How a mother of five navigates the cost of living crisis to make lunch boxes
Mom of five details how she weathered the cost-of-living crisis to create cheap, tasty lunch boxes for her kids
- An Australian mother shared how she is overcoming the cost of living crisis
- She said she buys things in bulk and divides them into small lunch box containers.
A mother who was struggling to afford delicious yet affordable lunchbox items for her five children shared the tips she came up with to make her money go even further amid the cost-of-living crisis.
The Australian woman posted on Facebook, where she said she’s been finding it difficult lately because “times are tough,” but she has a few tried and tested tricks.
“We have five children and lunches are extremely expensive,” she wrote.
‘Our children are hollow pits and they bring loads of food to school every day.’
A mother who was struggling to afford delicious yet affordable lunch box items for her five children shared the tips she came up with to make her money go even further amid the cost-of-living crisis (some of her pre-cut vegetarian snacks in the photo)
The mom added: “Lately, I’ve been trying to find easier, healthier alternatives for the kids, and this is what I came up with.”
She said she divides a large pot of yogurt into smaller containers, which gives her 10 small jars and is much cheaper than buying the small jars separately.
Similarly, buy a jumbo package of microwave popcorn and then divide it into 10 small zip-top bags for extra shelf life.
“Freezing the sandwiches in advance is helpful from a time and money perspective, as many sandwich 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.’
Sometimes she also sends the children to school with jam, which she puts in little containers.
The Australian woman said that one of the quickest and easiest ways to save money is to buy large containers of things like popcorn and yoghurts and then divide them into smaller packages at home; buy wholesale (pictured)
Finally, she said that she puts pre-cut vegetables in small containers for snacks.
She also makes “muffins from 90c cake mixes, before adding chocolate chips, fruit from a tin, or sprinkles.”
‘Kids love it!’ she added.
One of the woman’s best tips is to involve her children in preparing her lunch, as this means she is more likely to return after having eaten it:
“Kids come home every day, unpack their lunch boxes, pack their lunch for the next day with added fruit, and their lunch boxes go in the fridge ready for the next day,” she said.
She makes jam quickly and easily with canned fruit and said to look no further than the canned food aisle as there are so many offerings (pictured)
More than 2,000 people who saw the mom’s post were impressed with her clever budget.
‘So many dishes. Well done and thanks for the ideas,” posted one commenter.
‘This is so clever! Stealing these ideas,” added another.
A third wrote: ‘Love this! I also have five children of school or kindergarten age, so this is very useful for me to reduce costs and prepare more efficiently.”