Lunch Money

     I completely forgot to calculate lunch money into this grocery bill tally.  In the past,  I was a little bit naive and would just hand my oldest son $3 every school day.  It was not until later in the school year, when the tuition bills began piling and a budget was called for, that I realized I could do so much better than giving him around  $60 in cash each month.  In addition to his expenses, I had two other school-aged children.  Though they generally opted for packed lunches (my daughter enjoyed salads and fruits with Nutella or turkey sandwiches), I generally signed them up for at least one hot lunch meal per week.  And then there were weekly Friday bake sales and occasional fundraisers requiring the purchase of a candy bar, cup of lemonade, or ice cream sandwich. The after-school lure of the soda machine was also there, too, thankfully they usually only chose Gatorade...  Lunch Money actual meant taking out at least $100 from the grocery money each month; that added up to $1000 a school year!
     From what I was hearing, high school lunch served was very, very good.  That translated into hot french fries, pizza, Twinkies (a product I never would buy at the grocery store), and soda.  This academic year, I started baking more regularly.  Soft baked bread slices slathered in peanut butter (I am still researching how to get the best prices for organic peanut butter)... Freshly made mozzarella and cheddar cheese pizza with almond flour or whole grain wheat crust... With a side of pretzels or Cheez-its, this made a pretty decent lunch.  Plus, there was now major control on the nutrition factor.
     Although I am not baking everyday, I am much more committed than before.  My oldest son is now only taking hot lunch once or twice a week.  My other son has done away with the once a week hot lunch and bake sale goodies.  My daughter enjoys an ice tea at school on some days, so I will be hunting around for ice tea bottle pack deals at the grocery store.  She also insisted on an 8 pack of apple juice boxes when we shopped at Target last week.  I succumbed only because it was on sale, but still I know it was not worth it at just under three dollars.  All in all, I still feel we are not throwing around $1000 this year.