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Are you feeling like you’re in the thick of a hectic pace, Money Saving Lords and Ladies? I can completely understand. I sat down yesterday and penned our calendar for the next two and half months. Practices, meetings, work obligations, early morning school drop offs and early release pick ups – every day has some sort of ink on it and on most every line of the day is filled. I’m still committed to keeping our family out of the drive thru though. It takes intentionality to the Nth degree. Here are some tips for affordable lunches and snacks on the go and safety stops I put in our food systems to keep us from overspending!
Do the Veggie Chop (Almost Immediately)
Maybe it’s just me, but if I don’t spend some concerted effort chopping vegetables within a day of bringing them home from the grocery store, they go uneaten and eventually won’t be easily identifiable. Chopped veggies can be easily turned into both healthy convenient snacks, lunch box side dishes, and main courses like veggie wraps, salads, pizza toppings, pasta or fajita add-ins, quick and easy soup, and more. I prefer to buy my veggies from ALDI or Fresh Thyme to stretch my dollars even further. I almost always have carrots, sugar snap peas, cucumber, red/yellow pepper, onions, and mushrooms washed and chopped in the fridge.
Pre-portion Snacks Yourself
Those little pre-packaged bags of chips are so cute but you’ll save yourself a pretty penny if you simply pre-portion snacks yourself. This is especially true for chips and popcorn but can apply to things like trail mix, granola, cookies, and any other snacky items. The most economic approach would involve purchasing some solid reusable containers. However, even a plastic zipper bag will save you plenty of money when it comes to these types of snacks.
Lean Into Family Favorites
I know we all want to provide our kids a wide variety of foods. I get that you want them to eat more than macaroni and cheese and hot dogs when they’re in their forties. However, there’s nothing wrong with leaning into their favorites, especially if those foods are healthy. My girls take an almost identical lunch every day and we’re all going to be ok. Yes Pinterest abounds with Bento box posts about cutting their favorite cartoon characters into beets and unknown root vegetables but let’s be honest. Kids will eat what they’re going to eat. Lunch and snack times are so quick that there’s no time to mess. Have your child identify 1-2 vegetables and 1-2 fruits that they love and serve them on a regular basis. They can also choose 1-2 treats, too. Sure, every once and awhile you can throw in a surprise. But stopping stressing out over trying new recipes when you already have a hectic pace. You’re stressing your kids out. You’re stressing you out. You’re stressing me out.
Ditch the Juice Box, Fancy Pants Coffee, & Soda
If you haven’t already, it’s time to invest in a reusable cup or bottle. Make your beverages at home and go with water when you can because it’s free, yo. Even if you choose a fruit juice serving for your kids, elect to purchase a reusable bottle in lieu of the juice box. You’ll recoup your costs in a week’s time. Just be sure that the bottle is leak proof and your child can easily open and close it on his or her own. Brewing coffee at home can save you a pretty penny, too. Certainly, I splurge on Starbucks now and again but I brew coffee at home every day (I love to set the coffee pot the night before so it’s already perking when I wake in the morning). You’ll save a ridiculous amount of money by this simple practice.
Remember from the How Many Meals Can You Get from $50? post that on average people in the United States spend only around 6.6% of their income on food consumed at home? This means compared to nations all around the world, we’ve got it pretty good. Food prices are low (no matter how many times the media reports that they’re on the rise again). Shouldn’t we make the most of that great blessing? Shouldn’t we stretch our dollars and pennies until they let out a little yelp? You can also check out How to Find Affordable Nutritious Food at the Grocery Store for some more of my best budget stretching ideas.
How do you make affordable lunches and snacks when life is hectic? I’d love to hear! Leave your suggestions in the comments.
This post was sponsored by the Indiana’s Family of Farmers. You get to learn about affordable ways to prepare food. I get a few extra bucks in the Royal coffers. The post and opinions are 100% mine. No editing was done by anyone. I’m sure you could find some grammatical errors if you read it again. Read more on my disclosure policy.
Gain inspiration to pay off debt! Check out Inspiration to Pay Off Debt: 30 Days of Encouragement from the Queen of Free
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