This is Day 14 of a month long food stamp challenge (on October 16th). If this is your first visit, please check out this link to see all of the posts and get a better understanding of what is going on.
We have officially completed the first two weeks of the challenge with the end of Day 14 and we spent yesterday doing decidedly non-challenge things for a change, working on a new raised bed, then collecting river rock and sand for some projects around the yard. These projects are part of what we do as a matter of routine – gardening.
Growing a garden is a great way to lower your food bill and increase the amount of fresh produce in your diet and it can be inexpensive to do as well. Over the next few days we will begin to talk more about how growing at least some of your own vegetables can have a huge impact on you, your family and those around you.
MEALS
BREAKFAST: $1.50
coffee
sugar
creamer
eggs
sausage / turkey bacon
toast
Leftover chicken was deboned and put into the food processor to chop it uniformly before being combined with minced onion, pickle relish, salt & pepper and mayo in a bowl.
This is one of the quickest and most inexp
ensive lunch meals you can make, and it makes use of the dark meat chicken which I don’t otherwise enjoy eating so it’s a win win!
LUNCH: $0.20
chicken salad sandwiches (leftover chicken from Day 13)
on whole wheat bread
Vegetables!
DINNER: $3.39
sausage & peppers
rice
salad
TOTALS
- Consumed Today: 5.09 [+3.91 for the day]
- Consumed To Date (week): 34.39 [+28.61 for the week]
- Consumed To Date (month): 61.52 [+65.66 for the month]
- Spent To Date: 159.59
- Remaining Balance: $119.59
QUESTION OF THE DAY: Choose your question based on the category in which you fit:
If you have been on food stamps:
Whether it is allowed or not, do you think or have you ever thought about whether or not you should purchase something with food stamp benefits? Some examples might include: candy, desserts, steak or other expensive cuts of meat, etc.
If you have not been on food stamps:
Have you ever judged someone using food stamps or EBT in a store based on their purchases?
{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }
I used to cringe every time I took my mother in law to the store. She would but soda, snack cakes, choc. milk, chips. Her diet was horrible. Since moving in with us her ways have improved slightly. I feel that since you don’t get all that much in benefits you should use them to get the food you need , not junk.
With $161 a month to feed 5 of us, 6 of us when my oldest son is here, I CONSTANTLY have to think about whether I SHOULD buy something! If I buy a piece of candy as a treat for the kids (usually to split 3 ways), is that going to leave me short so I can’t afford one more box of pasta that would have fed the whole family? For meat, we usually just eat meat my husband hunted, so any store bought meat is an expensive cut of meat in my mind. Occasionally, I will splurge and buy some fish, frozen breaded shrimp (Yum! But at $4 a box, it doesn’t happen a lot!) or chicken, but never a lot and no one gets a lot of it, since I basically have a budget cap of $5 a dinner for the whole family (breakfasts usually a WIC products based, or involve venison sausage, eggs from a relatives chickens, and/or pancakes, muffins, etc made from scratch; lunches are either leftovers, sandwiches, or skipped by my husband or me).
“If you have been on food stamps:
Whether it is allowed or not, do you think or have you ever thought about whether or not you should purchase something with food stamp benefits? Some examples might include: candy, desserts, steak or other expensive cuts of meat, etc.”
I’ve never been on foodstamps……but I question what I should buy with my own money because I have to. I don’t get the candy, desserts or expensive cuts of meat…period.
Unless there is a really good sale/coupon for it that would make it free. My kids know this and they have coupon eyes. LOL They find coupons at the store and take a couple to save for the right time. They even find coupons in the parking lot!
“If you have not been on food stamps:
Have you ever judged someone using food stamps or EBT in a store based on their purchases?”
Yes! And I hate being so judgemental (really I do)……but when you spend the entire day clipping and sorting coupons….getting ready for a shopping trip…that you carefully planned out and you get behind someone who has their wic(healthier food….cheese is something we rarely buy here unless it’s on sale so I think I’m a bit jealous), ebt(convenience food crap), and then a beer purchase…while pulling out his wallet with large bills………and doesn’t even speak english……..and is shopping at a store that is unbelievably overpriced on most of their merchandise (except for sale items..which I usually only buy with a coupon+double)…….then ya, I judge. I don’t want to, but really it’s hard not to.
