This is Day 2 of a month long food stamp challenge. 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.
So many really great points are being brought up in the comments on yesterday’s posts and I can’t thank you all enough for being a part of the conversation. Starting today we will introduce a new question with each day’s recap.
QUESTION OF THE DAY: Do you think there should be limitations on the type of foods that can be purchased using food stamps / SNAP benefits? Why or why not?
Please leave your answer in the comments section or answer on your own blog or Facebook wall with a link back to this post.
SHOPPING
Another day of spen
ding, but that is to be expected as the month has only just started and we needed a lot! A rare sale on produce items gave us the opportunity to add some fresh veggies to our diet. We also found eggs for a dollar per dozen.
The masa flour will allow us make our own homemade tortillas (and even tortilla chips) for tacos, burritos and quesadillas among other uses.
PURCHASES
| ITEM | SIZE | PRICE | UNIT | PRICE/ UNIT |
| coffee creamer | 64 oz | 6.48 | oz | .10 |
| eggs | 2 dozen | 2.18 | each | .09 |
| corn flour | 4.4 lb | 3.15 | ||
| turkey lunchmeat | 1 lb | 4.24 | oz | .27 |
| turkey franks | 10 | 1.62 | each | .16 |
| coffee | 27.8 oz can | 7.62 | .9 oz/pot | .25/pot .03/cup |
| bananas | 1.21 lb | .77 | each | .19 |
| smoked sausage | 14 oz | 2.17 | oz | .16 |
| breakfast sausage | 8 patties | 1.08 | each | .14 |
| carrots | 4 lbs | 2.18 | oz | .07 |
| celery | 2.25 lb | 1.41 ERROR! | ||
| turkey bacon | 1.09 | 2 slices | .14 | |
| red pepper | 1 piece | 1.09 | each | 1.09 |
| yellow pepper | 1 piece | 1.09 | each | 1.09 |
| pinto beans | 2 lbs | 1.48 | cups | .37 |
| black beans | 1 lb | 1.33 | cups | .65 |
| kidney beans | 1 lb | 1.44 | cups | .72 |
RECEIPTS
The coffee creamer was a luxury item and while it wasn’t a wise choice, it was an acceptable food stamp purchase and we are trying to make this challenge a workable and realistic example.
We had a $5 off $25 coupon for the Save-A-Lot trip which helped with the bottom line price. Also discovered a ringing error in which the celery rang at $1.29 when it is on sale for $1.00.
We accidentally purchased a newspaper on the same transaction at Walmart where we were able to take advantage of their price matching policy on dried beans, but it allowed us to make the point that you should check your store’s price matching policy. In Walmart’s case they will price match the Sunday newspaper that sells at the Dollar Tree for $1. The $1.09 from the newspaper purchase will be credited back toward the total.
MEALS
BREAKFAST: $0.60
4 scrambled eggs (starting pantry)
1/2 cup grits (starting pantry)
4 slices of toast
3 Tablespoons margarine (starting pantry)
coffee (starting pantry)
creamer
NOTE: The starting pantry contained 4 eggs (now depleted), 2 cups of grits, 6 oz of margarine and about 8 oz of coffee. Once depleted, these items will be purchased as necessary.
JOHN’S LUNCH: $0.74
In his super cool Superman lunchbox, John packed:
Turkey & cheese sandwiches (2)
4 oz carrot sticks (starting pantry)
The sandwiches were made up of:
4 slices of bread
2 ounces of sliced turkey
2 slices of cheese (starting pantry)
2 teaspoons of mayo (starting pantry)
water
NOTE: The starting pantry contained 3 slices of cheese, 6 oz of carrots and about 8 oz of mayonnaise. Once depleted, these items will be purchased as necessary.
MICHAEL’S LUNCH: $0.00
mashed potatoes (leftovers)
turnip greens (leftovers)
water
DINNER: $2.53
Red beans & rice w/ turkey smoked sausage
2 cups dried kidney beans
1 onion (starting pantry)
1 cup rice (starting pantry)
spices (starting pantry)
7 oz turkey smoked sausage
sweet tea (starting pantry)
NOTE: The starting pantry contained 1.5 lbs of onion, basic spices, 8 quart sized tea bags and 2 cups of sugar. Once depleted, these items will be purchased as necessary.
If you want us to post any of the recipes you see mentioned during the challenge please just say so in the comments. We’re more than happy to share.
DAILY TOTAL: $3.87 (+$4.31 for the day, +7.99 for the week)
Total Spent to Date: $57.63
Total Remaining: $221.55
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THIS is the post that I read last night and have been trying to find all morning, lol! First of all, I have been thru the “FS system” twice. I tend to avoid the big debates over this topic, due to the fact that YEAH… everyone is right to a point. I just wanted to say BRAVO to E for putting that point of view out there so well. I agree totally, too. As with most problems in life, education is the key… not dictating what people can and cannot buy with their SNAP benefits. What about people who live in food deserts? Or people with kids with sensory issues that only eat certain things (my case with my youngest)?
The only reason I was able to make the change to cooking from scratch is from seeing my grandmother when I was little… and having a love for all she did. Not everyone has that advantage. Rather than dictate and punish the ones who don’t “get it”… a helping hand and a bit of education would go far.
Michael, are you purchasing items you would normally purchase? Curious about the white bread, bacon and sausage. Wasn’t sure if it was preference or price point guiding that decision. Just curious since you’re mission is to do this healthier. No judgment… Just a question.
I think there should be limits on what is allowed to be purchased with food stamps/SNAP. In one state where I lived about 35 years ago, food classified as taxable was not allowed with food stamps (soda, chips, etc), you could only get stuff that wasn’t taxed. Things like soda, chips, candy, and cookies should not be allowed — at least in my opinion. I know Beth has a point about kids with sensory issues, my grandson has them, but the items I mentioned wouldn’t be in his diet anyway.
I can see the point of not having cookies and candy and such allowed but at some point like with the coffee creamer people just have to treat themselves sometimes. Sometimes foodstamps or snap is all a person has as in the case of a friend of mine.
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