Reading Time: 3 minutes School Lunches Organization System for Stress Free Lunch Packing
This is a refreshed post from a few years ago.
How to organize kids school lunches for the week
When both of my kids started going to school, I realized I needed to develop a system of organization for school lunches. We used to struggle each night trying to decide what to pack for lunch at the last minute. It was always stressful.
Therefore, I wanted to avoid the lunchmaking stress and get everything primarily ready beforehand. Below, I’ll share with you my school lunches organization system.
 |  |  |
Here’s my School Lunches Organization System for Weekly Lunches.
First, I bought 2 of those soft hanging shoe organizers and hung them up in the laundry room. Next to the hanging organizers, I have small cube shelves to create a workplace for packing lunches.
We also use the top of the shelf for the kids to drop off their backpacks when they come into the house. Then, behind the shelves, I hung a whiteboard.
Each Sunday, I put together all of the non-refrigerated items in the shoe rack (by day). I try to include one fruit-type item (apple, fruit cup, etc.), one type of chips or crackers, one dessert, and one bag for snacks.
On the whiteboard, I write the additional refrigerated items (organized by the child’s name and day of the week). This includes yogurts, sandwiches, and other items that should not be left out.
If I can make or set out the items ahead of time, I go ahead to do this and place them in the extra fridge we have in our laundry room. If there’s anything I have to wait to make that day, I underline it on the whiteboard. That’s my cue or reminder.
The green marker indicates their snack for that day.
Overall, the system seems to be working out well. I have been doing this now for almost 3 years. It’s a lot of work on Sunday, but it prevents stress during the week.
| |
What about you? Do you have a system you use to organize school lunches? Please share it or provide a link to your blog post.
Rachel is an Austin blogger, educator, mom, wife, young breast cancer survivor writing about health, saving money, and living a happy life in Austin, Texas.
Rachel has written for HuffPost and Hometalk and has been featured on KXAN, Studio 512, Fox 7 Austin, and CBS Austin.