Want to start packing lunches for your kids, your spouse, or yourself to take to school or work each day? Here are three strategies to help you simplify and streamline the process:
1. Have a Plan
I know that this sounds so simple, but your success in actually following through with your good ideas and ambitions all hinges on actually having a plan. Just as you need to plan a menu for the week and buy the groceries to make those meals if you want to, you know, eat at home, you also need to have a plan for lunches you want to pack if you actually want them to be able to get packed!
Think ahead of time how many lunches you’ll be packing that week, what you’ll be packing, and what groceries you need to purchase. I recommend keeping it as simple as possible.
Don’t feel pressured by Pinterest pictures to think you need to come up with fancy new meal ideas every single day. Really, you don’t. Trust me on this.
Instead, rotate a few different sandwich options and side options throughout the week. It really won’t hurt anyone to eat the same thing a few times each week! 🙂
Write this list of lunch ideas down, write down the ingredients you need to buy, and then you can use this plan over and over again. I recommend typing it up and laminating it or keeping it in an app on your phone so that you never have do the planning work again.
If the thought of making the same thing over and over and over again just won’t work for you or your family, try a 4-week or 6-week rotating lunch menu. This is more work to plan and follow through with, but once you’ve made the plan and created a grocery list based upon the plan, again, your planning work is done.
Need some motivation to put forth the effort to plan and make lunches? How about considering how much money you’ll save by doing so.
Over the past 12 and a half years of our marriage, I’ve packed countless lunches, not only for when Jesse was in law school and then working outside the home, but also for myself and/or the kids when we are out and about for the day or on a field trip.
One time a few years ago, I sat down and did the math. And it astounded me!
I figured out that most of the lunches I’ve packed cost anywhere between $0.75 to $1.50 each (remember, that’s mostly because I’ve shop the sales, used coupons, and stocked up on items when they are at their lowest prices!). A lunch at a fast food restaurant is likely going to cost at least $4-$5 at a minimum.
Based upon these calculations, it is very safe to say that packing a lunch has saved us at least $3 each and every time. Over the course of the year, that could add up to as much as $750 saved — just for packing a lunch for one person!
And that could be a low figure. You see, if someone is eating out at nicer restaurants most days and spending $7-$12 per lunch, the savings would be significantly higher! In addition to the savings, there’s also the added benefit of homemade lunches also often being much more healthful for you as well–especially when compared with fast food meals.
2. Prep Ahead
Part of the drawback to packing a lunch is the part where you have to pack it. If only lunches just magically packed themselves, eh? 🙂
One of the best ways to make things simpler is to prep things in bulk. When you get back from the grocery store, wash and chop all the carrots and celery and store them in a little water in an airtight container in the fridge. Slice the cheese. Cut up the melon. Wash off the berries. Hard boil the eggs. Bake the chicken.
Have everything as ready to stick into a lunchbox as you possibly can. This will make packing a lunch a breeze and will give you little excuse not to actually make it happen.
I’ve also found that doing sack lunch prep the night before makes it so much easier. For some reason, I’m much more motivated and creative at nighttime than I am most mornings. Take a few minutes after dinner to figure out what you’ll be packing the next morning and even get as much as possible ready. You’ll never regret this in the morning!
A few of our favorite Make Ahead Lunch Ideas:
- Hard-Boiled Eggs
- Veggies
- Fruit
- Sliced Cheese & Crackers
- Homemade Soup — especially great for the colder months!
- Homemade Instant Oatmeal Packets (these are great if you have access to a microwave at work
3. Use Your Freezer
One thing that helped me in packing lunches was to divvy up serving-size portions of muffins and cookies in baggies and stick them in the freezer. Then, when I’m packing lunches, I can just pull a few of these baggies out to add to the lunch and round things out.
Baggies of muffins and cookies are also great to have on hand for when we’ll be out and about running errands. Being prepared with our own food means we divert the urge to make a quick stop through the drive thru!
A few of our favorite Freezer-Friendly Lunch Ideas:
- Freezer-Friendly Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches
- Freezer-Friendly Banana Bread
- Easy Morning Glory Muffins
- Homemade Energy Bites
- Brown Bag Burritos
- Homemade Pizza Pockets
- Southwest Roll-ups
- Best Ever Chocolate Oatmeal Bars
Looking for more make-ahead sack lunch ideas? Check out my Lunchbox Freezer Cooking series. And speaking of prepping ahead of time, you might also want to check out my post on 8 Make Ahead Breakfast Ideas.
