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Picnics when out will save you loads

All through your summer activities you will have to feed the children, feed yourself and possibly even feed the other children that with you.  Being on the go in the summer means you have to pay for lunches, which can get expensive, or you need to carry coolers and lunches so you don�t have to pay as much money out in food. Carrying snacks and lunches when you are on the go in the summer can save you a few dollars a day and over the summer months those dollars will really add up.

Snacks
All summer long I keep snacks in the car.  Stuff that can just be ripped open and shared. This stuff just sits in a bag in the back of my car for when I forget lunches, when we are out late or when the children are just too hungry to wait.  I hate spending more money that I have to on food so this is one of my little hobbies � stocking the car with goodies for when the �hungries� hit.  Some types of snacks that I will keep stored in the car include packaged crackers, graham crackers, lollipops, small bags of chips and little packages of crackers that come with the cheese on them.  Usually I have more than just my children with me, usually their friends as well, so I try to keep enough on hand for at least five or six people / children to satisfy every one.

Early Days on the Run
Summer day�s means you are going to get up early for baseball practice, swimming and picnics, and even for camping.  Breakfast on the run can be expensive if you are not prepared.  Some great types of breakfast foods that you can keep on hand and eat on the run are cereal bars, pop tarts, granola bars, fruit bars, and fruits like bananas, apples, even grapes are great on the go.  Just because you and the children have to get out the door fast does not meant that you have to starve until you can get to lunch somewhere!

Mid Day Meals
Lunch on the go is just one of those meals that you never know where you are going to be.  When going to the pool, the game, or when you are out in the park, lunch on the go is the perfect excuse to take a little break and sit in the shade. 

When you are on the go grab a cooler and a few things out of the fridge for a great, inexpensive lunch.  Peanut butter and jelly (or just jelly or just peanut butter) sandwiches are great on the go and cheap too.  If you have ham and cheese you can make lunchmeat sandwiches for how ever many you think you will need in about five minutes flat. 

Left over pizza is great for lunch on the run put in baggies in the cooler.  When you are on the go, lunch could be a few bananas, crackers, baggies of cereal and a few cans of soda. If you want to keep the cost really low, fill thermoses or drink bottles up with kool aid or juice and you can have drinks for every one for just pennies while you are on the go. 

Left over meat loaf, chicken patties, and even left over roast can make great cold sandwiches on the go.  When the children are hungry but don�t want to stop and eat for too long, they will eat these sandwiches up fast!

If you like to make cookies, having a tin of cookies on hand will ensure that you always have a snack that you can pack no matter what day of the week that it is! Inexpensive and every one will love them.

Late Afternoon Frenzy
Have you been running all day long and need a little pick me up or something to give the children when they say they are �starving�?  Your cooler is about empty and what is not empty no one wants to eat again.  Stopping at a fruit stand for some oranges, running in to the store and grabbing a few pre-made hoagies or sandwiches can be expensive, but the late after noon meals or snacks are a great time to splurge now that you have saved money all day on the snacks, treats and lunches that you have brought along!




Visitors comments



Have snacks, drinks ready for after school, too Comments By: Marilyn on 2004-09-12
Last year, every day when I picked up my daughter from school, she was begging me to stop at McDonalds for food and/or a drink. This got really tiresome.

This year I decided to try something else which has really worked well. I take some crackers or other small snack for her, and some cold juice or water. No more whining and complaining. Instead we spend the time talking about her day at school or other things.

 



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