Saving Money and The Environment!

Hello All!

It’s nearly the end of August and many of us have already started rushing our kids off to school again! And that means packing lunches. But have no fear! Lunch can be an exciting and creative opportunity to provide our children with healthy, fresh options, while teaching them the value of balanced, waste-free meals. While many of you are just as excited as we are to start filling those bento boxes again, I know that some of you are asking, "Why would I spend $24 on a lunch box?"

Tiffany, a long-time customer, answers this question in as a comment on our Facebook page: 

Customer and fan Raeanna still uses her Original Laptop Lunches
Bento's for her family of five after years of use! 

"It occurred to me today that my daughter will be entering 7th grade in a few weeks and her laptop lunchbox that I bought for kindergarten is still going strong! Little brother's is too. So for those who think the Laptop costs too much, consider how much you can save by buying only one, instead of a new one each year."

And she’s right. We hear from many customers who tell us they bought a Laptop Lunches bento lunch box years ago, and it's still holding up to the wear and tear of a child's daily use. But Tiffany also speaks to the issue of saving money by not having to purchase a new lunch box every year and also eliminating the need for disposable packaging and expensive single-serve lunch foods.

I did the math and this is what I found: 

The average disposable lunch costs:

• per day: $4.02
• per school year: $723.60 
• over a span of seven school years:  $5,065.20

The average reusable lunch costs:

• per day: $2.65 
• per school year: $477.00
• over a span of seven school years: $3,339.00

That means that over seven years you can save... $1,726.20 

Wow! Put that in your child's college fund and save it! And, that is just for one reusable bento user! Imagine if your whole family went reusable! 

A typical example of a 'convenient' pre-packaged lunch.

Packing waste-free lunches also takes a huge weight off of our environment. And, I mean literally. The average student creates 67 pounds of lunch waste per year, which means that over a span of seven years -- from kindergarten to six grade -- you can eliminate 483 pounds of unnecessary lunch waste!

What does all this mean? A Laptop Lunches bento lunch box will pay for itself, both financially and ecologically, in just a few short weeks. Plus, it makes packing a healthy lunch for your child easy and fun!

Thanks, Tiffany, and all of you who have chosen to invest in Laptop Lunches Bento-ware, whether to save money, reduce waste, or simply to have fun while packing delicious, wholesome lunches! If you are looking to join the waste-free revolution, you can find lots of tools and information here. 

We’re really looking forward to this school year and being a part of yours. Stay tuned into our blog for ideas and inspirations for packing lunches, creative recipes and further ways to save you money!