!7: Lunchbox Thermos Coupon: December 2011

!±8± Lunch Box On A Shoe String

While your kids are small, it is a novelty to take a packed lunch from home to school. But this does not last forever. Making a nutritious and low cost packed lunch for one or more kids on a regular basis requires organization. Keep in mind that it is possible to make a kids lunch box for roughly half the cost of a school meal. And if your kid gets a home cooked hot meal after school, or in the evening, plus a wholesome breakfast, there is no reason that you need compromise on nutritional values.

If you don't want to spend money on a new lunch box then check out your local thrift shops. Jumble/yard sales and church bazaars also routinely have these for sale at give away prices. It is easy to re-design and make over a used or worn looking plastic lunch box. Remove the plastic stick-on artwork, which is probably peeling and faded. The sticky residue can be removed with nail varnish remover. Thoroughly wash and clean the box, inside and outside.

Get the kids to select the new artwork for the side of the box. If you have to buy items for this project, remember that leftovers can be used for future projects, so the initial expense is not as high as it may seem. Clear 'contact' paper cut to size (with a half inch overlap), with artwork underneath is easily managed, and many free magazines have interesting pictures for kids. Make especially sure the edges of the clear contact paper are well adhered to the lunch box. With careful washing, this individual artwork will last a year.

Next comes the question "What shall I put in it?" A nutritiously packed lunch box is as good as a hot cooked meal, when carefully planned. The basics would be a sandwich or filled roll, a piece of fresh fruit, and a drink. To increase nutrition and variety, opt for whole-wheat bread or roll. Inexpensive fillings would include bologna and tomato, egg salad (hard boiled egg mixed with mayo), or drained tin tuna mixed with mayo. For chilly winter days, a thermos flask filled with warming and nutritious vegetable soup will show how much you care and literally cost pence to make. To ring the changes, instead of a piece of fresh fruit, how about mixed sticks of raw vegetables? Celery, carrot, salad onion, and Chinese radish all work well. Re-use empty butter tubs to pack these. A handful of your own healthful cereal/nut mix will provide a crunchy contrast to the bread. Mix raisins/sultanas, nuts, chocolate chips and sunflower seeds together. In an airtight contained, they will last ages. If your aim is to save money, do not buy the individual packs of fruit juice or snack foods. They are a very expensive way to prepare a packed lunch.