Best lunch boxes for your money

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Add one more thing to your back-to-school checklist: getting ready for school lunches. We know packing lunch for your kids or for yourself will save you big, so check out the latest lunch box containers to help make it a breeze.

With so many students and parents packing fresh food, it's important that is stays cold and fresh. A couple of expert organizers helps us find budget friendly containers to decide what works and what doesn't.

With three kids ages 4, 6, and 8, Sarah Flores has to consider a lot of variables when it comes to packing lunches.

"It depends on what you buy for lunch, and how old your kids are, when they can open the containers," she said.

So we shopped around to check out the options.

At the Container Store, the experts picked their top-selling products.

"You have your sandwich separated so everything is not falling together so your sandwich stays fresh and not smushed," Container Store employee Belinda Miley said.

For those who want to pack salads, the Container Store has a solution called the Klip-It Salad-To-Go. The product features a main bowl for a salad, a separate cup for dressing and two lift-out compartments for toppings. The price is $7.99.

"So everything you need you have in one spot," Miley said.

If you are tired of buying zip-lock bags, go green with a product called Lunch Skins. The reusable sandwich bags cost $8.99 each and the snack size is $7.99.

"It's also dishwasher safe so instead of buying tons of baggies, this is what we have," Miley said.

Over at the discount store, Rubbermaid has a new line of containers called LunchBlox. Professional organizer Ellen Delap loves this product because it's easy to stack.

"You can pack it very easily the night before and then you are ready to go in the morning," she said.

This lunch box from Pottery Barn Kids has a stainless steel storage compartment but it costs a whopping $69.95!

"I think it's too many choices for your kids actually," Delap said.

Delap says instead try this insulated lunch box from the Container Store for $14.99. You can pick up containers and create your own custom lunch box for a quarter of the price.

Next, Delap gives this dual compartment container from Pottery Barn Kids a thumbs-up because it's made of shatterproof material and includes a freezable pack to keep your food cold. It's $12.50 but Delap says it better than constantly purchasing disposable plastic containers.

And finally, something fun for parents, these lunch box love notes are cute, but the price is $3.99 for 12 cards. At Staples office supply store, we found a hundred sheets of sandwich post it notes for a dollar.

When choosing containers, you want to find one that's microwave, dishwasher and freezer safe and of course BPA-free.

More Info:

-- Colorful Klip-It Lunch Cube
-- Klip-It Salad-to-Go
-- Dots Insulated Lunch Carrier
-- Lunchskins Sandwich Bag
-- Spencer Dual Compartment Food Storage
-- Rubbermaid Blox
-- Pottery Barn Kids Lunchbox Love Notes

Get more In the Classroom »

in the classroom, patricia lopez

• Comment Now
• Email
• Print
• Report a typo
•