Leftovers for lunch!! Now I can’t think of any other lunch idea cheaper than leftovers. If we have leftovers from dinner the night before, they magically turn into a lunch menu the next day. 

I will even prepare make ahead freezer meals in a larger than needed quantity and store in those plastic Ziploc containers for quick, easy and of course cheap meals.

Here are some ideas for make ahead meals that would make a great lunch.

 

Family Meals From The Freezer:

(yep kids, leftovers)

• Spaghetti
• Chicken pasta
• Tuna fish casserole
• Homemade mac-n-cheese
• Pasta salad

Those are just a few example of what you can make. These are easy meals and still taste great when reheated. I serve with some carrot/celery sticks with ranch and a can of fruit from the pantry and lunch is done.

And of course my menu still has a place for PBJ sandwiches, top ramen and mac-n-cheese as these are the foods my children prefer to eat but buying food items for convenience is just becoming to expensive. My suggestion: try to balance the two, get a few of the quick and easy meals the kids love to eat but give more effort and attention to basic homemade meals. (I’m starting to think like my mom!!)

How about breakfast, check this out: Cheap Family Meal Ideas For Breakfast

And Let’s not forget dinner, here ya go: Creating “Big Family” Meals On A Budget

If you have any cheap and easy lunch ideas I would love to hear from you. Leave me a comment or shoot me an e-mail.