Post Restructuring Cash Flow Review - Food Expenses Revisited (School Lunch)

I had done a review of our food expenses for the month, and I had neglected to include one category.  School lunches.  We were a very busy household and one thing we did was buy hot lunch for both of our kids.  This saved time and the kids seemed to actually eat their lunch whereas whenever I made lunch for them, most of the food came back.

Here's an updated table of our food expenses for the month before the restructuring and the month after.

	Before	After
Groceries	$580	$340
Eating out	$350	$100
School Lunches	$184	$184
Total	$1114	$624

Wow - we were spending a lot on food each month.  That's all I could think - Wow. 

School Lunches

As I reviewed our expenses, I thought that I should try to make lunch for my kids rather than have them eat hot lunch at school.   I looked at how much I could potentially save by making lunch.  A lunch consisting of a sandwich with peanut butter and jelly (or one made with turkey and/or salami) and multi-grain bread, a fruit strip, juice and another snack or fruit would cost around $2-$3/lunch.   Lunch at the schools generally cost between $4-5/lunch.

Was it worth it to make lunch?

I would be saving between $1-2/day.  But, what were the costs?  Time.  Waste.

We were still busy in the morning and it takes time to make lunch.  I was taking time away from other things that I needed to do.  Get kids breakfast, get them dressed, brush their teeth, organize their materials for the day, and then get ready myself.

Also, during the Summer, I made lunch for the kids every day, and they didn't eat much of the food that I prepared.  I worried about whether they were getting enough food and energy for the day and I worried that we were just wasting food.

Ultimately, we decided that it would be easier and better to just let the kids continue to get hot lunch at school.  It saved time and they enjoyed it.   The school lunches weren't like the ones we had when we were kids.  They were actually healthy and there was variety.    We gave certain parameters for lunch.  No candy.  Milk at least 2 or 3 times per week.  Fruit was a must.  They should only get what they thought they could eat. 

Also, to balance out the cost, maybe I would make lunch once or twice a week.