School Lunches

[El Guapo 10]

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/woul...er-did-1157394/The above is an article I just read about school lunches, and some mom claims that she could save money by having her kid buy school lunches. I am confused by this. There is no denying that school lunches are not the healthiest things, and I wish they would provide healthier choices for kids, but that is not what struck me as odd in this article. It was the cost.When I was a kid, not THAT long ago, my mother made me a lunch pretty much every day. The number one reason was, she couldn't afford for me to eat school lunches. In grade school in the early 80's it was a couple bucks and in High School a school lunch would easily exceed $5.00.So my questions are:A. Did school lunches because extremely cheaper?orB. Is this a cherry picked person who will spend $7 on a lunch for their kid to take to school?I know I could make my son a lunch containing a PB&J (on the expensive wheat bread(that's for you brvheart)), an apple, some crackers and/or chips and maybe a stick of string cheese and be a lot cheaper than what I paid for lunch 20+ years ago.

[jeff_536 3]

All the schools up here are peanut free.

[JoeyJoJo 20]

In grade school in the early 80's it was a couple bucks.

I think a couple bucks is still standard.

[El Guapo 10]

I think a couple bucks is still standard.

OK, a couple quick web searches showed some message boards where people were saying between 2-3 bucks + cost for milk or other drink at .50 to 1.00.I know for a fact that what I posted above would cost less than that.2 slices of bread .322 OZ Peanut Butter .181 OZ Jelly .12Apple .502 OZ Crackers .451 String Cheese stick .391.96 centsThey can drink water.I guess in retrospect if a mom is putting a lot of food in their kids lunches it would be over the cost of a meal, I can't believe that school lunch prices have not gone up in 20 years. I guess that's why the food has gotten so much worse..EDIT: Yes I did figure out the above costs based on what I pay for my groceries.

[JoeyJoJo 20]

You forgot to include the convenience fee. Using Ticketmaster as a guide, I think that's something like $172.

[LadyGrey 8]

2 slices of bread .322 OZ Peanut Butter .181 OZ Jelly .12Apple .502 OZ Crackers .451 String Cheese stick .391.96 cents

Why don't you cut out the string cheese and save .39? Or maybe give him real food instead of that shit, which shouldn't even be called cheese because it is really some kind of rubber or plastic from what I can tell.

[grocery_mony 9]

I remember in elementary school a friend of mines mom packed him 2 chocolate bars a twinkee and chips and a coke everyday for lunch. In grade 6 I though he had the coolest parents now I think she was ****ing moron. No wonder he had bad acne from grade 5 on.

[El Guapo 10]

Why don't you cut out the string cheese and save .39? Or maybe give him real food instead of that shit, which shouldn't even be called cheese because it is really some kind of rubber or plastic from what I can tell.

Have you ever had string cheese? It's just skim mozzarella. I also by it in Jack and Cheddar, which are really more just individually packed cheese sticks.

[CaneBrain 97]

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/woul...er-did-1157394/The above is an article I just read about school lunches, and some mom claims that she could save money by having her kid buy school lunches. I am confused by this. There is no denying that school lunches are not the healthiest things, and I wish they would provide healthier choices for kids, but that is not what struck me as odd in this article. It was the cost.When I was a kid, not THAT long ago, my mother made me a lunch pretty much every day. The number one reason was, she couldn't afford for me to eat school lunches. In grade school in the early 80's it was a couple bucks and in High School a school lunch would easily exceed $5.00.So my questions are:A. Did school lunches because extremely cheaper?orB. Is this a cherry picked person who will spend $7 on a lunch for their kid to take to school?I know I could make my son a lunch containing a PB&J (on the expensive wheat bread(that's for you brvheart)), an apple, some crackers and/or chips and maybe a stick of string cheese and be a lot cheaper than what I paid for lunch 20+ years ago.

In my wife's school in the inner city, most kids get breakfast and lunch for free.

[mrdannyg 274]

OK, a couple quick web searches showed some message boards where people were saying between 2-3 bucks + cost for milk or other drink at .50 to 1.00.I know for a fact that what I posted above would cost less than that.2 slices of bread .322 OZ Peanut Butter .181 OZ Jelly .12Apple .502 OZ Crackers .451 String Cheese stick .391.96 centsThey can drink water.I guess in retrospect if a mom is putting a lot of food in their kids lunches it would be over the cost of a meal, I can't believe that school lunch prices have not gone up in 20 years. I guess that's why the food has gotten so much worse..EDIT: Yes I did figure out the above costs based on what I pay for my groceries.

