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SmartCentsMom

Lunch Box Hacks for Back to School

I’ve been searching for the best back to school lunch box hacks for my kids as we get ready to had back to school. Lunch time is super important for my kids, especially because they get hangry when they don’t have a yummy meal. So it’s important to me to find quick, easy, and healthy ways to take lunches to school.

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Picking out the best lunch box has been a challenge. But these two lunch boxes are on my list to try. I really want a lunch box that is machine washable and is big enough for all the food/snacks that the kids need to take.

Mama Pro Tip: Last year I made the mistake of buying the food storage and lunch box separately. The food storage boxes barely fit in the lunch boxes and it drove me crazy all year long! So make sure you know what storage you want to use when picking out the lunch box!

Lunchbox for Kids Neoprene Insulated

I love that this lunch box is machine washable and insulated. It has this flexible fabric so it can easily squeeze into a backpack and it’s plenty big enough for using these Luchblox Food Storage by Rubbermaid.

Fire Truck Lunchbox by Thermos

This lunchbox is perfect to use Meal Prep Containers with so that I can put together lunches in advanced. I like the idea of having everything pre-packed for the week to save me time. Also, my little guy loves firetrucks!

Back to School Lunch Box Hacks

There are tons of lunch box hacks on Pinterest, but to be honest my kids will only eat about 2 different meals! It’s either peanut butter and jelly or ham and cheese. That’s it! Nothing on a stick or wrapped up in a tortilla.

If you have a basic kid like mine, who requires a routine lunch these hacks have been curated just for you!

Make PB&J in Bulk

Whip up some yummy PB&J sandwiches for your kids and freeze them. I would never have thought to do this, but the sandwiches will thaw and be perfect to eat by lunch time. These sandwiches turn out like crustables and you can even use a cool cookie cutter to make them more fun! 

Condiment Containers

This is amazing! I usually don’t send ketchup or mustard because it is just to crazy to get that mess to and from school. We have a few of these bottles around the house. These little bottles are perfect for my guys little hands! He can easily open it all by himself.

Banana Messages

So cute! I definitely plan on sending notes in the lunch boxes as long as they will let me. This is such a fun way to add a message to the lunch box.

Thermos Container Hacks

Who knew?! You can send everything from chicken nuggets, soup, noodles, to fruit cups in thermos containers. These are perfect for keeping all the juices/liquid in the jar where it’s supposed to be.

  Ice Packs

These Fit & Fresh Lunch Ice Packs are perfect for lunch boxes. They are nice and flat so they easily fit into most lunch boxes. Also, they are easy to clean and easy to store.

DIY Lunchables

My kids love Lunchables! I remember as a kid getting a Lunchable was a special treat. There’s just something about that unique packaging! This is an easy way to pack a lunch your kids will love and it will save you money too! You can get reusable Muffin Liners here.

Keep Apple Slices Fresh

Of course keeping your apples fresh is the way to go for lunch. This easy trick of soaking the apples in a little bit of lemon juice will keep the apples fresh until lunch time!

Buying in Bulk

My kids love to have a snack, but those little snack packs can really add up. We have several of these baby food containers around the house and they make great storage for snacks. Storing the snacks like this will save you on both time and money! I plan on having these available for when the kids get home from school and sending it for their classroom snack.

Thermos Cars Funtainer Cup

Thermos cups are my all-time favorite kid’s drinking cup. We have taken this cup to the beach for hours and when we packed up. The cup still had ice in it! So crazy!

Other reasons to love this cups it that it doesn’t spill . . .  even with my rough and wild kids!

These are the hacks I’ve found browsing around the interwebs. I’m planning on using these to save money on back to school lunches.

What lunch box tips and tricks do you have?

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Want to save money on back to school organization and supplies?

Don’t forget to use Ibotta!

Ibotta is a cell phone app that is easy to use everywhere you go to buy groceries! You can easily earn cash back rebates and transfer the money into your Paypal account. This is seriously one of my favorite ways to save money at the grocery store!

I love this app because it is so easy to use and now it’s just part of my routine when I grocery shop. You can use this at your grocery store and even Target and Walmart!  You simply find the items you want to buy in your app and then scan your purchases and receipt when you get home and put everything away.

The best part is you get to earn cash back on items that usually don’t ever have coupons like fruits, vegetables, milk, and eggs! Also, they have many items each month that are NOT BRAND SPECIFIC. So you can choose any brand in that category and still save!

If you do this all year you will have a nice chunk of change saved up from doing what you already do! Join Ibotta and earn a sig up bonus!

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How to Earn $3100 with Cash Back Apps

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