Being a parent can be really difficult - and expensive.

If you've got a child at school, it can be tricky to know what to put in their packed lunches - either because they are tremendously fussy, you have run out of ideas or don't want to spend a fortune on fancy bits and pieces they might then not eat.

But that doesn't need to be the case any more - and here's why.

You see, one mother from Kent has managed to create some healthy packed lunches and has won awards for them.

And the best news? They cost 90p to make.

Louise is mum to Austin.

He attends a special needs school where he also qualifies for free school meals - but like many children, he's always rejected it .

Louise said: "Austin is entitled to free school meals through the government's free hot meals scheme, but he just refuses to eat the school dinners.

"Recently, I had to just cancel it and start making my own lunches for him – but it wasn't cheap.”

Louise had to ditch school dinners for her son altogether - adding time and money to her workload.

She added: "My eldest son was already having packed lunches, so at first I just copied the meals across, until he started to put on weight.

"Craig, my husband and I then started to rethink our meals to make them more balanced - we had to skip the 'junk'."

She says her biggest secret to getting it right is listening to her kids - and finding out what they actually want to eat. If they ask for it, then they'll eat it.

"The ideas for my healthy lunch boxes came from trying out what the kids would eat at home whilst making sure it's well balanced.

"I was inspired after I watched programmes like Eat Well for Less on BBC 1. I also love the programme Extreme Couponing. Although we don't have coupons like they do in America, it is exciting to see how much the people save on there.

"Austin loves picnic style food, so the switchover wasn't that difficult, preparation-wise.

"We won the Healthy Lunchbox of the Year award in 2016 because he was so consistent with eating well. He treats dunking carrots into houmous as a treat anyway! We only put food in the lunches that we know that the children like."

"Friday is the day that we throw in their 'treat' foods - a biscuit or a bag of their favourite crisps."

Louise's 5 day healthy lunchbox meal plan

Lunch 1: 2 slices of wholemeal bread with olive spread, brie 35g, grapes and lettuce. A small yoghurt, 4 cocktail sausages, no added sugar flavoured water, easy peeler fruit, carrots and houmous: Total cost 91.8p.

Lunch 2: Wholemeal sandwich thins with olive spread, a slice of ham, grated cheddar and a cucumber filling. Celery sticks and houmous, no added sugar flavoured water, spinach and a boiled egg, a plum, a pear and 4 cocktail sausages: Total cost 90.69p.

Lunch 3: Small white wrap with olive spread, mozzarella ball (2 slices), sliced fresh tomato, rocket and sliced bacon medalion. Houmous and cucumber sticks, no added sugar flavoured water, skinny French fries crisps, raisins and an Apple: Total cost of lunch 91.9p.

Lunch 4: Wholemeal pitta bread with mayonnaise and leftover roast chicken and bacon. 25g strawberries, Kiwi fruit, no added sugar flavoured water, houmous and red and yellow pepper sticks, 4 cocktail sausages and a yoghurt tube: Total £1.00.

Lunch 5: Homemade bacon egg and cheese muffin, no added sugar flavoured water, small yoghurt, easy peeler fruit, pear, carrots and houmous and 4 cocktail sausages. Total cost 98.9p

The challenge - keeping prices low

"While I love feeding my kids healthily - it's an expensive luxury," Louise confesed.

To tackle rising prices - which she says were going up faster than her wages - Louise got into the habit of bulk buying combined with a lot of shopping around to tackle the problem.

Louise said: "Fuel, utilities, and our bills were going up faster than our wages, so we had to start thinking twice.

"To stick to budget, I now do my main shop for lunchbox items at Aldi (weekly) and Waitrose (monthly) but if an item is on offer when I pop into another supermarket, I will stock up whilst I am there. My weekly shop comes to around £45 and £65- depending on how much I buy in bulk."

"On average I spend around 90p per lunch (£1.80 for 2 children)."

Louise added: "Don't be scared of price reduction stickers and sell by dates. Use common sense to see when food is no longer safe to eat . I use my eyes and nose to judge when food is no longer usable , not the date. My children are never ill.

"I prepare the sandwiches/pitta/wraps are usually the evening before whilst I am in the kitchen cooking that nights dinner. We have a 'lunchtime items' section in the fridge which I organise each week.

"If you want to buy a big branded item, make it a treat, such as their favourite biscuit once a week. This will minimise how much it adds to your overall bill as each pack will last longer.

"When it comes to money, focus on the non-treat items and then compare prices at all the supermarkets that sell them - the savings will almost always be worth it."

Louise's tips for mums that want to cut their bills

  • Aldi have a 'super 6' offer each week on fruit and veg that are heavily discounted so use those items for your lunchboxes.
  • Waitrose have their 'pick your own' loyalty card offer where you can receive 20% off of 10 items per month selected by yourself.
  • Dont be a brand snob! Try the things that are on offer or on multibuy.
  • Convenience costs more in a shop so preparation and being organised is key! Grate your own cheese, chop your own veg, boil your own eggs! Convenience costs extra.
  • Some kids can be very fussy eaters, so it can be very hard for some parents, but just changing from branded to own brand can make a difference, especially if you pop the foods in sandwich bags - they won't be able to tell!

What do you put in your children's lunchboxes? We would love to hear from you. Tell us in the comments below.

*This article has been updated and was originally published in September 2017