So, if just making your own lunch of sarnie, crisps and drink can save you nearly £500 per person per year (see this post here) what else can you add to save?
This post looks at the snacks and treats we pop into our lunchbox as well.
1)We have already partially covered crisps -single pack v. multibag is 70-80p v. 25p per bag for a branded crisp (in this case Walkers as this was the one on the online Tescos groceries site). Had I sprung for own brand variety crisps this would have dropped to a multipack of 30 for £2.99 i.e. 10 p per bag or a further saving of £36 a year per person. As always it depends on personal taste - try the generic brand you may find you can't really tell the difference and compare supermarkets and special offers. For instance we do not like the Co-op own or Morrisons own brand ready salted crisps but Tescos own brand are fine so I buy a months worth at a time in Tescos and then ration them out (no unauthorised snacking allowed!) but if a brand/flavour we also like is on offer and the cost per bag is still less than 13p per bag (Tescos own ready salted crisps are 77p for a multibag of 6 so this is my benchmark) then I will buy some of these instead.
2) Raisins
These often creep in as a little cardboard box into school kids lunchboxes. These little boxes have to be the most expensive way of buying dried fruit on the planet. On the Tescos site costs vary from £2.50 for 12 boxes (each only 14g) at the most expensive top brand to £1.30 for 12 (each only 14g) for Tescos own. So what is the big deal - if you bought the Tescos own brand it works out 11p a box, even the top brand is only 19p a box, surely that is a good way to get kids to eat something healthy? Well yes until you look at the price you are paying per kilo. The top brand is a massive £13.28 per kilo; even Tesco own brand is £7.74 per kilo. It is by far cheap to buy raisins or sultanas in the baking section and add to a plastic tub. At £1.98 per kilo if you stuck to 14 g portions then it would be the equivalent of 3p a portion. If you did this everyday for a year for just one person this would be a total of £6.66 v. £50 for the top brand or £26 for Tescos own brand.
3)Biscuits and chocolate bars.
One chocolate item was the rule for my kids primary school (although I think they are trying to ban that these days).
Again an area where own brand v generic comes into it's own, and look out for special offers - they are not always a saving when v. generic brands
For example McVities Penguins
usual Tescos price = £1.39 for 8 bars (about 18p per bar)
On offer this week only = £1 for 8 bars ((about 13p per bar)
but Fox bars are 89p for 7 normally (same price per bar as special offer but all the time)
and Tescos Miss Molly's brand are £1.20 for 18 bars (£1.20/18 = 7p per bar)
Even if the Penguin bars where on offer they are not as cheap as the generic ones, but that's assuming my kids like the generic ones!
The potential saving over the year would be £41.70 v. £16 if we could use the own brand, even if we were forced to use mid brand the cost would be £30.52 so still over £10 saved per person.
3)Fruit. The more socially acceptable snack instead of chocolate.
Don't buy the prepared chopped/packaged/sealed with inert gas packages. Fruit pots from Tesco are £2 a pot. Use whole satsumas/bananas/apples at between 30p and 50p each and instead of £10 a week or £480 a year you are looking at £1.50-£2.50 a week £72-£120 a year per person.
4) Don't stick to sandwiches.
The best thing you can do if you have access to a microwave is to make planned leftovers and take those in.
If you cannot do this then think about something like soup. Easy to make and can be frozen (see previous post here) this is the cheapest option. If you cannot use homemade then use supermarket own brand tins (25p-45p depending on flavour) rather than fresh soup which can be up to £2.50 for half a litre. This means that (tinned) soup and a bread roll can set you back as little as 50p per day. How's your £3 a day meal deal looking now?
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