Just guess how much money our family of four would have available to spend on food if we were getting food stamp benefits (which by the way has been renamed to SNAP)? $167/week. Yep, that is $42 more a week than what we are currently spending during this little 100 Days of Real Food on a Budget project. In all fairness we are also allowing ourselves to spend $20/week on eating out. But, even if we included that additional money (which we’ve barely used so far) it would still mean we fall $22 short of a family on food stamps. An extra 20 bucks or more a week would feel like a lot of money right now! I am by no means trying to diminish the difficult reality of truly living on a SNAP budget (we are practicing a self-imposed budget for only 100 days, after all), rather I am just patting myself on the back a bit for sticking to a tight budget.
So back to what I’ve been buying on this super tight budget… As I mentioned the other day I got some items from Trader Joe’s, but I was not able to buy everything on my list. So I went to Earth Fare yesterday and tried to spend the least amount of money possible, which turned out to be $12.33. Not too bad, if I do say so myself. And here is what I got…
- 0.79 lbs dried garbanzo beans $1.73
- Heavy cream $2.99
- Bananas $0.70
- Fruit cup honeydew melon $1.58
- Head of garlic $0.50
- Mango $1.25
- Potatoes $3.09
- Shallot $0.25
- 3 lb Bag of apples – FREE!! Thanks to an Earth Fare coupon!
Here are the things I wanted to buy, but didn’t…
- Soy sauce – We are just low…not out completely so I will wait another week.
- Unsweetened coconut – We love having this in our granola recipe, but we can still eat it without the coconut so it had to be skipped.
- Frozen berries – I’ve unfortunately gone from fresh berries in my granola to mediocre frozen berries to now eating whatever fruit we have on hand (apples, bananas) in the morning.
- Tahini – Um, how could I have never noticed that this cost more than $7 a jar! Luckily, I could wait on this one too.
We just keep making sacrifices on this budget and some of them are of course a bigger deal than others. For example I can totally live without the coconut in my granola…but I still really miss my berries in the morning! One new thing I just noticed (since I now am documenting my shopping so nicely!) is that my husband asked me to buy coffee beans at Trader Joe’s earlier this week, and I had just bought him a ($9) bag when we first started this budget, which was only a few weeks ago. So I told him if we are going to limit everyone else’s milk consumption to save money he is definitely going to have to cut back on coffee. I don’t drink coffee myself (only a mocha with 1 small shot of espresso), and he didn’t used to drink coffee either up until a year or two ago. If he doesn’t start drinking less he might have to give it up all together…just like the old days!
There’s been a lot of discussion around here about the impending candy holiday that is coming up this weekend. I of course want my kids to participate in all of the Halloween fun, but I am trying not to let the junk overwhelm me along the way. Kids obviously get excited about trick-or-treating (which I wholeheartedly accept), but what about all of the other treats, school parties, and spider crafts made out of Oreos that lead up to the big event? I honestly don’t know what to do with all of the stuff they are bringing home, and that is if they even bring it home from school before they eat it. One of the few things I do feel like I have under my control is the night of trick-or-treating. We are absolutely going to let our girls trick-or-treat their little hearts out, it is just what we are going to do with all of the candy that will be different this year. After hearing this advice from several parents we’ve decided to let them keep 5 pieces of candy (of their choice!) and then we will “buy” the rest of the candy from them. Our kids are still little so we don’t expect them to get a ton. So we are thinking we will give them either one nickel or one dime per piece (oh, I need to go to the bank!), which they can then use to buy a toy with from the store. I have to say that my girls, who have both been given very limited candy over the last few months, are pretty darn excited about getting FIVE whole pieces of candy AND a new toy of their choice! I am not sure how many years this will work out for us so nicely, but at least for this Halloween we have a plan.
PS – For all those located in the Charlotte area…Earth Fare is offering a $5 off coupon (with $25 purchase) for all 100 Days readers! Here is the deal: 1. The offer is good at the Ballantyne and SouthPark locations, 2. Must pick up coupon before Nov. 10, 3. To get coupon you need to mention that you read this post: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/10/15/budget-day-12-a-real-happy-meal/ Yay! I can’t wait to get $5 off myself :)
Due to food allergies, we have given our son $.10/ candy at Halloween since age 3.
He’s 8 and it still works got him.
