved to New Albany was the great food options at the Cafeteria.
Options ranged from Panini, Pizza, Hot dogs, Asian cuisine and more. Great options right. I loved it initially for several reasons
- Convenience: I didn’t need to worry about what they would take school or having an extra menu for that. I didnt need to invest in another lunch box.
- I had extra time to do other things earlier in the morning that having to actually make breakfast and then school lunch
- Was perfect with my schedule. Especially when i worked early my early morning ER schedules. ALl i had to do was wake up and be on the go.
Stressless, right?
That’s what i thought until 1.5 years into this and i realize i actually had no control over what my kids chose at school. Not that i needed full control over tweens but I noticed one of sons was having a ‘ball’ at school- pizza most times, cookies, chips and drinks on several days of the week. For me, that was totally off the roof unhealthy.
But not only did i start getting worried about their poor choices, my financial calculations started telling me that paying money into their school account for them to walk up to the cafeteria to buy whatever they want everyday wasn’t a smart idea. They would spend a range of $4 on a good day to $8 if they decided they needed a 2nd plate because the lunch wasn’t big enough.
About this same time, I also got knowledgeable about the ‘Latte factor’ by David Bach, i realized i had to make better choices and changes. We did some calculations and was definitely an ‘Aha!’ moment for me.
| Estimated spending for each person on school lunch | Estimated cost cost for each person on home lunch |
| $ 4 -$7 per day | $ 1 – $2.5 per day |
| $ 20 – $35 per week | $ 5 – 7.5 per week |
So we had the usual conversation as a family and we are taking the steps to make a switch to home cooked lunch.
We all know no one likes drastic changes especially kids. We decided to wean down from daily school lunches to 3 times a week and will gradually go from 1 to none.
A little more stress on us for preparation, but all we need is a little planning ahead.
And of course who says we cant bend the rules and have then have it once in a while when we are in a corner.
So for now, we are making the choice to;
- A little more stress
- Smarter and healthier food options and choices from home
- Better savings and
- Great teaching for the kids on choosing wisely.
So far, they’ve had chicken panini, and chicken + rice + bean burrito. And they are loving it
Stick around as i develop a full menu for them
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