Lunch on a budget that is simple, easy, and repetitive to the point it is on autopilot is a stress reliever. There are so many things that are on a homeschool mom’s plate that she has to think about and plan. Lunch should be easy, automatic and good. Homeschool kids are always ready to eat around noon, and that isn’t the time to figure out what you are fixing.
Some of the best advice I have received for dinner, is what I implemented for lunch. One thing had to set it aside from dinner and that was the cost. We are home all day, and that can be expensive. My goal was to fix meals that are easy to eat, flexible to interchange, and tasty. Lunch has to be quick and easy because I don’t have time to cook three meals a day, and do the dishes three times a day. Here are a few of the ways I save:
Lunch Matters in a Homeschool Budget
I plan lunch with easy meals. Lunch isn’t something that I cook. Quick and simple, but healthy. For example, I plan a day for salad. Each week the salad has a different meat. One week we have taco salad, the next week it is tuna salad, salad with egg on it and so on.
Salad is inexpensive, and I cook up the meat because we buy in bulk. In addition to the salad I add fruit to each meal, so bananas, apples, pineapples or grapes are on the menu. Each week I purchase the fruit that is on sale, and buy several cartons of it so that they can eat as much fruit as my homeschoolers desire.
Planning Framework for a Frugal Lunch
Set aside time each week on Saturday or Sunday and meal plan. Check the pantry first, then the fridge and freezer. Decide what is on hand and needs to be eaten first. From that write out an easy lunch plan. Likewise add in dinner and breakfast. As I plan, in the back of my mind is the goal of maintaining a good meal plan and lunch on a budget.
Leave the harder meals for weekends. Sandwiches are only on my meal plan one day per week. They are on different days for each meal. For instance, on Monday we have egg and toast, Thursday afternoon we have peanut butter and jelly, and Saturday we have soup with buttered bread slices. This method allows for a loaf of bread to last longer than a day.
Rotate, Don’t Reinvent The Meal Plan
Creating a meal rotation that allows for flexibility is important because no one likes to eat the same thing over and over. Since I plan 30 days of meal for dinner, I do 10-15 for lunch. Ramen noodles on Monday, salad on Tuesday, Wednesday is leftovers, Thursday is sandwich day, and Friday is pizza day. Having theme’s for lunch takes out the guesswork.
Rotating the meals each week, or every other week also helps you as the homeschool mom know what you need from the grocery store, how much it will cost, and how much to buy. Again, it takes out the guesswork. Lunch on a budget is a game changer.
Leftovers are a Homeschool Mom’s Friend
Each week for all meals that I plan we have a leftover’s day. This is also something that I strategically plan to happen on different days. Obviously if I don’t cook on Tuesday, then we aren’t having leftovers on Wednesday. So, this is why I cook three times per week and also cook double.
Some family’s don’t do leftovers, but I think food tastes better the second day. I always have. But, in my defense I like cold pizza too! Keep all of your meals simple. Adhere to lunch on a budget as your theme, and create a lunch rotation. If you save $25.00 per month on groceries, I say that is a great savings.
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