How a mom of five is skirting the cost of living crisis to make lunchboxes
Mom-of-five shares how she skirts cost-of-living crisis by making tasty, cheap lunchboxes for her kids
- An Australian mother shared how she is getting around the cost-of-living crisis
- Said she buys things in bulk and divides them into little bread boxes
A mom who was struggling to afford delicious yet budget-friendly boxed lunches for her five kids has shared the tips she’s come up with to stretch her money further in the cost-of-living crisis.
The Australian woman posted on Facebook, where she said she’s been having a hard time lately because “times are tough” – but she has a few tried and true tricks.
“We have five kids and lunches are so extremely expensive,” she wrote.
“Our children are hollow pits and take heaps of food to school every day.”
A mom struggling to afford delicious but budget-friendly boxed lunches for her five kids has shared the tips she’s come up with to stretch her money further in the cost-of-living crisis (some of her pre-cut veggie snacks pictured)
The mother added: ‘Lately I’ve been trying to find easier, healthier alternatives for the kids, and this is what I’ve come up with’.
She said she splits a large pot of yogurt into smaller containers – which gives her 10 small containers and is much cheaper than buying the small containers separately.
Similarly, she buys a giant pack of microwave popcorn and then divides it into 10 small zip-lock bags to keep it going.
“Freezing sandwiches ahead of time is helpful from a time and money perspective because so many fillings are safe to freeze and thaw to make a fresh sandwich,” the mom said.
“I also make homemade jelly and fruit cups for dessert – all you need is a box of jelly and a can of fruit salad.”
She sometimes also sends the children to school with jelly, which she puts in small containers.
The Aussie woman said one of the quickest and easiest ways to save money is to buy big packs of things like popcorn and yogurt and divide them into smaller packs yourself at home; shop in bulk (photo)
Finally, she said she puts pre-chopped vegetables in small containers as a snack.
She also “makes cupcakes from the 90c cake mixes, before adding choc chips, canned fruit, or sprinkles.”
‘The kids love it!’ she added.
One of the wife’s top tips is to get your kids involved in making their lunch, as they’re more likely to come back after they’re eaten:
“The kids come home every day, unpack their lunchboxes, pack their lunches for the next day with added fruit, and their lunchboxes go into the fridge ready for the next day,” she said.
She makes a quick and easy canned fruit jelly and said don’t look past the canned food aisle because there are plenty of bargains to be found (pictured)
More than 2,000 people who saw the mother’s post were impressed by her smart budgeting.
‘So many dishes. Well done and thanks for the ideas,” one commenter posted.
‘This is so clever! Stealing these ideas,” added another.
A third wrote: ‘Love this! I also have five children of school/nursery age, so this is really helpful for me to cut costs and prepare more efficiently.”