Unless you’ve been living under a rock (and if so, WELCOME BACK!), you know that food costs have risen on every single item you buy. The consumers are not the only ones feeling the pinch though. MSNBC , Chapel Hill News, WRDW News 12, and the Patriot Ledger all report a $.50 increase per day ($.25 each for both breakfast and lunch). To put this in perspective, I have referenced only 4 of the 980,000 articles listed on Google – key word search “School Lunch Prices Going Up”. Many school systems are being forced to raise the prices by 25%.
Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while might remember a post I did back in February debating whether to buy school lunches, or send them from home. Back then, I was willing to spend the extra money for my princesses to have a hot meal at school every day, rather than bringing one from home. My position has changed on that topic, since the original post. A change of 25% means that my family will have to come up with an additional $10.25 per week or $369 for the year. With prices rising everywhere, this is just one more expense our family can’t really take on.
The other deciding factor in my change in opinion has been my new coupon management system. Since I started using it in March, I’ve cut our grocery bills from $300 a week to less than $125. I am positive that I can make healthy, nutritious lunches for my girls for a fraction of what the schools are being forced to sell them for now.
Do you have children that go to school? Has your school system raised prices just to keep up with ever rising food costs? What are your plans to cope with it? Please leave a comment and share your story.
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{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
I am not that upset about the cost of lunch, because at the end of the day I can decide not to pay, and pack a lunch for my kids.
What is really chapping my hide is bus passes. Two of my kids ride the bus to school, last year the cost was $275 a year. Now it is $310, the district lets me break into two payments, but still that is a lot of money.
Now some would say, just drive them..I can’t I have to work and my hours just do not let me pick my kids up at 2:40 in the afternoon.
I tell people that back to school cost more than Christmas and they laugh..but at least with Christmas I can control the cost.