Save Money, Save Time, Save Your Sanity

Saving money is fun, most of the time. Figuring out HOW to save the money is the not-so-fun part. When we made the decision to stop cable, I figured it out that we would be saving a little over $100 a month. So what to do with this extra cash? Well, we decided to go ahead and "invest in" the school lunch program. Wouldn't you know it, the total for 3 kiddos is a little over $100 a month! When figuring lunches INTO our monthly budget, I figured that we would actually SAVE with them eating school lunch. How? Well let me break it down for you!

We have 3 kids so I am going to do this for 1 child then multiply it by 3 at the end.

Juice/drink - Most juice comes in a 10-pack and runs about $2 a pack. 1 child would use 5 juices per week, 20 juices per month so 2 10-packs or $4 per month for 1 child. ($12 for 3)

Sandwhich - Now, depending on what you send, this can be pricey, so let's stick to good old PB&J! The average loaf of bread costs around $2 a loaf and has about 20 slices of bread. 1 child would use 2 slices per day, 10 slices per week, 40 slices a month, so about 2 loaves or $4 per month for bread for 1 child. ($12 for 3)

Peanut butter can be bought for roughly $4 a jar and that jar should last 1 child 1 month or more. With my 3, I can get away with 2 jars a month so $8 a month for PB.

Jelly. Ugh. $2 or so per container that will probably last 1 child a week, maybe 2. So say you have to buy 3 jars of jelly per month, that's $6 a month for Jelly for 1. ($18 for 3)

Fruit - Depending on what is in season, fruit can be expensive. Bananas last about a week for 5, apples last a whole lot longer and oranges, well, oranges are super exspensive here so we only get them in the summer! Let's go with apples. They come in singles, 3lb and 5lb bags. Most economical would be the 5lb bag and that will run you about $6. There are about 9-12 apples in that bag but we will go with the lower. If you have 1 child, the bag will last you 2 weeks so 2 bags, 1 month, $12. (My 3 $36 per month)

Snack - Crackers are a hit, especially goldfish, and sometimes I allow cookies. My kids are stingy, but for economical purposes, we are going to keep with 1 snack and go with the cheapest, crackers. A 10-pk of crackers runs about, as the others, $2 and will last 2 weeks for 1 child. So that means 2 10pks for 1 month equals $4 a month for 1 child. ($12 for 3)

Totals - School lunch runs $32 a month for elementary school and $35 a month for middle school. I can tell you now that it is a S-T-E-A-L! Anyway, for a family with 1 child to pack a lunch every day, the food alone would run you about $34 a month. This doesn't include lunch bags, sandwich bags, anything extra like spoons for yogurt or pudding or if you have lunch meat instead of PB&J. For 3 kiddos, and MY kiddos at that, it would run around $98 per month plus all the bags, spoons and extras.

All-in-all, it may seem like we aren't saving anything by making the kids buy lunch at school, but we really are. We are saving a TON, including my sanity. I cannot tell you how many times in the past few years I have had to run a lunch to school for it being left in the van or a sandwich was left on the counter or the kids forgot to mention we ran out of juice until 5 minutes before we had to leave for school so they had to buy milk anyway. It's easier, cheaper and saves me from worrying if my 2nd grader is going to tell his teacher he left his lunch at home when it's really in his backpack just so he could have pizza and I could owe the cafeteria $1.75 at the end of the week.

Are YOU Handicap? THEN DON'T PARK THERE!!

Today I braved the world of tax-free Friday. It was ok. I got most, if not all of our school supplies all in one trip. Total cost for supplies was $59 tax-free and that was for 3 kiddos. Total cost for 3 pair of kiddo shoes at Payless was $51 tax-free. Not bad considering my oldest has to wear adult shoes! I am only missing 6 "fat" pencils for my son, some paper towels and a couple things of hand sanitizer.

Normally, I park in the back of the parking lot and walk because, well, that is how we get our exercise. Walk in the stifling heat as far as you can and sweat off those calories! Today, however, we went to Target and our Target is being renovated so the parking lot is not big AT ALL. So, I just chose the parking spot that was open and it just happened to be right up front...next to the handicap spot. When we went to leave, I got in the car and let it "cool off" for a minute and glanced up after looking at my steals. I spotted a van with a permanent handicap symbol on it so I decided to watch and see who would get out. Normally I do not give a rat's butt, but I was super curious because this van was covered in those car magnets, most of which were sports related. Like: "Cheerleader" "Soccer MOM" "Team Parent" "Baseball Mom"...stuff like that. I waited and watched. In the mean time ANOTHER van with a similar license plate pulled up. I am sitting there thinking to myself that maybe, just maybe it will be a mom with a handicap child or maybe the mom is handicap or carrying a cane or helping out one of HER parents or something like that. Yeah, no. The door opens and out jumps this healthy, skinny, young lady and 3 kids, all of them obviously NOT handicap. No grandma, no wheelchair, no cane. UM, HELLO? Park somewhere else and WALK!!! Leave the handicap spot for someone who actually needs it! Especially when, two spaces down there were like 5 spots open!!! AHHH!

I continue to sit and watch because it is taking van #2 quite a while to get out. This one HAS to be handicap of some sort. I wait. And from the back of the car my kid asks "Momma, what are we doing?" and I say "People watching" and continue to stare at van #2. While waiting for van #2 to open up and get out, a third vehicle pulls in next to me. It's two really young ladies in a Cadillac with one of those hanging handicap signs. I watch THEM get out. Are THEY handicap? yeah. right. About as handicap as a kid in a candy shop. Douche bags! I wanted to get out and yell at them! Completely appalled by this time I am still holding out for van #2. The occupant is STILL inside so they just HAVE to be handicap. OH! WAIT! The door is opening! They are stepping out! Is that a cane? A walker? Oh HELL no! Chick was on her cell phone and still is!!! Ain't nothing wrong with HER either!!! What is WRONG with people these days?!?! I swear! No wonder I see all these old people driving around the parking lots over and over and over again! It's because all these young people are taking up their parking spots using their grandma's cars!!!

Anyway, I won free ice cream today over on Tale of a Kansas Girl. I've never won anything before so that was kinda cool to win yummy ice cream! Tomorrow is Survey Saturday so look for something good to come from me if I can find something fun and flavorful! I also made some yummy goulash that I want to post the recipe for so look for that soon as well. I have been a slacker, I know. There's alot for me to catch up on! HA! But this is all for now.

TTFN