Note: MightyNest sent us some products to try out. Here are the products featured in the pictures in this post: Blue Lunchbox, Green Ice Pack, Neon Green Container, Divided Container, Black Lunchbots Rounds, Silver Insulated Bottle, and Green Din-din Spoon and Fork Set.
Tiffany Thompson says
Thank you so much for these wonderful ideas. My daughter is 10 and can be a picky eater at times. Last year she became a pretty good planner when it came to her lunches. There are some things she likes to eat at school. Our school sends the lunch menu home every month so she started taking it and highlighting the days she wanted to take her lunches (this menu stays on the refrigerator door). This has made it a lot easier for us.
Eunice says
The Energy Bites are our family new favorites. It’s a must have snack in our freezer. Thank you. For the recipe.
jenna says
Thanks for this post, Crystal! My kids are attending public school this year after us moving to a different area; we had been going to 1/2 day private school for 5 years. So, since we’d take our lunches in a big ice chest whenever we’d go to the park or to the pool, this is the first time my kids have owned lunch boxes! They are excited and I’m a little nervous about having to pack snacks and lunches every day. However, I know they will make sure I know what they like and dislike. 🙂
Cris says
My son is autistic and ultra picky so I always pack his lunch. I went to his lunch time at school a few times last year in kindergarten and realized that the kids that get the school lunch ended up throwing a lot of it out because by the time they go thru the line they have limited time to eat versus the ones who bring it from home. It was quite a lot of food in my opinion for a 5 or 6 year old. I had considered letting him buy lunch every now and then but after seeing that I decided not to.
Susan says
We pack lunch for work/school every day. It’s been a habit of ours for years and I don’t consider it a chore at all.
We go simple too, and pack pretty much the same thing every day … sandwich or wrap, fruit, and salad or cut-up veggies. I also take a greek yogurt for a mid-morning snack and keep snacks such as crackers, granola bars, or tuna packets at my desk so that I’m not tempted to get anything from a vending machine.
Nobody needs those those fancy containers either. We use good ‘ole ziplock bags that I get on sale with coupons or at Costco. I reuse them sometimes, if they don’t get messy. For wraps i just use some aluminum foil. Yes, I know they’re not exactly “green,” but they are convenient and meet our needs in this season of life. Keeping track of containers, lids, and washing them every day gets to be a pain.
No need for a lunch box either. I just put my lunch items in a pocket in my backpack. My teen daughter prefers to use one of those flimsy grocery bags from the store for her lunch items so that she can use toss it instead of having to haul a lunch box around.
Tammy C says
I am so glad to read your comments.When the kids were in elementary they of course used lunch boxes but still had ziplock bags for the food.lLess chance of lots being lost if the whole box was lost or stolen.
By middle school and high school grocery bags were used for a week at a time then tossed.17 years of school lunches and never had fancy containers to worry about.
Kim @ Wildflower Four says
How long does it take to receive the email offer? I signed up a few hours ago and haven’t received anything yet.
jenna says
I’d check your email again or maybe your junk.. I got my code really soon after I signed up. Hope it works!
Karen says
Can you please share what these awesome recyclable baggies are?! Thanks!!
Karen says
Nevermind!! I didn’t read far enough!! ?
Marianne says
I’ve found that having cute lunch gear helps, too. Spending a little money up-front to get a cute bento box system or lunch bag will pay off if it helps you to stick with it over the long term. The compartmented boxes like the post shows also help me remember to put it a fruit or veggie snack, too.
Debbie says
I love these tips Crystal! I’m a big fan of preparing lunches the night before, then it’s easy to put them in backpacks in the morning. Thanks so much for sharing where the products are from (that was going to be my question to you until I read down to the end of your post). I’m going to check out their website right now. The round stainless steel containers look so cute and functional!
Jean C. says
We pack lunches everyday – my kids to school and my husband for work. A few thoughts… my kids have been packing their own lunches for the past few years. I just help cut up fruit or whatever else is needed. It’s a bit more, but I’ll have on hand things they can simply grab and put in their lunch bags, such as yogurt, bananas, grapes, applesauce cups, peach cups, almonds, hard-boiled eggs, single-serve hummus, veggie sticks. They make their own sandwiches each day. Since they make their own lunch, there are no complaints and they will usually eat what they pack. My kids are now 8 and 10 years old – my oldest has been packing his lunch, by his choice, since 3rd grade.