I know I'm not here anymore, but she says in the article 'her' lunches include soy butter and organic apple sauce. Which presumably brings the cost higher than $1.96, and probably more than the $2-3 that schools charge.On the plus side, she probably knows a really good polar bear vet.Edit - apparently this isn't the Sick Thread. So apparently I'm not not here.

[LadyGrey 8]

Have you ever had string cheese? It's just skim mozzarella. I also by it in Jack and Cheddar, which are really more just individually packed cheese sticks.

Yeah, string cheese was invented when I was a kid so I ate it in school lunches for years. Then I got to the age where I realised that it has no nutritional goodness (don't buy that bullshit about calcium, there are way better sources). You can get a lot healthier snacks that cost less. Feeding kids big chunks of cheese for a snack doesn't make sense to me.

[El Guapo 10]

Yeah, string cheese was invented when I was a kid so I ate it in school lunches for years. Then I got to the age where I realised that it has no nutritional goodness (don't buy that bullshit about calcium, there are way better sources). You can get a lot healthier snacks that cost less. Feeding kids big chunks of cheese for a snack doesn't make sense to me.

Well it was just an example, my son actually hates string cheese. And if you by the lowfat mozzarella ones, it's just individually packed mozzarella.

[hblask 1]

I'm pretty sure that in MN and WI, school lunches are cheaper than what you could bring from home for the same quantity and quality of food.

[speedz99 145]

Fact: all kids should eat string cheese.

[runthemover 40]

Live by the cheese. Die by the cheese.

[HollywoodAFD 0]

Lunches here are $2.35

[timwakefield 69]

My school definitely had a thing where, if you were poor, you could apply for free lunch for your kid, and then your kid would get free lunch (or it might have cost 25c). Just throwing that out there. I think that was only in elementary and middle school.

[CaneBrain 97]

My school definitely had a thing where if you were poor you (the parent) could apply for free lunch or whatever, and then your kid would get free lunch (or it might have cost 25c). Just throwing that out there. I think that was only in elementary and middle school.

Thats pretty standard in poorer neighborhoods.

[timwakefield 69]

Thats pretty standard in poorer neighborhoods.

My town wasn't particularly poor, was the point I left out. It was very middle-of-the-road, for a town within ten miles of a major city.

[speedz99 145]

Thats pretty standard in poorer neighborhoods.

I think that's pretty standard everywhere except wealthy school districts where it wouldn't be utilized by anyone. You don't have to be that poor to qualify.

[El Guapo 10]

I think that's pretty standard everywhere except wealthy school districts where it wouldn't be utilized by anyone. You don't have to be that poor to qualify.

Maybe this is what my experience was because of, at least in the middle and high school years.

[Nikki_N 17]

IIRC, lunch at the school where I work is $2.65 (for kids, more for adults). It includes an entree (there are 3 or more choices most days including a salad and fruit & yogurt), vegetables, a carb of some sort, milk and fruit. Usually at least one of the choices looks pretty good. My sons (both the elementary schooler and the high schooler) buy lunch at school. We pay full price. My older son has a 4$/ day spending limit on his lunch account (set by me) and he's 14 so he eats more and hits that limit most days with an extra side or two, or an additional milk. 65% of the kids at my work receive free or reduced price lunch.

[chrozzo 19]

in 10th grade i once started chugging a half pint of whole milk...after 2 seconds i realized i was getting chunks....and i threw up infront of everyone over this insanely sour milk! since then i smell the milk before i pour..even in my own house even if i just poured some...i still smell it.ruined my life

[brvheart 1,768]

I'm pretty sure that in MN and WI, school lunches are cheaper than what you could bring from home for the same quantity and quality of food.

Add IA to that list. My kids lunches at school are $2.20. Milk is $0.45.No comment on the string cheese, because I don't want to unnecessarily upset LG.

[JoeyJoJo 20]

No comment on the string cheese, because I don't want to unnecessarily upset LG.

Oh, I doubt anything you say will upset her.