We give him $.25/ treat that comes home from school. He loves Valentine’s Day.
I absolutely love to know that this can work long term!!
I have been paying my kids for candy for years!! I pick them up in carpool and I buy their school easter baskets, etc.. right there off of them in the car before we get home. I hand them cash… sometimes they negotiate!!!! But we both win in the end. :)
I love that idea for Halloween! Great way to have something more memorable than a belly ache at the end of the holiday :) Also that’s really awesome of Earth Fare to offer a coupon to your readers!
Wow – I didn’t know that’s how much people got on food stamps – that seems like a lot! This will be my first week that we came under our budget for food ($100).
Good for you! I cannot imagine coming under budget!
I am really enjoying your blog. Gives me good ideas for trying new things. My husband and I are in our 70’s but it’s nice to think about eating ‘real food’ as we did when we were children!
I am wondering why you don’t grind your own wheat and make your own ww bread? It’s easy, and you’d certainly know what was in it. I’ve been doing this for years. (I do buy store bread also)
:o)
Keep it up.
I’m a local mom in Matthews and I’ll second what Sue wrote about making your own bread. I buy bulk wheat berries and use my kitchenaid mixer (with grinding attachment) for griding the wheat, my breadmaker for mixing the dough (bought at a thrift store) and then I rise the bread and bake in my oven. The ingredients are homeground wheat, water, honey, salt, oil, and yeast and there’s nothing in the world that tastes as a good as homemade warm bread with butter on it. The startup costs of buying the bulk wheat can add up, but once you have the supplies and equipment it’s so easy and so healthy. Thanks for your blog. I just stumbled on it recently. We work on a tight budget for my family of 5 and I love seeing what new meal ideas you come up with.
I am considering giving this a shot, but I do have one question…can you easily buy organic wheat berries? And where do you buy them? I know they sell them at Earthfare, but I have not looked at the options/pricing in detail yet. Thanks so much for your comment!
I am very tempted to try grinding my own wheat and making bread (and other things) with it. I just might add those tools to my Christmas list this year if I think I can find the time to use them!
Food stamps are based on your household income. The more you have in Social Security or Disability, etc, the less SNAP you get. Neighbor gets about a grand on her SS but only gets 55.00 a month for food stamps. In order to qualify for that high amount of SNAP you would have to have little or no ‘income’.
That is exactly what I was basing it on…the amount you would get if you basically had no income to contribute to the calculations. Even if you did have some income they still assume you would use 30% of your income + what they give you to end up with the same amount of money for food.
How does what people get in food benefits have anything to do with your blog about eating well? Unless you are advocating for people to use their SNAP benefits smarter I really don’t see the purpose of you including that little snippet. It seems as though you are feel annoyed about the fact that people receiving assistance have a larger food budget than you do. It might be good for you to keep in mind the fact that these families don’t have the disposable income that yours most likely does.
Sally is correct. In order to qualify for that high amount in food stamps, your family income would have to be practically nothing. We were in that situation when my husband was out of work – and while I will be forever grateful that I was able to feed my family – the stress of not knowing how anything else (electric, gas for the car, etc) would be paid was unbelievable! We are still on a tight budget & trying to eat as much real food as possible makes it even more challenging – as you are learning.
As I mentioned in my response to Sally I was basing this estimation on the amount you would get if you basically had no income. Although, even if you did have some income the assistance program still assumes you would use 30% of your income + what they give you to end up spending the same amount of money on food (even if that is not what you chose to do with your portion of the income). And I couldn’t agree more that it would be an extremely stressful situation especially when it comes to other bills. My husband and I have each been laid off throughout our careers as well and it is always a scary thing!
I just saw the Earth Fare apples coupon and thought of sending it to you (thanks to couponqueeny.com e-mail)…but I see you already got it:) However, I noticed that you bought Organic Valley heavy cream and wanted to recommend their website coupons to you….they have a $1.00 off coupon on the heavy cream, and several other coupons you may be interested in for future purchases: http://www.organicvalley.coop/coupons/
Basically, I am signed up for coupons/e-newsletters to all the brands I normally purchase anyway…Organic Valley, Stonyfield, Organic Girl, Earthbound Farm Organic, etc….I’ve gotten some great deals including free product coupons:) I used to never use coupons, and now I don’t shop without them. Why pay more when you don’t have to right?
