Money Diaries: What I spent this week on my kids’ lunches
Our money expert shares a detailed diary on how much she spent on lunch for her children this week
If you’ve noticed the cost of your food shop go up in recent months, you certainly won’t be alone. Thanks to rising inflation, many families are concerned about how to save money on food and are changing their shopping habits as a result. This might be through shopping in the cheapest supermarket, switching to own-brand products or using a supermarket loyalty card.
In a bid to see exactly how much I spend on my two children’s lunches each day, I started a money diary for the first week of the Easter holidays. As I get a weekly delivery from Tesco, I’ve used Tesco for my cost comparison.
By keeping a diary, I hope to be more mindful about how much I'm spending on food and see where I might be able to cut back or shop smarter to save money. By sharing it with you, I hope it either gives you some ideas on how you might be able to make some savings too, or help you realise just how well you are doing at keeping your costs under control.
Something I feel is important to note - unless my kids have school dinners, they tend to have their hot meal in the evening.
Saturday - £3.56
Today, my son had leftover pizza from the night before, while my daughter had a cheese and ham toastie for lunch. Neither of my kids likes squash, preferring water (even though my daughter has a massively sweet tooth), so at least I save a few pennies that way.
Header Cell - Column 0 | Cost per item/packet | Cost for lunch |
---|---|---|
Goodfellas pepperoni pizza | £3 | £1.50 (half) |
Kingsmill 50/50 bread (20 slices) | £1.40 | 14p (2 slices) |
Tesco cheese slices (10 pack) | £2.65 | 27p (1 slice) |
Tesco ham (8 slices) | £2.25 | 56p (2 slices) |
Hula Hoops (12 pack) | £3.50 | 58p (2 packs) |
Carrots (800g bag) | 40p | 5p |
Apples (6 pack) | £1.39 | 46p (for 2) |
Sunday - £2.93
On Sunday, my son had a ham roll, while my daughter had another cheese and ham toastie. Both had crisps and other bits.
Header Cell - Column 0 | Cost per item/packet | Cost for lunch |
---|---|---|
Warburton white sandwich rolls (6 pack) | £1.20 | 20p (1 roll) |
Kingsmill 50/50 bread (20 slices) | £1.40 | 14p (2 slices) |
Tesco cheese slices (10 pack) | £2.65 | 27p (1 slice) |
Tesco ham (8 slices) | £2.25 | £1.41 (5 slices) |
Hula Hoops (12 pack) | £3.50 | 58p (2 packs) |
Carrots (800g bag) | 40p | 5p |
Kit Kat (14 bar pack) | £1.95 | 28p (2 bars) |
Monday - £4.66
I made a packed lunch for both of them today as they were off on adventures with Nana. They had rolls (one ham, one cheese), crisps and other snacks.
GoodtoKnow Newsletter
Parenting advice, hot topics, best buys and family finance tips delivered straight to your inbox.
Header Cell - Column 0 | Cost per item/packet | Cost for lunch |
---|---|---|
Warburton white sandwich rolls (6 pack) | £1.20 | 40p (2 rolls) |
Tesco cheese slices (10 pack) | £2.65 | 27p (1 slice) |
Tesco ham (8 slices) | £2.25 | 84p (3 slices) |
Cucumber | 79p | 15p |
Skips (6 pack) | £1.50 | 50p (2 packs) |
Apples (6 pack) | £1.39 | 46p (for 2) |
Yoyo Bear (5 pack) | £2.85 | £1.14 (for 2) |
Cadbury Mini Egg Easter cakes (5 pack) | £2.25 | 90p (2 cakes) |
Tuesday - £3.82
Jacket potatoes were on the menu for lunch on Tuesday. Cheese and beans for my son, tuna and cheese for my daughter.
Header Cell - Column 0 | Cost per item/packet | Cost for lunch |
---|---|---|
McCain frozen jacket potatoes (8 pack) | £4.80 | £1.20 (2 potatoes) |
Tesco baked beans (420g) | 50p | 25p (half tin) |
Tesco grated cheese (250g) | £2.65 | 66p |
Tesco tuna (3 x 80g pack) | £2.10 | 70p (1 tin) |
Bananas | 16p | 32p (for 2) |
Cadbury mini rolls (10 pack) | £3.45 | 69p (2 cakes) |
Wednesday - £3.09
Back to toasties today, and both opted for tuna and cheese. They also had some carrots and houmous.
Header Cell - Column 0 | Cost per item/packet | Cost for lunch |
---|---|---|
Kingsmill 50/50 bread (20 slices) | £1.40 | 28p (4 slices) |
Tesco cheese slices (10 pack) | £2.65 | 54p (2 slices) |
Tesco tuna (3 x 80g pack) | £2.10 | £1.40 (2 tins) |
Carrots (800g bag) | 40p | 5p |
Tesco houmous (200g) | £1.20 | 50p |
Bananas | 16p | 32p (for 2) |
Thursday - £4.85
Thursday saw the return of the jacket potato.
