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how much is school lunch?

1K views 24 replies 22 participants last post by  Viola 
#1 ·
in our old school system school lunch was $3. we just moved to a new state and its $1.25. that would be $18.75 a week for all 3 of my kids. this is not reduced lunch either...
I can not buy even yuck stuff for lunch for this price. Although I dont know about the quality of the food. they do not have any menues up yet...
im up in the air about letting them buy lunch at school. Then again, im up in the air about sending lunch, we live in AZ now and how the heck would I keep the food cold and fresh in this heat.
 
#7 ·
I wonder if I should just figure being this inexpensive its probably not good quality? even at $3 for lunch where I lived before, I would not let the kids eat everything they offered but they did off good things like low sodium soups, lots of salads, juice, milk ....along with other yuck. But we got to pick before hand what the child would get.
maybe im just over thinking lunch LOL
 
#9 ·
$2.80 I think. You get hormone ridden milk- occasionally high fructose chocolate flavor, and you can choose cheeseburger, pizza or a revolving entree usually revolving around cheese or refined flour. This comes with a wilted off color fruit or veg, and some sort of "dessert".

Yay USDA!

(To keep things cold or hot we use Fit N Fresh conatainers with a frozen insert. On days when I give them something hot I put them in a Thermos Funtainer.)
 
#10 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by I~love~pie View Post
im going to assume there is AC in the schools but ive never been to them as I just moved here.
we moved from Mass. and Yes I used those blue things before there and they didnt work there so I wouldnt expect them to work here where its 30' hotter LOL
A bit about AZ schools, they all are air conditioned. Most kids either pack lunch or get a 'free lunch' Yes it makes it obvious who gets free but most kids would prefer to pack. Lunches are packed in insulated lunch boxes with a 'frozen ice pack'. The lunches are generally kept in the AC classroom.

Totally OT but since you moved here from Mass, you realize we are at the bottom of the totem pole for education, dont you? We average 1-2 grade levels behind most other states. So our 4th grade classrooms are working on what other states consider 2nd grade material.

Good luck as school starts here today for some kids, and next week for most others.
*I homeschool my kids
 
#11 ·
We preorder what we'd like, and each lunch is $3-$5. The school uses it as a fundraiser, but we're not talking the occasional pizza day here. There is a special lunch 4 days out of 5 every week. Optional yes, but hard to explain to young kids why they can't have it when so many of their friends can
:. Nevermind the health issues related to pizza and hot dogs all the time. Yes, I've expressed my discontent.
 
#12 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by I~love~pie View Post
im going to assume there is AC in the schools but ive never been to them as I just moved here.
we moved from Mass. and Yes I used those blue things before there and they didnt work there so I wouldnt expect them to work here where its 30' hotter LOL
I'm from NY and our schools did not have air conditioning either; by the time school let out around June 22 it was barely (maybe) warm enough for shorts.

Now I'm in Texas
; though I haven't sent ds to school yet, I've used the hard blue ice packs to go to the museum (AC but long walk from the parking lot) and they were still cold several hours later in my insulated back pack.
 
#13 ·
golly, lunch is free here through elementary level and is on par w/ what you were paying after that

as far keeping it cold in the heat.....an insulated lunch bag works pretty well (we're in ga so also hot)

also packing things that don't have to be kept cold. pb&j vs a meat & mayo type sandwich ..... apples, oranges, raisins etc

my dd ate at school so i'm trying to remember what we did when i ws in school but that was a looooooong time ago
 
#14 ·
The more your school's lunch costs, the fewer students at the school on the federal lunch program. The lower the cost, the more students whose lunches are covered. Now, at our school, there are extra things kids can buy that are not part of the program, but the basic lunch is 1.50 for high school. These kids can't really be fed for 1.50 with the rules and regs that have to be followed, but for every student whose lunch is covered, the school gets money. Throw in the cheaper things they are able to buy b/c of the discounts, subsidies, etc. and the school can drop the cost.

I live in south LA, and those blue things works perfectly fine.
 
#17 ·
$1.85 at my kids' school. Additional entree's are $1.00. Which reminds me both my older two kids still have funds left over on their account from last year - that will help out.

Their lunches are pretty decent, IMO. Better than anything I would pack in a sack lunch, so they buy it everyday except for field trips.

They have 3-5 entrees to choose from (at least one being vegetarian) and 3-5 sides. They order what they want each day, and enjoy the process.