I could definitely be better about using other coupons…thank you for the reminder!!
I first off want to say that I have been following your blog and really enjoy it. Second, I wanted to mention another idea to do with your girls with the halloween candy. I am doing this for the first time with my 3 year old daughter this year. I do not like her to have any food dyes at all so we are sending all her candy with dyes to the soldiers over seas. Here is just one link of where you can send it http://soldiersangels.org/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&cntnt01articleid=188&cntnt01returnid=15 I have been talking to her for about a month now about this and telling her what the soldiers do for us and that this would make there day a little brighter. Just an idea and you can keep those coins in your bank and give an example of being charitable to your girls.
LOVE this idea!
Thank you for the comment! We still bought the candy from our girls, but we are going to send everything they gave us to the troops as well. Thank you so much for the idea!
Although the thought of sending treats to the soldiers overseas is nice, I find the idea of “dumping” your unwanted candy because it is so unhealthy onto our troops is completely offensive. I’m the wife of a soldier who has spent over two years of his life in Afghanistan and will be spending one more in the upcoming months. These soldiers eat terrible food during their training and while overseas – it’s FULL of preservatives, dyes, sugars – basically everything that this blog and most of its readership advocate against. Unfortunately, they don’t have a choice and have to eat what is given to them – so I find it unfortunate and infuriating that you would advocate adding more crap to their diet so that it’s not added to yours. That’s not exactly showing appreciation.
KC – Sounds to me like you should direct your anger toward the people that actually started and run the program not people who occasionally participate (like me).
Tread lightly for we do not walk in her shoes. Must admit I thought the same thing. Maybe the delivery would not have been so harsh, but I did wonder why anyone would want to give these poisons to another human being. I always look at it this way…when I buy meat I pay for the fat, bone and whatever else I don’t eat. In the trash it goes. In the same way, I don’t have a problem tossing the poisons in that same trash. I don’t push my lifestyle or beliefs on others, but no more than I would provide arsenic to others to eat, will I provide these poisons disguised as food.
Thanks to you and your readers for the coupons! I don’t regularly shop Earthfare, but since I have all these great coupons (apples, $5 off and Organic Valley) I’m going this week. I hope they give you some kick backs for referring your readers!
Re: the food stamp budget. That money covers not just food but must also cover other items you need that can be purchased at the grocery store – formula for babies not nursing and depending on the state, paper towels, shampoo, toilet paper, cleaning supplies, etc. so your weekly amount is comparable for food only purchases.
I work in a grocery store, a “healthy” one, and I have experience with customers using food stamps. As you stated baby formula is covered, but nothing else that you said is. It is for food, not paper goods or cleaning supplies. This program is abused enough, I see it everyday, so I’m glad other items aren’t covered in N.C.
You are right about what is covered…here is the link with the detail http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/faqs.htm#10
Bonnie,
You will likely never read this but anyways, I used to work at a grocery store too and encountered many people using food stamps. I was a teenager at the time. I used to have judgements too, but I have grown and realized that the few can not and should not describe the whole. My aunt and uncle were hit by a drunk driver and receive food stamps now. They almost lost their business upon being in the hospital.
They are on permanent disability and will receive food stamps for a long time. I know for sure they are probably not using their EBT for veggies and fruits. At least not many as my aunt is now brain damaged and forgets to check food and has caught many things on fire.
I think there is an assumption of food stamps=mothers with children who don’t want to work and want to party. Hopefully not everyone is that ignorant.Are food stamps abused? Yes. But it’s only 10% IF THAT. Please, try to think outside of the small percentage you have seen and have faith in those who are out there who use the system rightly and are in situations where food stamps are needed.
Cheryl – I do believe SNAP covers formula since that is considered to be “food” for the babies, but it does not cover any of the other items you mentioned like paper towels, shampoo, cleaning supplies, etc. Check out this link for more detail: http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/faqs.htm#10
Actually, Cheryl is right. I live in NC and I get SNAP. When you go to check out, there is a small section at the top where you can select which type of SNAP you have “food” or “food + cash”. The cash is an alloted amount of money to spend on household items like she mentioned.
My husband recently lost his job. He was lucky enough to find another one immediately, but it makes significantly less. If he turned it down we would have lost his unemployment benefits, but if he didn’t (he didn’t) he only made minimum wage. That’s a bit of a slap in the face when you go from the income that we did to what he makes now. Luckily, I’m amazing with budgets, and we survive just fine. But, it wouldn’t happen without the help of SNAP.
