How Much is Everyone Spending Per Week Per Kid For Food?

[Pammie]

I know if I make something in the crockpot for supper, grilled out food, spaghetti, lasagna, etc.. etc.... there are always leftovers from these items, so whatever is left over I serve it to the daycare that week one day, if not two days that week. THis really saves on the bills as well.

I LOVE my crockpot!!
I do this too and it not only save me $ but so much time in preparing lunches!!
It's so easy to drop in a couple extra veges and pieces of meat into the crockpot - or add a couple of extra pieces of chicken to the grill.

We have crockpot meals for dinner a couple of times each week - and the next day that's the daycare lunch! Except for Fridays which is always soup and sandwich day around here:-)

[boysx5]

I spend at least a 1000.00 a month on groceries I have five boys and my husband and I plus I now have 7 daycare kids and everyone is eating me out of house and home I will see how much the food program is when I get my first check with this many kids not sure if the program is worth it or not.

[Unregistered]

I spend 25.00 - 35.00 shopping exclusively at the $1.00 store for 10 kids

Sample menu:

Breakfast: eggs/ toast $2.00
milk: 1.00 (half gallon last 2 days)
Snack: animal crackers or apple slicees $1.00
Lunch: beanie weenies, salad, roll $3.00

I also have parents provide afternoon snack by each taking turns bringing in
peanut butter crackers, carrot sticks, cheese string etc.

Whatever the kids don't eat I recycle and freeze. For example today there were a lot of beanie weenies left on plates so I scooped them back up into a bowl, added more beans and placed in ziploc with squirt of bbq sauce for next month.

I also recycle the eggs and serve for lunch over potatoes or mix with rice and ketchup. Yum.

There was some salad left over and I chop it up finely and add to beef stew (.99 store soup aisle, just add beef broth cube). Delish.

If my kids don't finish their milk I recycle and add chocolate syrup to it. They love it. You can also add strawberry syrup.

Sometimes I buy a can of day old biscuits, smash down flat and add spaghetti sauce on top (.99 store) and eggs. There's so much you can do with so little.

I often buy day old donuts or break SLIGHTLY molded, cut off mold and make pudding or sandwiches.

By doing this I'm clearing about 900.00 week. If you want more of my ideas I'll send you a link to my ebook on cheap meals.

[HeatherB]

Whatever the kids don't eat I recycle and freeze. For example today there were a lot of beanie weenies left on plates so I scooped them back up into a bowl, added more beans and placed in ziploc with squirt of bbq sauce for next month.

If my kids don't finish their milk I recycle and add chocolate syrup to it. They love it. You can also add strawberry syrup.

I cannot believe that you RECYCLE milk that is not drank from others. YUCK
I also cannot believe that you strap their plates off and recycle the scraps per say... I am sorry by my child would not be coming to your daycare.

[tmcp2001]

HeatherB - you said it!! ICK!!! That is a serious germ-fest and I am horrified. It's hard enough to keep all these kids healthy without going and mixing all their half-eaten food together! GROSS!!!

I'm going to guess that "unregistered" is NOT on the food program? Those meals certainly wouldn't meet their nutritional guidelines... ::

[Francine]

HeatherB - you said it!! ICK!!! That is a serious germ-fest and I am horrified. It's hard enough to keep all these kids healthy without going and mixing all their half-eaten food together! GROSS!!!

I'm going to guess that "unregistered" is NOT on the food program? Those meals certainly wouldn't meet their nutritional guidelines... ::

I had to read that twice, thinking there is no way she is saying what I think she is saying. That is NASTY! I can't believe anybody would even consider scrapping plates from all of the kids back together and then refeeding, OMG the thought makes me sick.

[melskids]

that is just gross.....

i'd rather continue to spend the $300 a week

[nannyde]

I spend 25.00 - 35.00 shopping exclusively at the $1.00 store for 10 kids

Sample menu:

Breakfast: eggs/ toast $2.00
milk: 1.00 (half gallon last 2 days)
Snack: animal crackers or apple slicees $1.00
Lunch: beanie weenies, salad, roll $3.00

I also have parents provide afternoon snack by each taking turns bringing in
peanut butter crackers, carrot sticks, cheese string etc.

Whatever the kids don't eat I recycle and freeze. For example today there were a lot of beanie weenies left on plates so I scooped them back up into a bowl, added more beans and placed in ziploc with squirt of bbq sauce for next month.

I also recycle the eggs and serve for lunch over potatoes or mix with rice and ketchup. Yum.

