No Spend Challenge: Get Ahead On Lunchbox Duty

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This is a re-post from a few years ago, but one of my favorite tips to make lunch-box-making at home go a little more smoothly, especially while we're working on our No Spend Grocery Challenge this month!  At this point my kids each school lunch a few days a week just to make life easier, but I feel like the meals we make at home are so much healthier and less expensive than what they get there. Take a minute to read the comments on the original post HERE if you have a minute – so many great tips!

I have a confession to make.  I have been horrible this year at keeping up with my kids lunches, and every morning live in chaos before racing my kids to the bus because I just don't have it together!  Soooo. . .  I thought I'd remind you all (and myself!) of how to get ahead on lunchbox duty.  (I'm determined to get my fridge back in lunchbox shape over the weekend!)

Found these super cute Lunchbox kits on Amazon ~ I'm thinking they'd be perfect for our sandwiches that are pre-wrapped each day!

When I saw this post last year from Money Saving Mom, I couldn't believe I hadn't thought to make at least a week's worth of PB&J's instead of pulling out all the lunch supplies each day.  (Duh???) You might even try making sandwiches ahead for the entire month and freezing them, but we start by preparing a week's worth of lunches each Sunday afternoon  . . .

Note the “C” for Caroline – she likes only peanut butter, Jackson can't survive without jelly 🙂

I'm not quite up for those homemade Uncrustables (thankfully my kiddos enjoy their crust . . . however I do applaud you mommas who de-crust your children's sandwiches!)  Just taking a few minutes though to prepare our lunch supplies makes such a difference in our mornings, so I'm determined to get my act together again.  When I'm completely on top of things, here's what our lunch stash looks like in the fridge . . .

The drawer below this one holds the fruit stash:  fresh apples and strawberries. I could definitely use some tips though on how to  pack fruit like strawberries or grapes ahead of time so that they don't get soggy, because I have a very picky eater who keeps complaining about soggy grapes. If you have any ideas on keeping fruit fresh for lunches, I'd love to hear them!

I also try to keep items wrapped up for snacks – popped popcorn and wrapped homemade brownies make great inexpensive treats, as well as a few pre-packaged items found on sale . . .

My goal is to pack their lunches as soon as those lunch boxes are unpacked after school each day, which only takes a minutes when I have my supplies in order.  My kids can even pack their own lunches when I take the time to catch up, so this one is definitely on my to-do list for the weekend. . . I'm so ready for more peaceful mornings around here!

Do you have any great tips on handling lunch box duty (and suggestions besides PB&J for your children's lunch box meal?)  I'd love to hear them, so take a minute and leave a comment to share!  

Looking for some super cute lunch box ideas?  Check these out . . .

• Fun Ants On A Log Snack
• Cute Ocean Lunch Box 
• This Lunch Rox
• Bento Lunch

These are all way fancier than I'm up for . . . we're just sticking with the basics here.  But aren't they so stinkin' cute???