I have to admit, I get offended when people say “must be nice”, because they assume we’re all lazy and take advantage of it. I know you didn’t mean it like that, but fyi -it’s almost always offensive. I understand the point of you mentioning SNAP -to show that even poor people can eat healthy. And that’s true. I make our $550+ (family of 3) last and last, what I don’t use rolls over. Add my extreme couponing to that, and we end up with A LOT of money on that card and our belly’s full every night. But no matter how smart I am with the money, I get the same looks, the same comments, and the same shame when I leave.
Not trying to be rude, but just wanted to give you some insight. You said you’d expierenced lay offs, but you didn’t mention it getting to “that” point. Hopefully it never does, because then you’ll understand how “must be nice” can be so insulting. Intended or not.
Thanks for the advice on the blog, I enjoy reading it and will be back for me great info.
I agree…I cringed when I read “must be nice.” There’s no way you can understand what it’s like to live on food stamps unless you’ve done it. Difficult, depressing, but never “nice.”
Leslie – I am sorry if offense was taken…it was a statement made based on the difference in budget only.
I’ve had to do it a couple of times when out of work. It WAS nice not to have to worry about that single aspect of making ends meet. And while I might have gotten some looks, I don’t think it was that many–or maybe I just wasn’t paying attention. The program is designed to be a temporary hand up for those in need. I’ve paid my taxes in years of plenty, and felt no shame in “recouping” some by taking advantage of the help available when times were very difficult. But then I wasn’t buying lobster… though i’ll admit I bought chocolate from time to time. :)
You might also find inspiration from this blogger: http://www.foodrenegade.com/eating-real-food-on-a-budget/
I just subscribed…thanks for sharing!
My kids pick one piece of candy each for two nights. Then, we use the rest of the wrapped candy to glue on paper plates for decoration. This “artwork” hangs around the house for a couple of days and then gets tossed. No one’s ever complained! They love it.
This is just a perfect example of how kids can absolutely survive without eating the junk. I often feel our society thinks every child will have a major meltdown if you don’t give them candy!
I am just now hearing of your story and love what you are trying to do. I have been reevaluating my families eating as well. I’ve made lots of changes, but it feels like there is so much to learn! I wanted to second the commenter above who suggested coupons. I have found coupons for organic valley products, horizon organics, and seventh generation. In fact, that same heavy cream you bought at EF above I got last week with a coupon for something like $1 or less. It’s well worth the time to look for coupons! I try to feed my family of 3 as much real food and as organically as possible on $75/ wk. It can be a challenge! Keep up the good work!
Thanks so much for your comment and you are right…I need to try harder with coupons! I hate to hear that I paid so much more for the cream!
I’m glad to see that other readers have commented on the reality of living on SNAP. Flip comments about how “nice” it must be to get this kind of government assistance are all too common and ignore the real suffering of people living in poverty. I’m also glad to see that you were able to “hear” your readers on this topic and change your tune a bit to recognize how stressful it would be to find yourself in such a situation.
Thank you for your comment. And I am sorry if anything I said was misconstrued…what I meant by being “nice” was simply having more money to spend (since I feel like things are super tight on this budget of ours). I by no means think it would be “nice” to be in such poverty that we would have to rely on the government to buy our food.
I would like to recommend a book that is available in the local libraries: Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. The gist of it is, bread dough is made, kept covered in the refrigerator, and a small amount is used to make a fresh loaf every day. I’ve tried it, its super easy once it becomes your routine, you dont need a bread machine or any special equipment. Same idea as frozen or refrigerated bread dough, but costs pennies.
I have been toying with the idea of making my own bread…thanks for the suggestion!
I found your blog Tuesday and have been reading it non-stop! LOL Thank you for opening my eyes in such a straight-forward, non-‘preachy’ way. Regarding the coupons for Organic Valley, etc. I save my coupons to stock up when I’m going to Harris Teeter during their Triple or Super Double coupons weeks. Often the cream, cream cheese, etc are free or very, very cheap!
Thanks for your comment and welcome! And I am so envious that you are getting Organic Valley stuff for free…I really need to try harder with coupons!
BION I’m ipmrseeds! Cool post!