When I was on food stamps you could still buy penny candy for a penny! Candy was taxable and therefore not eligible for food stamp purchase, though even if it was I wouldn’t have bought it with food stamps. It cost me a nickel to get each kid a piece of candy — that didn’t happen often. Following this challenge has made me realize just how complacent/lazy I have gotten. I’m not on food stamps now, but circumstances have changed to where I need to be a LOT more careful with my food budget.
One thing I make frequently is Roasted Vegetable Soup — cheap, easy, very nutritious, and very versatile. I use potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, acorn squash, carrots, turnips, and/or cauliflower — whatever I can get a good deal on. I have also been known to add an apple or pear during the last 10 minutes or so of roasting (a good way to use them if they are getting a little to soft). I line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or just use oil to grease it. Wash, peel if necessary, and cut the veggies into pieces (about 1 1/2 inch slices for the potatoes) close to equal size. Brush with a little oil. Sprinkle with a chopped onion (if available) and whatever seasonings (tarragon, rosemary, thyme, oregano, ginger, etc). Bake at 425 for about 30-40 minutes. When fork tender, blend in batches with chicken stock, bouillon, or water to desired consistency. I usually leave a couple pieces of veggies out of the blender and cut them into bite-size pieces to put in my soup for the first night. One cookie sheet of veggies usually provides four big bowls of soup and will last several days in the fridge. It’s a great way to use up leftover rice, veggies, pasta, chicken, etc to give the soup a little more substance, but even on its own it is still very good. Sometimes I add a small salad, a piece of bread and butter, or leftover biscuits from biscuits and gravy (also pretty cheap, but not as good for you).
Now I’m craving soup and yours sounds delicious. I am also dying for some parsnips!
I also frequently make potato soup with leftover mashed potatoes. Just thin the potatoes with chicken stock, bouillon, milk, and/or water to desired consistency. Add salt, pepper, etc to taste. Another great way to use up leftover veggies, chicken, etc — just toss ‘em in when you’re heating the soup.
Michael — I generally make this once a week, even before I had to watch my budget so closely. When tomatoes are a good price, I use roma tomatoes and one or two potatoes (to give it some creaminess). Just cut the tomatoes in half and put skin side down, cut the potatoes in a bit smaller pieces so they’ll cook evenly with the tomato.
I love soup and eat it frequently. Don’t forget about split-pea soup — good on it’s own, but excellent if you can add some cabbage and carrots!
I make a split lentil soup that is so good my friends nicknamed it “crack soup”.
mmmm……that soup sounds sooooo good, Susan.
Michael, did you ever post the bread recipe?……..still waiting……….and I’d love the “crack soup” recipe too ;)
I swear I’m going to post it. Eventually.
O.k………well I’m down to 2 loaves left in my freezer(MIL’s bread)……..she’s worried her son is going to starve…..
Gonna share the recipe? : )
I have followed your challenge since its inception and admire you for the time and effort you and John are putting into keeping the rest of us up to date. I have never been on food stamps and have not recently scrutinized a purchase of someone paying with them. I did find out that a family I knew had started being a recipient and I did scrutinize that because she left her job and he was not seeking any gainful employment in which to support their family. However, my judging was wrong and they were using the food stamps as a means of purchasing veggies and other good food items.
Like others, even though not on food stamps, I heavily scrutinize my own purchases. I am a stay-at-home wife and mom and we try to eat as organic and sustainable as possible. Also, our daughter has some food allergies. We do have a garden and I can/preserve various food items. Also, we have chickens for eggs. We try to limit our processed foods as well so that does mean that we have to plan well to have some snack items as there is no bag to just go and get them out of. :).
