Stopped paying for my kids' school lunches two months ago and I'm saving $186 a month
I did the math in January and realized I was dropping $9.30 every single morning for three lunch accounts, which came out to almost $190 a month. So I started packing them myself with stuff I buy in bulk at the Costco on the north side, and my grocery bill only went up about $40. The trick was giving up on fancy stuff and just doing sandwiches, fruit, and a snack they actually like. My middle kid complained for maybe a week and then got over it. Last month I put the extra money toward a new set of tires we'd been putting off since last fall, and it felt good. Anyone else find that packing lunches is way cheaper than it looks at first?