What about those of us who live off $125 worth of groceries for 2 weeks? We are a family of 5 who can’t afford to buy groceries every week. I spend about $130 every paycheck, which sometimes that means we have to stretch it over 3 weeks. $13 at an organic shop is ludicrous for us. We have never bought soda pop, chips, processed cereal bars, and we limit our milk and eggs. We do buy our beef in bulk from a local farmer, so we have plenty of meat.
Hi there, I know it’s July but I just happened to stumble across your family’s journey today. I was wondering if any of the dentist’s offices in your area offer Halloween candy buy back programs. I’ve seen some in Vegas that let you bring your candy in the next business day and they will weight it and give you a few dollars or a prize. I thought that was a great idea plus it would be someone else’s money going to the girls instead of yours :)
Yes, I did see that last year, but I had already shipped ours to the troops overseas (which actually cost a fortune)!
If “buying” candy from your children gets expensive take your child out before Halloween and let them choose a gift within a reasonable budget then trade the left over candy for the gift after trick or treating on Halloween night. I also let my kids keep any non candy item they get while trick or treating like bracelets and pencils. I noticed this past year that my son when given the chance to choose would pick these items rather than the candy b/c he has learned they are keepers plus the 10 pieces he chooses plus the toy he picked out!
I know my comment is almost a year later, but I just found your blog (loving it!) and had to share my friend’s answer to the halloween loot her boys would get. She told her boys that if they left their candy on the table The Great Pumpkin (just like in the Charlie Brown cartoon) would bring them a toy (and take their candy in exchange). It worked for years!
Very good site! Thank you for your job.
I have been reading around your blog for the past few days, and I will say I am intrigued!
However, I find your statement, “must be nice,” regarding the food stamps completely insensitive. It is not nice to make so little money that you qualify for full SNAP benefits. In fact, I am pretty sure it sucks.
I am fairly sure you didn’t mean for it to come across that way, but the phrase “must be nice” carries a certain tone with it, and I just found that unsettling. There is NOTHING nice about being on food stamps and it is ridiculous to imply otherwise.
Read this reply, I think it will help clarify. I find nothing insensitive about it.
100 Days of Real Food
November 13, 2010 at 4:38 pm · Reply
Thank you for your comment. And I am sorry if anything I said was misconstrued…what I meant by being “nice†was simply having more money to spend (since I feel like things are super tight on this budget of ours). I by no means think it would be “nice†to be in such poverty that we would have to rely on the government to buy our food.
For my family, which includes myself, my daughter and my mother (disabled but not yet on disability) Our weekly food budget is $60. I make $57 too much to get food stamps. When i was out of work we got $565 a month in stamps. That is a whole $325 more that i can spend now. It was pretty shocking to have my food budget change that much. I am grateful that i have a job in this economy but we used to eat much differently before.
In the past year i have learned to shop better and cook differently. We buy our fruits and veggies from the farmers market every Sunday. I make our bread using a gifted bread machine. And i can make a 5lb roaster chicken last 3 dinners and 2 lunches. All while sticking, as much as possible, to our ban on processed crap.
Monday we had a whole roasted chicken with homemade stuffing from homemade bread with fresh mushrooms and Zucchini.
Tuesday i picked of most all of the remaining meat. Cooked up some fresh green bean. Added tomatoes and the chicken and half a jar of Ragu. and served it all over rice.
Wednesday I set up a chicken stock in the crock pot and when i got home took 45 minutes to make an awesome creamy chicken noodle soup. I used fresh veggies, frozen peas and corn, milk, flower and egg noodles.
Yes there is some violation but honestly i think i do pretty darn good on $60 a week for 3 people.
Now that i have lived both on and off foodstamps i find it appalling how much our government gives for food. They eat better than i do and do nothing for it. Though better is subjective in the sense that i see many of those on food stamps full their carts with chips and soda and shop at 711.
I love this site by the way!
**more than i can spend now
(I’m not saying any of this in a negative tone at all, just informing)You should probably just refrain for comparing your budget to a food stamp budget all together. I personally feel like your blog message was saying, “even a person on food stamp could afford a health food storeâ€. In Missouri and Kansas you would not be able to use food stamps at Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods, not all grocery stores accept them. I have not found any information to disprove my statement.
