Alright, my frugal money-conscious peoples…
A few months back, I posted some cold lunch ideas to help out a friend.
Since then, I’ve been trying to pack lunch for my husband and I as much as possible in order to try to cut back on daily costs.
But, on the weekends when we’re out and about running errands, shopping, or having some fun, it gets hard to not buy lunch. Not only that, but it usually means we run through a drive thru so that we can keep on going with our day’s agenda.
It’s not the greatest habit and it also means that we end up spending quite a bit on just food between Saturday and Sunday.
I’ve been thinking that perhaps I can somehow also pack lunch for the family when we go out on the weekends.
Have any of you tried this? Do you run into this problem at all?
I now turn to you for your ideas.
What kind of lunches would make for easy packing and eating when out on the road as a family?
I have three kids (5,3, and 1 year) so when I go out they aways want different things to eat. So I pack a lot of snacks..from cut up fruit, veggies, rolls of ham or turkey, granola bars, fruit snacks, etc. They are not picky eaters, so I just keep a variety of things with me. Granola bars fruit snacks are great because it doesn’t spoil. But when it come to lunch I make sandwiches using hamburger buns because if you didn’t know regular sandwich bread gets soggy..and in my kids words..it just looks yucky..so they won’t eat it. But with hamburger buns you can make pb&j sandwiches and the jam will not soak through, or the mayo and mustard for the ham and cheese sandwiches will not make the bread all soggy. Because if the sandwiches have been in your lunch bag with the cold packs..after a few hours..the sandwiches will get yucky…but not with hamburger buns..best thing ever!!!
That is a great idea with the hamburger buns. I myself hate soggy bread and can’t eat leftover sandwiches when I don’t eat the whole thing.
I do this for long road trips, due to the fact that I have three kids, and eating out would effectively eat up the budget.
A small cooler with fruit cups, pudding cups, cheese slices, any desired condiments, pickles and lunchmeat. The kids get to vote on what kind we get. We also take along bread and chips or crackers.
After that, we keep our eyes open for great drink deals. There’s usually a convenience store somewhere along the way that has the perfect price for a big drink that’ll last a good part of the day. If not that, we keep plastic water bottles clean and dry for refilling and take along plenty of water.
My kids complained at first, until they realized that the food is fast, easy, tastes good, and lets everyone get on with their activities. The best part is stopping at a park to eat and taking a little playground time to stretch and relax before heading back out.
@Priss, Those are all great tips! I think something like this on a smaller scale would work for small trips on the weekend. Like when you’re out shopping all day. Thanks.