We don’t ever purchase expensive cuts of meat nor soda or sugary drinks. I also don’t do a lot of coupons primarily because they are for items that we don’t eat. It is not always easy but we manage.
Thanks again for prompting me to think more in-depth about food.
I have never been on food stamps, but I have not always been as blessed as I am today. I have eaten a lot of boxed mac and cheese and canned peas because they were cheap and filling. I hate being judgmental, but to be honest, I have been. I do not judge everyone just because they are on food stamps, and believe America has a lot of hungry families who need to be fed. Like with everything else, it is the small percentage of abusers that have made me judge. I don’t think we can restrict what folks buy because there are those that just don’t know how to fix things from scratch, or don’t have the time due to working two or three jobs. I do wish, however, that pop and sugary “juice drinks” could be restricted but toothpaste and toilet paper could be allowed. I do wish that people who were healthy and able to could earn more “food stamp dollars” if they needed by donating time to their community in one way or another. The system may need fixing, but in the meantime, I say we need to feed America’s children until we do get it fixed. Thanks for your great blogging….I think you are opening a few eyes and teaching us along the way…..
Molly — I agree whole-heartedly about not wanting to judge people in the circumstances you described, but it is nearly impossible not to especially if you see them getting into a brand new cadillac, etc while you’re driving a decades old car barely holding together.
I’m beginning to think Food Stamp reform should be done by people who are/have been on them because it’s the only way they have to feed their family. If you really need the help you shouldn’t complain if you have to take a drug test to keep receiving benefits — many of the people paying the taxes that help pay for that assistance have to have regular drug screenings to keep their job!
I’ll bet very few, if any, of the people that set these policies have ever “been there, done that” and these are the people who don’t give social security cost of living raises but give themselves a substantial raise — not to mention the LIFETIME checks they continue to receive.
Okay, I’ll join Molly now and sit on my hands and behave for awhile : )
:-D Got a few good laughs today…Susan with her “penny candy” (you must be even older than me!) and Michael with your “crack soup” and pointing out your vegetables in the picture! (way to go on the veggies! and, speaking of pictures, your breakfast looked delicious!)
This question was pretty similar to one you had earlier, but i will answer it a bit differently: Yes, when i was on food stamps i did consider whether to buy that stuff, but not how you were intending the question, i don’t think: Not, “is this being fair to the taxpayers?” but, if i were to do this, would we have enough REAL food…i.e. is it cost-effective?
I think i may have figured something out today where perhaps i was reading something wrong before…i live in Oregon where nothing is taxed. All alcohol purchases are forbidden on food stamps, but maybe in the other states people can’t get candy because candy is taxed when regular groceries are not??? I didn’t realize that, because I have bought food in Washington 2 or 3 times, and it seemed like I was being taxed on the entire purchase, but maybe Washington is also different than some of the other states. So that would make a difference in the comment i left a couple days ago about a woman not being able to buy candy for her kids… Anyway, i know i speak the truth for Oregon, but we are not the whole U.S.A. here, so take it with a grain of salt…
Question for YOU, Michael: You said you “collected” sand for your garden…i am curious about that. The last time i had a car that would make it to the beach, i tried to “collect” some sand, and it was all i could do to carry a pillowcase half-full of sand to the car. How and where are you “collecting” the sand from? Do you guys have a truck? and really, really strong arms and backs? I had this great idea to get sand from the beach and bring it home, but in reality i couldn’t make that happen!
P.S. another laugh i got: “I’m also dying for some parsnips”!!! Now i’ve heard chocolate on the end of that sentence, and also coffee, or “a good steak,” but that’s the first time i’ve heard it completed with PARSNIPS!! you’re funny! ;-)
We went to the river and used old dog food bags to hold the sand.
Have you had roasted parsnips? I mean c’mon, that shit’s DELICIOUS!
made me laugh again! i don’t think of parsnips and delicious in the same sentence, ever, but i do put parsnips in soup sometimes, and have roasted them a couple times when i had a pot roast, but those occasions are few and far between.