Our health food store (Earth Fare) does accept food stamps. And some farmers’ markets are even starting to accept them as well.
As does the Kansas City Market (Farmer’s Market), which can be reached by bus as far south as Olathe & Gardner, KS, and pretty much anywhere on the MO side. My family of 4 has a weekly food budget of $20, so I shop at the Farmer’s Market and at Aldi Food stores. My hours were cut at work, but I still make too much to qualify for any aid. I don’t drive my car anymore to work and take the bus, and I work opposite hours from my husband so that we don’t have to pay for daycare. We can barely pay all of the bills just to keep a roof over our heads (not a mansion… A roof), and we don’t have money to blow. We follow Dave Ramsey’s principles and do everything on a cash basis. At the end of each month if there is any money left over, I buy staples for the kitchen. I shop the Farmer’s Market at the end of the day, so I get the best deals. I do my best to feed my family unprocessed food, but there is only so much I can do. I think I do a pretty good job. Thanks for your blog! I am implementing your tools as I can, and someday when I am able to feed my family on a regular budget, I will be excited to implement more of the tools! Thank you so much for your hard work, and you have been a blessing to my family!
leah it sounds like you are doing all the right things! i know too how hard it is to be stuck in a place where you make too little to get by but too much to qualify for anything! ugh!
This is true. Our farmer’s market accepts food stamps, in addition to the ‘whole’ food stores (not the chain, but local version).
Negative or not, it really comes off the wrong way to compare your budget to food stamps… very very few families actually qualify for full amount of benefits. Its just wrong to compare when you are not in that situation. For example… for my family 9.. $650… a MONTH.
Whole Foods does accept food stamps. I buy our grassfed beef, organic soy sauce, and pastured chicken from there. It is a small drive for us though so I buy our organic veggies from a closer store.
I would like to say that all people with food stamps do not eat crap. I feed our family of five for 350.00 a month on food stamps. We are on a one income budget but do the best we can with the resources we have. Grass fed beef, pastured chickens, organc produce, raw cheeses, and whole milk from grassfed cows make up 95% of our grocery budget.
** organic
Dear Amber,
Please keep talking to your local Traders J’s and Whole Fds. In Illinois they did not take the link card awhile back, but they all do now, cause alot of people kept bugging them. Write to corporate!
GiGi
Whole Foods accepts Food Stamps. They have a sign posted at the entrance of the store.
Actually Amber. I am in missouri and you can use foodstamps at both Trader Joes and Whole foods.
I tried to start going to the farmer’s market to shop but found the prices for veggies to be so expensive!
are yall going there to eat more unprocessed or to save money
do you have any tips on that?
I am graduating from college and I eat very healthy but always have room to eat cleaner
but I would like to stick on a $50 per week budget
I do have a costco membership and try to buy most of my veggies & fruit from there to last me the week
great blog! literally obsessed with your kitchen essentials and resource pages!!
you have such a beautiful family!!
When my children were young after trick-or-treating we would take them to the local food co-op and have them weigh their candy on the scale; they would then pick out the same weight in healthy snacks and treats and trade up. For us it was an opportunity for them to make healthy choices based on their preferences and highlighted that there are exiting foods available that don’t have all the junk in. They still got all the joys of trick-or-treating and eating fun snacks.
JUst to put my 2 cents in. If you are a ft student and work at least 20 hours a week and are single you qualify for about 150.00 if youare in grad school its 200.00. This is how I survived college. I bought real food more than convience foods ( although i did a fair share of that too) because it was usually very pershable and hence was marked down as it “aged”.
Perhaps… everyone should just forget about food stamps. She’s just trying to say that it CAN be done and limit the excuses. Amen. Thanks for your super-helpful and encouraging blog!!!
Go to middle eastern markets to buy tahini! Usually less than 3 bucks! I buy all my spices, chickpeas, and lentils there as well. Much cheaper and better quality than the megamarts. And all those things last a long time, so you don’t have to go out of your way too often.
Many of the arabic markets will also have grass fed, halal or kosher lamb and goat at a good price. I love lamb!
I’ve heard that specialty stores (be it asian, middle eastern, hispanic or whatever) are often cheaper for similar/same products as more “traditional” stores. I wonder if it’s because they move more volume of such items than even the larger store that doesn’t specialize.
