For a change in children's schooltime lunchbox I sometimes make up four sandwiches with different fillings in each one and then cut them into quarters.

I mix the sandwiches up so each child's lunch has a different filling in each sandwich quarter.

I find fruit does not stay nice in a lunch box all day. Instead I buy tins of fruit salad in natural juice and put into small containers.

My daughter loves them in her lunch box. Don't forget to include a spoon that can come home to be reused.

Sometimes when I see bakery treats in the supermarket for around $2 I buy a few bags and freeze them when I get home. Donuts, fruit buns and scones all freeze pretty well for a few months.

These items are all great for the occassional lunchbox treat if I don't have time to bake.

I buy large square cakes when on special in supermarket and I slice them into 18-24 slices. I wrap each slice in glad wrap then return them to the container and freeze them. I can just pop a slice in lunch box each morning.

It's a great way of keep the cake so it does not go stale.

I bought a few 200ml plastic, re-sealable containers (they can be found in the kitchenware section of a supermarket).

Then I buy yoghurt by the kilo container. (You can usually find these on special for around $4.00.)

Each day fill the small tubs.You get 5 tubs of yoghurt per container (average cost = 80c each).

This is so much cheaper than buying by the 2, 4 or 6 packs which normally cost around $1.20 each. And you're also contributing to a cleaner environment by not throwing the plastic containers in the bin!

My daughter has egg and nut allergies and always misses out on school BBQ day due to my fear of egg being used on the hot plate.

Instead, I wrap her roll or sandwich in cling wrap, then wrap a colourful patterned serviette around it - then its all held together with a funky sticker or two!

It never fails that she keeps one sticker for herself, and gives another to a friend… they runout of class with them on smiling!

The healthiest between meal snack or dessert is by far, raw fresh fruit.

I always offer my children fruit first and they have a real love for all different tastes.

If you buy seasonal fruit at a market, the savings are massive.

* I always try to have at least two pieces of fruit in my child's lunchbox.

In hot weather, I place about 3 inches of water in the school drink bottle and freeze it overnight. In the morning I fill it with cold water, and place a stubby holder under the drink bottle so as the drink bottle can stand up on the school desk or floor, and not leave water where it sits.

Note: Make sure your stubby holder is appropriate to send to school.

When it is really hot, I send a small ice cubie in my son's lunchbox.

I have noticed that he always eats his lunch when it has been nice and cool - and the days I have forgotton to pack his cubie, he doesn't eat as much and there is more watse.

To save money on snack products I buy a large container of dip, put it into little containers and put it in my kids lunch box. Add some carrot sticks and/or cracker biscuits for dipping purposes and your set. My kids love them and it is one of there favourite lunch box snacks.

AUTHORS NOTE: Hommus and Tzatziki dips are some healthy options.

My daughter loves ham or cheese salad rolls for school lunch, but doesn't like it if it is soggy. What I do now is make a plain ham or cheese roll and in a plastic container I layer the salad, all she has to do is open the roll and put the salad in.

Kids getting bored with sandwiches at school? Why not try a tortilla wrap then! They are great for something different and you can put anything you want on them.

My little boy has vegemite and cheese on his and he loves them! You can put everything you would put on a sandwich on them. It's just a little something different then the plain old sandwich for lunch!

I often make up a weeks worth of sandwiches on a Sunday, so that all I have to do is grab them out of the freezer in the morning (when I'm usually running late!). Cheese and ham sandwiches freeze fine if wrapped well.

I found that making them fresh each day meant that there were always a couple of slices of ham that ended up being thrown out after spending too many days in the fridge. By freezing them I save on wastage as well as time. I put a freezer block in my daughters' lunchbox too, so that the sandwich stays at a safe temperature while it defrosts.

AUTHORS NOTE: Ham, beef, salmon, turkey, lamb, chicken with relishes, mustard, pickles or sauces all freeze very well. So does cheese, sultanas, peanut butter, vegemite, marmite and promite. Jam does not. Cream cheese is fantastic for spreading instead of butter or margarine and freezes well.

My kids really enjoy flat bread like LAVASH bread but when I couldn't get any the other week, I used bread instead.

Cut the crust off and then roll it with a rolling pin. Spread or lay filling over the top then roll each slice individually.

My kids enjoy Avocado, Lettuce and a thin slice of Tomato.

After making your childs sandwich, use cookie cutters or clean playdough cutters to create fun shapes in the sandwich.