Here's a sample of their lunch menu from May I'm C&P'ing from online:

Monday

ENTREE:
Turkey Hot Dog
Chicken Fajitas
Garden Salad Wrap
Turkey & Ham Chef Salad

SIDES:
Green Beans
Mixed Fruit
Fresh Whole Apples
Fresh Broccoli
Fresh Tossed Salad

Tuesday

ENTREE:
Chicken Patty Sandwich
Meatless Spaghetti
Club Wrap
Fresh Chicken Salad

SIDES:
Bread Stick
Steamed Carrot Wheels
Chilled Diced Pears
Fresh Cucumber Slices
Fresh Tossed Salad

Thursday

ENTREE:
Hot Turkey & Gravy
BBQ Pork Sandwich
Chicken Caesar Wrap
Peppi Salad

SIDES:
Mashed Potatoes & Gravy
Whole Wheat Roll
Chilled Pineapple
Fresh Orange Wedges
Cauliflower
Fresh Tossed Salad
 
#18 ·
Totally OT but since you moved here from Mass, you realize we are at the bottom of the totem pole for education, dont you? We average 1-2 grade levels behind most other states. So our 4th grade classrooms are working on what other states consider 2nd grade material.>>>

geez that kinda sucks . we had no choice on coming here. weird when we went to the HS, the GC told me ds could test out of most of his classes if they where to easy, since the classes he took last year where basically 11th grade classes here. where does that leave him next year as a senior? why is it like this?

anyways, I was looking at this. since the containers are SS would they keep a cooler temp longer if I put a frozen pack in there?
http://www.reusablebags.com/store/ki...ch-p-1416.html
 
#19 ·
I love pie,
I find I need an insulated bag for those cold things to keep everything cold. Canvas wouldn't work, and you would probably get a lot of condensation and the canvas would get all wet. It is 108 here today, and I use the blue things all the time
Make sure everything is cold going in (drinks, fruit etc) and in the insulated pack it should be fine. A frugal sandwich or wrap and an apple or banana and veggies cut up with some crackers couldn't be much more and might be less if you are a frugal shopper.
:
 
#20 ·
DD's school lunch price has changed a bit each year, but in the $1.25-$1.75 range. She rarely buys lunch at school for several reasons:
1. I'm not fond of the ingredients.
2. She seriously dislikes waiting in line so long in order to pay and pick up her lunch and runs out of time to actually eat it many times.
3. She grew up on 'real food' and only likes one or two items on the month's menu.

The school is aware of the line issues and is actively working on it. This year, DD had a unique lunch schedule and didn't have line issues personally, but the cafeteria ran out of food some days. We had a major flood and had intermittent use of our kitchen for 2-1/4 months, so it was a bit challenging to keep her fed. Due to these extenuating circumstances, DD's standards (and mine) were lowered quite a bit and she tried nearly every item on the menu at some point. She much prefers to bring her lunch and is soooo grateful our house is mostly back to normal now.


We send "room-temperature" foods as much as possible, but use a SS thermos (wide-mouth opening) for hot or cold foods. Place the thermos in the fridge/freezer beforehand for cold foods. Run the thermos under hot water beforehand for hot foods.
 
#22 ·
My kids' (elementary) school lunch cost $2.10 last year. I think the price will probably go up this year. My kids almost never have school lunch because the food is just gross (by my standards) and I'm not a fan of them eating junk food at school.

My kids' school does give the offer students milk or juice for morning snack time. Last year the cost was $0.25. I did pay for my kids to have a beverage with snack each day.
 
#23 ·
In dd's school (private), they include lunch costs with tuition. I was really livid about this when they decided to do this a few years ago. Dd does not have food "allergies", she has food intolerances, which are a little harder to prove. When she has dyes and additives she gets severe eczema and MSG gives her headaches. We have her on a modified Feingold diet and only rarely do we let her have anything that is not all-natural (and all of us know the consequences when we do).

We were able, with a doctor's note, to get a lunch reimbursement and dd takes her lunch every day. They gave us back $500 for lunch the past 2 years. That averages out to $2.77/lunch. The lunch is catered because they don't have a kitchen at the school. Before they made lunch "mandatory" as part of tuition, they were charging $4.00. I don't know if they are not reimbursing us enough or if the lunch is actually that price. It probably is that price because the stuff they serve is crap: Uncrustables, Bosco sticks, pizza, chicken nuggets, sometimes a fruit, but not always. Yuck!
 
#24 ·
The elementary school lunch is $2.25.

It includes milk (hormone free--- that is totally common here at this point, though, I'm not sure who still sells the other) or juice, then an entree (there is always a veg option) and as much "salad bar" as you want. DS would happily eat it daily, DD not so much. This last year they each were allowed to buy once a week until DP was in a major accident and it was just easier for them to buy daily (since I was mostly at the hospital w/him).

I don't know what we'll do this coming year.
 
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