Header Cell - Column 0 | Cost per item/packet | Cost for lunch |
---|---|---|
McCain frozen jacket potatoes (8 pack) | £4.80 | £1.20 (2 potatoes) |
Tesco baked beans (420g) | 50p | 25p (half tin) |
Tesco grated cheese (250g) | £2.65 | 66p |
Tesco tuna (3 x 80g pack) | £2.10 | 70p (1 tin) |
Yoyo Bear (5 pack) | £2.85 | £1.14 (for 2) |
Cadbury Mini Egg Easter cakes (5 pack) | £2.25 | 90p (2 cakes) |
Friday - £2.84
On Friday, both children had a fish finger sandwich and more carrots and houmous.
Header Cell - Column 0 | Cost per item/packet | Cost for lunch |
---|---|---|
Kingsmill 50/50 bread (20 slices) | £1.40 | 28p (4 slices) |
Tesco fish fingers (30 pack) | £3.95 | £1.05 (8 fish fingers) |
Skips (6 pack) | £1.50 | 50p (2 packs) |
Carrots (800g bag) | 40p | 5p |
Tesco houmous (200g) | £1.20 | 50p |
Apples (6 pack) | £1.39 | 46p (for 2) |
Total cost for week
When I tot everything up, I've spent £25.75 this week on lunches for the kids.
What I've learned from keeping a money diary
Seeing how much I’ve spent on lunches this week has been a little scary, especially as this doesn’t include the endless snacks I need to supply. However, it’s enabled me to see where I can reduce costs.
Using up leftovers from the night before is certainly one option, but I can also save money by making my own bread rather than buying it. I have a bread maker, so all I need to stock up on is yeast and bread flour (which I often do), and this will make several loaves. My son actually prefers this bread anyway, and I know it’s not packed full of preservatives. The downside is it doesn’t keep as long. I also need to start using my bread maker for pizza bases, as not only will they be healthier, they should also save me a few pennies.
Looking at the above has also made me realise I need to swap to more own-brand products, rather than buying the big brands. Buying items such as Yoyo Bears also pushes up the price of my shop - however, getting fruit into my daughter any other way is sometimes a battle.
Because I am often pushed for time, I also tend to spend more on convenience - for example, I often buy McCain frozen jacket potatoes and sliced cheese, rather than opting a standard bag of jacket potatoes (that take no longer in the microwave) and a large slab of cheese that I cut myself. So perhaps it’s time I stopped this.
If I’m better at planning ahead, I’ll also be able to buy more in bulk - eg. using a large tin of tuna split over a couple of days, rather than buying lots of smaller tins.
Mum of two, Rachel is a freelance personal finance journalist who has been writing about everything from mortgages to car insurance for over a decade. Having previously worked at Shares Magazine, where she specialised in small-cap stocks, Rachel developed a passion for consumer finance and saving money when she moved to lovemoney.com. She later spent more than 8 years as an editor at price comparison site MoneySuperMarket, often acting as spokesperson. Rachel went freelance in 2020, just as the pandemic hit, and has since written for numerous websites and national newspapers, including The Mail on Sunday, The Observer, The Sun and Forbes. She is passionate about helping families become more confident with their finances, giving them the tools they need to take control of their money and make savings. In her spare time, Rachel is a keen traveller and baker.
-
What is a travel system? Baby gear experts explain how they work - and what’s included
Experts decode what is a travel system and offer tips on how to find the best one for you
By Charlotte Duck Published
-
Magic Mixies Pixlings are a bestseller - but are they worth the money? We put this toy through its paces to find out
Magic by name and magic by nature? We review Magic Mixies Pixlings to see if it lives up to the hype
By Sarah Handley Published
-
'It isn’t a holiday – it is crucial bonding time' - 70% of dads can't afford to take two weeks paternity leave, according to new research
The research also found that only 14 per cent of fathers were ready to return to work mentally after taking their paternity leave
By Sarah Handley Published
-
Two-child benefit cap 'pushes children into poverty' - campaigners urge government to scrap 'cruel policy' that impacts 1 in every 10 children
The controversial two-child benefit cap has met with strong opposition since its introduction in 2017
By Sarah Handley Published
-
Gen-Z could be costing their parents £1,300 a year, by refusing to do this one thing (but it's not always their choice)
It's not just parents who are facing the additional costs, the costs for Gen Z could be even higher
By Sarah Handley Published
-
More than half of parents want to do this important thing for their kid's education but can’t afford to, according to new research
Pressures on the family budget are preventing parents from paying for educational support outside of school
By Sarah Handley Published
-
75% of mums feel guilty buying things if they earn less than their partners, according to social media poll, and the comments section was part heartbreaking, part inspiring
Some mothers felt guilty for spending their partners money, while others saw it as household money instead
By Sarah Handley Published
-
10 best zoos in the UK based on ticket prices, reviews and value for money
The best zoos in the UK have been determined based on a number of key factors, include prices, popularity, Trip Advisor ratings and how many animals they have
By Sarah Handley Published
-
Child benefit is finally going to be made fairer - here's what's changing and when
Child benefit is finally going to be made fairer - here's what's changing and when
By Sarah Handley Published
-
Mum-of-three Helen Skelton shares 5 free and easy ways to keep kids entertained in the Easter holidays (and they all involve one thing)
Presenter Helen Skelton has revealed how parents can keep costs low when keeping the kids occupied during school holidays
By Sarah Handley Published