I’m wondering how in the world you figured that you qualify for $167/week in food stamps? When my husband lost his job and between my part-time and his unemployment we were making under $300/week we still didn’t get that much in food assistance.
We don’t qualify for aide again because he has another job…our food budget is under $100/week for our family of 4 if we want to pay the bills (and we don’t have anything non-essential). Definitely some good tips and I do love your blog, but spending 167/week is extremely unrealistic for many many people.
That figure is for families on FULL food stamp benefits (i.e. no other income/assistance at all): http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/applicant_recipients/eligibility.htm
When I was laid off and getting food stamps, I was getting $250 a month for a family of two. At that point in time, it wasn’t an option to go to the farmer’s market..but there were produce grocers in the area. However, I didn’t have the option or budget to buy many organic items and I could really only focus on foods that had a long shelf life…so there’s wasn’t much diversity in our diet when it came to veggies, and I had to buy a lot of frozen items ( which I could only buy on sale otherwise we ran out of food).
I honestly kind of resent those who say people on food stamps eat better than people who aren’t. After Gas, Rent, Bills, paying for cobra benefits & child care when I was searching for a job..I literally only had $50 left in my bank account and by the end of the month we were eating rice, beans, keilbasa sausage and whatever frozen or canned veggies we had in the cabinet, because $250 a month in food stamps wasn’t enough…and I honestly could not afford to even get a subscription for a sunday paper because that $6 a month could have either went towards gas or a food item ( and most coupons were for junk food anyway.)
The comparison was really just about the money aspect only…not about who eats better or worse. It was a simple price comparison only.
Oh, yes I know. Lol, I was referring to some of the comments that were left. :)
As for the Halloween overload of candy, we let our children eat nearly all they want (within reason) on that magical night and then I bag up the rest in snack size ziplocs for a “grab-n-go” treat to take to a movie or movie night at home, trip to the zoo, etc… The snack size bags only hold 5 or so pieces of candy and they like that they can enjoy it for longer than just Halloween night.
We have always stressed Halloween for the ‘FUN’ of it, rather than eat all the candy you want night. We allow the kids to trick or treat for about an hour, choose 3 pieces of candy to eat that night (Mom gets 3 too, for taking the kids out around the neighborhood :)Mom sets aside some for Christmas stockings to be stashed in the freezer and then we ‘recycle’ the extras back out to our candy give out bucket and the leftovers we use for craft projects, like a gingerbread house at Christmas!
I actually appreciate the comparison to Snap. No one should be ashamed of it or make social comparisons. I am a family of 3 and we only get 270 a month. I used to think it was impossible to shop and eat healthy on a low budget. My BF complains that eating healthy and organic is too expensive. This blog has really given me the confidence and knowledge to eat real and healthy. I am under 30 and my BF is under 35 and we both suffer from chronic diseases from a “short”lifetime of unhealthy processed food eating. My son is under 2 and I am determined to not have him go down the same path. My mom is also a cancer survivor. I am on a mission to eat healthy and lose weight. And to help my mom eat better. Thanks for showing people that even if you utilize govt aid you can still eat healthy. Yes we may have to supplement, but if we look at other aspects of our life that we don’t need we can def. make it work. Thanks.
thought i’d tell you we also get rid of halloween candy by putting it out on the front step for the Halloween Witch – she picks it up and leaves a toy :) might be more economical??
One thing to point out to everyone who is saying that this blog post shows that it is possible to eat healthy on a budget.
Yes, it does, but it shows that it is possible for the blogger in her circumstances.
For many people in America (with or without food stamps) many of those options for healthier food are not available. There are many people in America who don’t have access to farmer’s markets, organic food stores, etc. They only have access to grocery stores or convenience stores filled with prepackaged and/or highly processed food.
Even if they want to eat better the better food option is too expensive because of cost to get to it or for it to get to them.
