Bento Lunch Supplies

I'm so excited to make my first bento but I know a ton of work, and a ton of supplies go into making these things. I've spent this last month taking trips to the dollar store and finding the cheapest ways to do this (being a college student and all). I think I have almost everything I need! I already had a TON of cookie cutters from a couple christmas's ago, when I loved to bake and my mother got me a giant tub of 100 cookie cutters.

And I had some other cute things in my dining room closet already as well - (that I'll purchase more of when I run out because they're perfect for my lunches!)

Looking at all kinds of bento blogs, I've gotten all different sorts of inspiration and ideas. I saw a couple people using these little plastic fruit containers (that originally hold candy powder) as a container for soy sauce or things like shredded parmesan cheese. So I set out the other day to a couple places and found some at a favorite candy store of mine! It's my favorite because they have an entire Hello Kitty section (and a couple other Sanrio characters). So I was really happy when I also found little Keroppi (Sanrio frog character) metal tins, with tiny circle candies my boyfriend was happy to eat for me since I'm not much of a candy person. And now I can use them to put little extras or dips in lunches! The out-of-focus Hello Kitty cupcake tin in this photo was something I already had from months ago that I kept for its adorableness and knew I'd use it for something someday.

At the dollar store I found cute napkins I can pack every day, some extra lunch containers that came in a pack of three (pink, blue and green), and yet another candy container (of Hello Kitty)that has a zipper and fabric on it and is not metal all along the inside so whatever I end up putting in it will not be something wet, or will be put in plastic first.

I also found a plastic container suitable for yogurt and granola (or something else that requires a dry and a wet ingredient) because the two compartments are divided by the cover! I found a nice sandwich-sized container as well, and also already own a multiple-compartment pink lunch container.

I aaaaalways see bento lunch makers using these adorable food picks that you just can't find on little Prince Edward Island (at least, not the cute ones), and I could just go order some online but then I'd have to pay for shipping. I'm very crafty, so if I can make something instead of buy it, I will. So I made a bunch of little adorable food picks (just bought the picks at the grocery store, and glued little stickers and things on them, coating the sticky side completely in mod podge or glue)and was pleased with how they turned out.

And I already had some mini clothes pins with the same and similar stickers/characters on them I made probably a year ago, that would add some extra cuteness.

So there's how I got pretty much all the supplies I need, and for very cheap! Proof that it's possible on every budget. Even if you don't start out with as many things as I did, you can make do with what you have and make it more personal and unique.

It's just 3 more weeks until my first day of school and I'll be able to share my very first bento! Until then I'll keep updating with any new supplies or ideas :)
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