For my husband, he will pack up dinner leftovers for his lunch before everything gets put away.
Sarah@TheOrthodoxMama says
I say a little “thank you prayer” for you each time I pack my son’s lunch. Ever since I learned that I can freeze peanut butter and jelly, it has made such a difference! I make enough sandwiches for two weeks, freeze them, and just pull one out each night and put it right into his lunch box. I usually bring leftovers from last night’s supper in my lunch, so we save tons!
Crystal Paine says
This makes me SO happy! Thank you for sharing!
Marianne says
I should really do this. I always end up putting off making the sandwiches and throw my nice, relaxed evening into a tizzy when I realize I haven’t done it yet.
Reelika @Financially Wise On Heels says
Oh so many delicious ideas! I found many new things here and I love to experiment what works best for my family. Thanks 🙂
Susan says
My hubby is such a good sport about taking packed lunches to work 4 out of 5 days of the work week. He is very simple to pack for as he takes mostly the same thing every day. I use my indoor grill to cook batches of marinated chicken breasts. I freeze the batches of grilled chicken breast and then thaw as needed to make him fresh chicken sandwiches. I slice each breast in thin horizontal pieces to put on sliced bread or pistoletes. This is his favorite. I also eat chicken sandwiches during the week for lunch or cut up chicken and place in salad. For my school age daughter I pack pigs in a blanket, chicken fajitas, and pizza slices. She’s a challenge because she dislikes sandwiches and is very picky. Her school lunches if bought are $5.50 every day! No way would I pay that! I can’t imagine wasting money on eating lunch out everyday.
Swapna says
Recently, we’ve been trying to reduce costs by eating out less and making more food at home. Thanks for the tips!
I sometimes wonder at whether buying metal containers and reusable sandwich bags is worth the money/health savings.
Julie says
I think if you pack your lunch consistently, you will quickly “earn back” any initial up front coats, like paying for containers. If they are durable containers, and don’t leak- totally worth it! There of course reusable containers that are expensive, and some less so.
Shannon says
I bought Ziploc brand divided containers for my son’s lunch when he started preschool. There’s a big compartment for a sandwich or entree, plus two smaller ones for fruit, veggies and a few cookies or some Goldfish. They’re dishwasher safe and inexpensive, so if you or your kids break or lose them, no big deal. However, I still have a few from two years ago that are in great shape.
MotherLydia says
Unfortuantely, the Ziploc brand ones appear to be discontinued. I’ve been looking for them for several month (Have Easy Lunchboxes but the lids come off too easily)
MotherLydia says
I love your figures of it costs you $1.50 to pack a lunch, using coupons, etc. I “Pack” Frozen meals for my lunch often when I can get them for $2. I think that’s entirely reasonable given your numbers. I’ll use some of your ideas for my kids’ lunches though as they don’t have access to microwaves at school. (And one kid won’t eat the hot meal even if I pay for it.)
Anna says
I love that you said they don’t have to be pinterest type lunches, and it is ok to have the same thing. My now 1st grader took almost the same thing every day last year — partly because he’s picky 🙂 He was happy and the meals were nutritious.
MomofTwoPreciousGirls says
My 2 are 7 & 6 heading to 2nd and 1st grades. They got mad whenever I tried to change their sides! They’re sandwiches may vary but only kinda. One child will rotate between peanut butter, cheese and peanut butter & cheese (weirdo!). The other likes ham, turkey and ham & turkey! Then they get a mini bottle of water, applesauce, granola bar and fruit gummies. If I try to change it they get cranky! Simple is the way to go ?
Emma says
Thanks for the timely post. I am a teacher so am thinking about packing lunches for myself. Sometimes my leftovers work well, sometimes they don’t. I like the idea of having freezer food ready to go. My husband is not a fan of leftovers though– just the idea is what turns him off. I need to figure out what works for him just for the money aspect, not to mention the health aspect!
My Bright Blue House
Kati @ Around the Plate says
Seeing lots of my favorite lunch gear! Great tips for keeping an important meal quick and easy.