Lunches

So far on this blog I have stuck with posting dinners which paints only a part of the picture. Once I made the decision to make a budget every month and do my best to stick to it lunches have played a major role in the success or failure of this goal. Phillip traditionally uses part of his lunch to work out and then has a protein shake. I pack Logan's lunch each morning as he is terribly picky and even though his school offers free breakfast and lunch he will not eat it. The sitter provides food for Clark during the day and a snack for Logan after school so I do not have to count that into the food budget. If I have something extra like the time I had 3 watermelons I pass it on to her and really do not figure it into any line item, it is more preventing waste. My lunches are a lot more complicated so they are a line item in the monthly budget. I allot $40 each month for lunches and while I do my best to stick to it I sometimes go over. The thought was eating at work 4 days of the week and out with friends/coworkers 1 day. I figured most lunches out cost $10 including tip so the $40 allows me once a week. Now if we decide to go fast food I have extra for the week and carry it over. The 4 days I eat here I either bring leftovers or enough sandwich stuff at the beginning of the week to cover me. I will start adding these into my weekly menu blog so you can see where some of the leftovers go and help keep me accountable to the $40 a month.