It makes eating the sandwich fun, they can choose which part to eat first! Use different cutters throughout the week.

It will keep the kids guessing and makes eating their sandwich fun.

I have invested in a couple of theroms' for the winter months. When I make soup it can be stored in the thermos overnight in the fridge then the thermos is microwaved prior to going to school and is still hot at lunch.

I freeze the remainder (if any is left). This way I don't have be concerned about what to give my children that is healthy and different.

Howards storage have a variety of products that can be used to provide a variety of different lunches for everyone. I found the salad boxes useful in summer for all the family's lunch.

I find it hard to make all the kids lunches at the weekend or in the mornings. When I'm cooking dinner I prepare the lunches for the next day. In between waiting for something to come to the boil or whatever I knock up their sandwiches and pack the rest of their luchbox. Much better than doing it when they are in bed and I am exhaused.

Sandra, Beerburrum QLD, February 2008: Use mini click seal bags and fill them up with an assortment of cashews, peanuts, Nutrigrain, sultanas or other dried fruits, Crispex Cereal and/or Milo flake cereal. Put a small amount of each into each bag.

I make them for our school tuckshop but use different ingredients as certain items that I put my kids ones are not suitable for all primary school children. You can vary the ingredients depending on your childs likes and dislikes and age.

NOTE: Buy either salted cashews and unsalted nuts or vice versa because the salt from one will transfer to the other. These are great for hikes, camping and more. A lot cheaper than store bought snacks and you can add as much or as little as you like.

Joy, Werribee VIC, April 2008: When I was in the girl guides in the 1970's, we used to take something called Scroggin (Treasure Troves) on hikes with us. But we also added choc chips and homemade oven baked muesli (the oats are very good as a slow release carbohydrate).

Using breakfast cereal like Nutrigrain, Cheerios, and Fruit Loops, make great lunchbox treats. They sometimes contain less fat than biscuits and are cheaper to buy than biscuits.

Instead of buying multi-pack products (such as chips, savoury biscuits, etc) buy a larger bag of chips such a 200gram packet and each day divide a portion into a small snap lock bag. It works out to be a lot cheaper.

Seal the larger bag with slicky tape to keep the freshness.

My mum always washed and reused her ziplock bags. Don't throw away after just one use they can be used many many times.

I store so many things like packets of opened ham/cheese in the fridge to keep them fresh, left over vegies (which are great thrown in the salad the next night especially brocolli/green beans), extra biscuits/pasta that may not fit in the storage jars or lunch box items.

Just wash in warm soapy water, rinse and dry over a glass (sometimes you need to turn inside out the next day to dry out thoroughly).

For something different in the lunchbox try making a quiche. Slice it up into portions, wrap them in glad wrap and keep in the freezer.

They are quick to make and actually take less time than making a sandwich for each day. Some recipes taste better cold than others.

NOTE: Test which recipe the kids like best before you introduce it to their lunchbox. Try the Easy Tuna Quiche or the Spinach Savoury Slice.

I found the cheapest lunch box treat for my school children are the home brand mini muffins you find in all supermarket bakery area.

You can get 8 to a tray which can cost around $3.00 and cheaper when they are on special. This works out to around 37cents a muffin. I keep them stored in the freezer.

I add veges to muffins that I make for my kids. I use 1 packet of muffin mix, 1 tin of mixed vegies and a squeeze of sweet chilli sauce and they love them!

They are good for all ages. I have one child in highschool and she is the envy of all her friends when I make them. They are so easy and cheap and they are good for the kids as well. I have even used vegies that I have steamed and pureed slightly as well if there is any vegies that need to be used up. They are even better with bacon and egg as well. Yummo!

I prepare sandwiches in advance. Most fillings can be easily frozen, so on the weekend when we have a bit more time, I make a weeks worth of sandwiches and snacks and just put them in the freezer.

Then the night before each weekday all I do is pull a sandwich and a snack out of the freezer, add fruit and a drink and we're done!

ALSO TRY...
* dividing up a large tin of fruit into Tupperware containers with lids and place them in the fridge

* dividing a box of savoury shapes or generic savoury snax into small containers

* baking a batch of biscuits then wrapping the biscuits in pairs or threes

* baking a large cake and freezing it in slices, or a batch of muffins

* freezing small refillable water bottles, great for those hot summer days.