Is your land pretty clay-ey too? We live about mile away from the river, and it’s VERY clay-ey here. Since i kinda failed in my sand attempt, i do use bark dust sometimes to work in, along with the ever-present compost from food scraps.
Glad to see you’re eating veggies today. Please post your bread and soup recipes. That bread looked fantastic!
No, I’ve never judged anyone on food stamps. Maybe just for the lack of opportunity because until this recession, I never saw anyone on food stamps at my grocery store. But if I saw someone buying lobster or tenderloin with food stamps I think I would be a bit unhappy and wonder if they were abusing the system.
The bread recipe is now posted here.
The land here is incredibly high in clay. We are working on layer composting some areas with everything from coffee and tea grounds to cardboard and leaves to help to break down the clay over time.
To answer your question, yes, I have worried about certain things I’ve bought with food stamps. For example, I have tended to buy junk food when I’m stressed, and I know that’s wrong. I had a horrible week this week, so I bought Santitas chips ($2), Pace Picante Sauce (Bogo – $2.69) and ginger ale (store brand $1) to have for supper. Yes, supper. I was so stressed, I ate junk food for supper. I worry sometimes about what people think of me doing this, but I don’t worry about it too much. I always buy the cheapest junk food I can (whatever is on sale) and I don’t do it every week, so I’ve rationalized it. Plus, once in awhile, I’ll buy organic sweet potato chips, but only when they are on sale. I buy a lot of fruits and veggies, so I think it balances itself out.
Love the idea and what you and John have done. As a newlywed and soon to be mother, I’m starting to appreciate budgets and planning out a menu for the month.
((Just to clarify, I am in no way bashing anyone on stamps, who has needed them, is still on them, etc…because, you NEVER know!)) I’m from PA, used to be a cashier and understand need for food stamps for those who do NEED it and appreciate the help. What bothered me most while cashiering, is that the people (not all, but I will say around half that I saw in a day) that did receive benefits would buy junk food (not just here and there, ALL the time!), use their supplemental cash for alcohol and cigarettes, live with housing assistance, drive a fancy car with a brand new iPhone and still complain they were poor and the government owed them so much more!
There are many programs out there that are truly wonderful for those in need but it’s disgraceful when they get taken advantage of and those who desperately need it can’t receive it, or get very minimum payouts due to that. I like to think the best of people and hope they’re in fact honest (as most do seem to be) but occasionally some have to ruin it for others and I think that’s the biggest reason it feels “shameful” to say, “I receive food benefits” and why quite a few recipients get “judged”.
As a cashier, people tended to open up about the most random things (some days I felt like a therapist) and YES, a BUNCH of the people I saw daily truly needed the help, but you’d also have those who bragged about working the system and laugh about it. I will always remember one lady coming to my line. It was 7 in the morning and she had $60 worth of soda in her cart. An acquaintance stopped her and I heard her say “so and so was thirsty and there’s NOTHING in the house to drink, so I had to come to the store, *sigh* I know I’ll be back in a few days for more anyway”…I grew up on well water and treated city water makes me sick (too much chlorine in my area)…but $60 worth of soda, that would be enough for 4 summer parties at my parents house (for info purposes they only have 1)! Then she whipped out her fancy phone and had to run back and get 5 boxes of snack cakes!
I love that the programs are there, I just wish people would respect it. When my husband came home and I had to quit my job, we were on stamps for 2 months, thankfully no longer. There were times I wanted to buy a “treat” or even splurge on a steak, but I remembered, I didn’t know how long we were going to be needing them and there are so many smart ways to budget/coupon so I held back.
Being pregnant, I get a lot of notices about “baby classes” sponsored for low income families, you’d think an agency out there would offer free classes to not just those receiving assistance, but everyone, for couponing, gardening, budgeting, cooking, canning, etc…I know its not possible for everyone everywhere, but look how “community gardening” was practically unheard of years ago, now I know of 2 within 25 miles of my small central PA community! I love what you and John have done with this “project” and the idea that you gave back in the end as well.
(sorry for the length!)