There was some salad left over and I chop it up finely and add to beef stew (.99 store soup aisle, just add beef broth cube). Delish.

If my kids don't finish their milk I recycle and add chocolate syrup to it. They love it. You can also add strawberry syrup.

Sometimes I buy a can of day old biscuits, smash down flat and add spaghetti sauce on top (.99 store) and eggs. There's so much you can do with so little.

I often buy day old donuts or break SLIGHTLY molded, cut off mold and make pudding or sandwiches.

By doing this I'm clearing about 900.00 week. If you want more of my ideas I'll send you a link to my ebook on cheap meals.

:eek Oh my goodness. I guess the only saving grace is that you freeze the leftovers so there's a chance that whatever germs are in each child's partially eaten food will be killed by deep freezing.

You can't be on the food program. A half gallon of milk wouldn't last one day with ten kids if you were just giving it at breakfast and llunch. Children between one and three need four ounces per meal and the three to fives need six ounces. There is only 64 ounces in a half gallon so this would mean you would be using only 32 ounces per day for 10 kids. That would average a total between all meals of 3.2 ounces per kid. That's not enough to do just one meal for the under three crowd.

Do the parents realize their kids are eating food from the freezer that was leftover from other kids plates? Do they realize you are cutting off the VISIBLE mold and serving the rest of the donuts?

YIKES

[boysx5]

Yes I agree that sometimes food goes to waste but I would never do that with my own children let alone daycare children yuck. I think buying fruit and snacks is the most expensive for me next month I start to go back to costco to see if I can save more money that way

[JenNJ]

I hoping that is a troll, .

[JenNJ]

I LOVE my crockpot!!
I do this too and it not only save me $ but so much time in preparing lunches!!
It's so easy to drop in a couple extra veges and pieces of meat into the crockpot - or add a couple of extra pieces of chicken to the grill.

We have crockpot meals for dinner a couple of times each week - and the next day that's the daycare lunch! Except for Fridays which is always soup and sandwich day around here:-)

Fridays are homemade pizza day here.

Another way I save $$ on produce is my veggie garden. I spend about $20 in the spring on seeds and we have fresh produce all summer and fall. Some things like raspberries, tomatoes, and onions are a one time investment and they come back each year bigger than ever!

For example, this week I have a lot of cucumbers and tomatoes coming in, so that has been our veggie side with lunch. Cucumbers and tomatoes with ranch dip - yum!

I *think* the seeds cost me $.85 a packet and I only planted about half the seeds this season, so I have more than enough left over to plant again next spring. Plus, the planting and caring for the veggie garden works wonderfully into my lesson plans!

[Vesta]

I spend 25.00 - 35.00 shopping exclusively at the $1.00 store for 10 kids

Sample menu:

Breakfast: eggs/ toast $2.00
milk: 1.00 (half gallon last 2 days)
Snack: animal crackers or apple slicees $1.00
Lunch: beanie weenies, salad, roll $3.00

I also have parents provide afternoon snack by each taking turns bringing in
peanut butter crackers, carrot sticks, cheese string etc.

Whatever the kids don't eat I recycle and freeze. For example today there were a lot of beanie weenies left on plates so I scooped them back up into a bowl, added more beans and placed in ziploc with squirt of bbq sauce for next month.

I also recycle the eggs and serve for lunch over potatoes or mix with rice and ketchup. Yum.

There was some salad left over and I chop it up finely and add to beef stew (.99 store soup aisle, just add beef broth cube). Delish.

If my kids don't finish their milk I recycle and add chocolate syrup to it. They love it. You can also add strawberry syrup.

Sometimes I buy a can of day old biscuits, smash down flat and add spaghetti sauce on top (.99 store) and eggs. There's so much you can do with so little.

I often buy day old donuts or break SLIGHTLY molded, cut off mold and make pudding or sandwiches.

By doing this I'm clearing about 900.00 week. If you want more of my ideas I'll send you a link to my ebook on cheap meals.

I can't tell if the winky emoticon means this poster is just messing with us or not.
There's no way on earth anyone would actually be doing that.
That's just gross.
If it's a joke, HAHAHAHA.
If not, ewwwwwww.

[sahm2three]

I think I just threw up in my mouth a little.....ICK!

[Lilbutterflie]

It HAS GOT to be a troll. No one would do that. The mold thing at the end sealed my belief that someone is messing with us.

[momma2girls]

It HAS GOT to be a troll. No one would do that. The mold thing at the end sealed my belief that someone is messing with us.

I agree!! EWWWWWW!!!!