When sliced meat is on sale I buy it and pre-make sandwiches for school lunches. They can be frozen ahead of time. In the morning take out the sandwiches you need and place them straight into the lunchbox. By lunchtime the sandwiches are defrosted and cold, ready to eat.

When I label my kids' lunch boxes and drink bottles for school, I write in permanent marker, then paint over with clear nail polish. It lasts for years and years and will never ever wash off.

I have beenusing a soldering iron to permanently mark my daughter's possesions. I have put her name onto her rulers, scissors and other hard plastic items and it is proving to be more effective and it is perminent as it melts into the surface.

An engraver is another way to make sure labelling is permanent.

I save alot of money by making our own cheese animals. We simply use cookie cutters in a slice of tasty cheese about 7.5mm thick.

Store bought cheese animals are expensive, we save alot of money by making out own.

The kids love helping to make them for their lunchboxes.

I make up small jellies in the small tupperware snack containers for my son's lunchbox.

To make the jellies a little healthier, add small pieces of fruit before it sets.

Make sure you put the lid on tight before packing it in the lunchbox. Don't forget a spoon!

I purchased 6 reusable décor tubs when my daughter started school. I also invested in a packet of quality stickers. I placed a character sticker on each lid and each container (I also named them).

This way she is distracted from not having pre-packaged foods that her friends may have and it makes her snacks unique and fun!

Lunchtime is much more exciting and her friends are always interested in which of her little tubs she has that day. Its also a great way of identifiy them as hers.

My kids love McDonalds (as do most) but with so many children it gets pretty expensive. My kids also love Homemade Maccas in their lunchboxes.

Store bought or homemade English Muffins can be filled with an egg (fried or poached in a ring) and a piece of bacon/ham and even some cheese and/or sauce. We wrap them in aluminium foil and add a small ice-pack to the lunch box to keep them fresh and cool. You could even add some salad if you want.

I put fun stickers on fruit.

Note: This is a great way to make eating fruit more exciting for pre-schoolers and for older children in their lunchbox, please make sure the are taught to NOT EAT THE STICKER!
Not recommended for children under 36 months.

A great idea for summertime lunches at school is frozen grapes. The night before place grapes in a plastic container in the freezer.

Then in the morning pop them in the lunch box by the time recess comes around they have fresh cold grapes to eat and they taste great.

This also works with strawberries and blueberries when in season, but these can become a little squishy.

I made a fun list of little jokes and little cute notes (Such as: You’re soooo sweet!!, I love you to bits!, Keep smiling!)l

I printed them, cut them up and add a cute sticker. Each day I hide a note in the lunchbox! This way my daughters are distracted from not having the pre-packaged, processed foods that other kids may have. The girls get such a buzz when they find one!

Its a fun, sweet way I can remind my daughters that I am thinking of them when they are at school.

I pack my kids lunchboxes in the evening as I make dinner. It saves me time and stress in the morning. I have found it a great habit to get into.

My girlfriend and I make slices or biscuits weekly. We double the quantity and I give her one lot and she gives me one of her creations.

This surprises our kids when we swap every Sunday. It also gives our kids something different to try.

To make individual yoghurts or jellies, save the small containers of multi-pack yohurts or jellies. Wash them and spoon in yoghurt from larger, cheaper packs or make up a jelly mix and pour into individual cups. Make lids out of foil and tape on.

Instead of a sandwich sometimes I pack cruskets with vegemite, honey or jam. You can find them in the cracker bisket aisle of the supermarket. Kids love the variety.

I cut banana's in half for the kids lunchboxes. This seems to makes it more appetising to them. The banana generally lasts fine until morning tea and I have less waste and it costs less.

In winter we find fruit very expensive and limited. I buy and keep frozen berries for a snack treat. My son loves his with custard and my daughter loves them plain. In summer we have a bit of passionfruit mixed in. This is a very yummy and healthy snack.

Our little girl started school this year. Leading up to her 'BIG' first day I would make her lunch in her lunch box, so she could practice opening, shutting and opening what was inside. Also I made up her drink bottle so she could practice putting on and off the lid etc. It gave her such a boost of confidence on her first day! It was great that she was familiar with her lunchbox and drink bottle on a day with so many new things happening.

NOTE: Make sure you purchase a few sets of smaller containers for biscuits and fruit etc, these can bet used over again. Teach your child early about reducing rubbish and waste, by refusing to use plastic wrap etc. See Snacks and lunchboxes for other great ideas.