School lunch cost in your area?

**nodmicks** · 03-02-2011, 07:44 AM

I was looking at things to cut in the budget and took a good look at school lunch costs. For two kids it is $5 a day. $100 a month! Next year I will only have one child in school because the oldest will graduate.

I dont plan to tell them they can't take lunch at this time but if things get tighter I sure WILL make them pack a lunch. Up until this year the youngest always took lunch and refused to eat school food. Now that he is in high school he says it is embarrassing to bring a lunch as no one does! Well I do know why almost no one does. 53% of the 298 kids in the high school get free and reduced lunch. That is a very high percentage!

I'm sure I'm not the only parent in our school system having a hard time justifying spending that $ for crappy school lunch.

I'm just curious what everyone else pays for a school lunch.

**bustedparts** · 03-02-2011, 08:11 AM

There are 2 reasons I don't let my kids eat school food...cost and ingredients. Our lunch is $2.25 per child per day, multiply by 2 kids and I would spend $90 a month on school lunch. That's almost half my grocery budget for the month for a family of four. YIKES!! and while I applaud some of the school districts trying to go the "healthier" route, that food is not good for anyone. my son said he looks at some of it and can't figure out what it's supposed to be

I don't care how cheap it is, if my kids were allowed free lunch I still wouldn't let them eat it.

**imagine** · 03-02-2011, 08:20 AM

We pay elementary $2.10 and middle school $2.30. for the basics

Middle schoolers pays extra $ for extras like extra serving of vegetables (Buddy says this happens if you take to big a scoop) seconds are extra as are the fun things like chips or juice or salad or soup.

Little Miss's school is 75% free or reduced lunch so they tell her she is an idiot for bringing her lunch because it is stupid not not eat the FREE school lunch and breakfast. She can't convince them that it is not free for all. The kids tell her it is. It is not.

But on the flip side it is not cool to eat at high school because it might mean you are on free lunch. It is cool to eat off campus. now that would be $$$

**jas** · 03-02-2011, 08:27 AM

My dd is in high school and to buy the regular lunch is 1.80 of course there are things you can buy extra. I give her 2.00 a day. She keeps the change.

I have counted the weeks left before NO MORE LUNCH MONEY!!! She will graduate in May. There are 10 more weeks and one of them being Spring Break. That will be 40.00 a month. Yay!!

**Telephus44** · 03-02-2011, 08:36 AM

DS is in preschool, and a full lunch is $2.50. I sent him in with the money once and he bought it, but he didn't even bother to mention it at dinner, so I guess it's not a big deal. I pack his lunch now.

I say full lunch, because they do have some option like "fruit and milk" and stuff in addition to the regular lunch.

**nodmicks** · 03-02-2011, 09:01 AM

Imagine~ our high schoolers are not allowed off campus. However we are rural and there is no where they could go anyways but the gas station.

Jas~ yeah! I'm counting down to just having 1 to buy for the next 3 years.

Bustedparts~ may I ask how old your son is? My youngest was just the same until he hit high school this year. Now it is just the opposite.

**imagine** · 03-02-2011, 09:28 AM

Originally Posted by nodmicks

Imagine~ our high schoolers are not allowed off campus. However we are rural and there is no where they could go anyways but the gas station.

Ours are allowed off campus because the school says it can not feed that many children in the time of lunch in the facility they have

There is several fast food place near by Taco bell, Mc Donald's, Subway, Wendy's, Pizza Hut, local hamburger - ice cream shop of course they have to drive there. If they walked they couldn't make it back in time.Those are the near school ones there are more if the want to go a few blocks down or over.

I'll have a high schooler next year and I'm not looking forward to the lunch discussion.

**Lady_V** · 03-02-2011, 09:47 AM

Diva is in a small school with no full kitchen so they have to have the food brought in by a catering company every day...

At first, I thought it would be wonderful, healthy and fresh... it should be for $3.00 a day!

I chaperoned a lunch one day and that was the end of that... it was dinky little portions of food in a disposable divided tin... and on top of that, it tasted NASTY!

Diva brings her lunch and I can give her a much healthier lunch. There are times I send in the same thing that is on the menu for that day (ie: french sticks) and the other kids are so jealous because she has more than 3 floppy sticks and a hockey puck sausage

**McD** · 03-02-2011, 09:57 AM

I'm not sure yet as to what our prices will be since Wesley doesn't start kindergarten until next year. Our kindergarten round-up is later this month, so hopefully I find out more at that time.

I would like to pack his lunch and have him help me pack it so that he learns how to plan out healthy meals. We shall see how that goes.

**Jamielane** · 03-02-2011, 10:00 AM

Well my middle schooler almost never wants to buy a lunch. I would say since september she has asked to buy her lunch 3 times. It is 2.50. She occasionally does take .50 for a big cookie though. Maybe twice a month. I put 15.00 in her account when school started and she still has a 4.00 balance available to her. She just has to swipe her id card to use it.

The high school is another story entirely. My oldest prefers to eat school lunch. They have a pizza cart, an on campus subway and countless other options. When she eats a full lunch there which would be pizza slice, salad, green tea or water to drink and a cookie its 6.40 . Ridiculous . I know that is what she buys to because I can see the itemization of what they spend the money on in their accounts. The Juniors and Seniors are allowed off campus for lunch but not the freshman or sophmores. She is a sophmore. None of her friends drive yet nor does she so there is no way for them to get anywhere at this point but its going to be an issue next year. She buys lunch a few times a week.

**brennasmom** · 03-02-2011, 10:01 AM

$2.50 each. But the school only offers hot lunch on Friday so they mostly take lunch

**jas** · 03-02-2011, 10:33 AM

It is interesting to see the different ways schools approach lunch. From having no hot food, having it catered each day to endless options like the food court at the mall.

**monkeywrangler71** · 03-02-2011, 10:40 AM

$3.75 per day at the elementary school, an extra $1.00 if you want chocolate milk instead of regular (regular milk is subsidized in schools). I don't know about the high school, I believe they can order a variety of things at different prices.

I pack lunches for everyone. I did let my son order lunch at school once as a treat, but most days it is something he doesn't like anyway. My youngest wanted to order lunch, but we haven't done it yet; she doesn't really care. If I give my oldest lunch money she will end up going to a fast food place instead of the school cafeteria, and will come back late for class (or skip it entirely).

I wish it was better and more affordable, because I hate packing lunches.

**bustedparts** · 03-02-2011, 11:41 AM

Originally Posted by nodmicks

Bustedparts~ may I ask how old your son is? My youngest was just the same until he hit high school this year. Now it is just the opposite.

my son is 10, in 5th grade. the kids that sit with him at lunch try to trade food with him every week. I make homemade snacks instead of buying store bought processed stuff and my son could never figure out why they wanted to trade. he didn't realize everyone's mother doesn't cook and bake real food. I doubt he will quit carrying his lunch. he doesn't care if other kids think he's weird or a geek for bringing his lunch, he just wants to eat good food

**Iansmommy** · 03-02-2011, 11:52 AM

My kids pay $2.50 for lunch and it is all processed/frozen food reheated. When I was in school everything was "homemade" in the kitchen. Same school, just different approach now I guess. They just recently added a salad bar because of the new bill that was passed. My 3rd grader only takes hot lunch if there is pizza, my oldest likes to take hot lunch all of the time. That may soon come to an end as I can pack a much healthier lunch for cheaper. They also serve breakfast, but not sure how much that is.