As I mentioned in the past, I try to save money as I can. V is signed up to start camp for 10 weeks through the park district at a HUGE price tag of $185 a week. This does not include the registration fee nor the $55 swim pass fee. Also it doesn't cover any food/snacks. I have to admit it cover extended day, as I work full time and I need extended day.
He currently goes to the before and after school program with the same park district. The woman there asked me yesterday if V would be participating in the hot lunch program during the summer. I had seen it and remembered I thought it was expensive, and I told her the same. So today she shows up with the sheet about how it is ONLY $20 for the week of hot lunches. I asked what it included, and she replied, hot dogs, hamburgers, tacos if they find meat cheap enough, pizza if they find a deal...as well as a fresh fruit and a drink." I asked if the drink would be milk and she said, no, probably a juice box.
Ok..to me this sounds crazy expensive.
Currently at school I let him buy lunch 50% of the time, and his hot lunch is $2.50 and includes milk. I can always come in under that amount except for the milk. V could buy milk for $.50 but has trouble getting his lunch completed if he has to stand in line for milk. I normally send a juice box because normally he has cheese/yogurt/etc in his lunch. On the occasions he isn't have a dairy, he gets milk. I suck up the $.19 more it costs than the $.50 so that he is actually eating his lunch.
So I am curious do you budget your lunch?
When I worked downtown, I had $25 a week to use as I wanted. This included breakfast, coffee, lunch, ice cream, etc.
Now that I no longer work downtown and have time to make my lunch, I allow myself to buy lunch once a week (no limit, but it normally less than $4 for lunch) and I do get breakfast about 3 days a week (egg and hashbrowns for $1.75) So my budget is about $10 a week.
Do you have a budget? Do you think that $4 a day is a lot? I am honestly thinking they didn't disclose that they need to bring a lunch once a week for their field trips. Which brings lunch up to $5 a day. And honestly who wants to eat those same foods all summer??