I was layoff in june and I get 492/wk net in unemployement. I am a single parent of 2, I don’t get child support,either, and I don’t qualify for food stamps because I have $5000 in an emergency fund.I go to the Farmer’s market every week because that is the only place where I can afford to shop.I use coupons,but organic products are still very expensive when you have $40/wk for groceries.I do not buy junk food,however, at 5.99 for 8oz of all natural non nitrate ham, or kosher cheese is way too expensive. I buy organic milk,eggs,carrots,lettuce,celery(because I freeze it,we forgo the meat cause seriously who are we kidding 7 to 10 bucks for a chicken!!! This is just a comment,I love your blog,even though I cannot afford half the food displayed on it..:)
Hi. I know this post is old and I shouldn’t even be reading it, but I to speak. Early this year, our family moved 1500 miles for my husband to work for a doctor (he’s a chiropractor and had been in private practice for 12 years.) 6 weeks after we had spend $10,000 (our entire savings and then some) to move, the doctor fired my husband and left us in a brand new area with a ZERO income. There were no unemployment benefits because he hadn’t worked in this state long enough and none in our old state because he was self employed there. We were SUNK. We had to put our children on Medicaid and we depended on SNAP benefits for 3 months. At this time, we did have a nice healthy amount to spend on groceries, but we were fading fast in every other area financially. We prayed every month for a way to make our car payment (we only have one car) and rent. My husband worked as a ‘fill in doctor’ and an independent contractor during this time. I had been a stay at home mom for TEN years and found it difficult to find work. During this time, we did not eat healthy in any way even though we had the money with SNAP benefits. Why? Because were were shamed by the assistance and became selective of where we would shop. Our farmers market would take the card, but we knew we would not always be in this situation and didn’t want them to know us by that card. It was a very hard time. My husband was without a steady employment income for EIGHT months. We only qualified for those benefits for THREE of those months. It is not easy to qualify when you are honest with the system. It’s a horrible situation for people to be in. It’s humiliating and degrading. My husband will start his new job in a week and we will be able to start making our lives over again. It will take a long time. Please don’t pass judgement on those getting assistance. They are humiliated and broken. Eating healthy is not something they are even able to think about at such a horrible time in their lives. When you wrote this post in 2010, I was living a life like yours. I was able to budget my groceries and buy basically what I wanted to buy. I never had a clue what kind of faith journey my family would make 2 years later. Please show love to all people and don’t pass judgement.
Caryn-You are so right. You never know what other people are going through. Glad to hear that things are getting better for you.
For those on EBT benefits, or really anyone. Use plain white vinegar and baking soda for cleaning your house and adding to laundry and save a ton. I remember my grandmother always did this, and when I started doing it a few years ago, I could not believe the amount of money I save. I order an organic laundry soap mix (less than $4 for a packet, that I mix with water, and it lasts me 5-6 months, Quail Cove Farms is the place I use). When doing laundry, I add 1/4 c white vinegar and 1/4 c plain baking soda and my laundry is very clean and fresh!
Love your blog! I know this is an old post but one of my favorite meals when I had to feed 8 adults on $100 a week was baked potato bar! We used to make broccoli, corn, cheese, chili etc. to go on top. We used to also buy day old bread but we had a bread factory nearby so it was easy. We only ate meat on weekends, but we probably ate way too much pasta! As far as food stamps, keep in mind that some people living on food stamps do not have kitchens. Some of my students are those buying stuff at 7-11 because they don’t have anyplace to cook, they live in rented rooms. Also, some of their parents work 2 or three jobs, many work at fast food restaurants so they are bringing home free food they get at work. Just a thought for some of the commenters to think about.
I just started reading this blog and came across this post when looking at beginner tips. I know this is an old post, but reading the comments really irks me. Yes, organic is very expensive. I am here for the ideas because converting to “real” food fully and spending some of these prices are just not feasible. I have a family of 3 and my food budget is $125/month. Yes, month. And every month, we get enough to eat without having to buy junk food simply because it’s cheaper. We make sacrifices and about 50% of my food budget goes to produce. My issue with the responses is people involving trouble paying for any other bills as a reason to not mention food stamps. I am not trying to be insensitive but you cannot use your food stamps for anything else, so even if you are struggling with car payments, rent, etc, it does not take away from your food budget. The point the author was making had nothing to do with other struggles in life. She was simply saying that while independently paying for her family’s food, she has less to spend than if the government provided it. You CAN make a comparison. She has $125/wk/4 people. Food stamps offer $167/wk/4 people. So yes, you can eat better on food stamps. And even if you live in an area without many of these locals she shops, every chain supermarket (and small market as far as I know) has a produce department and dairy department. Even the gas station carries nuts and a few overpriced pieces of fruit. That non-organic apple is a better option than Cheetohs and people saying they don’t have a healthier option than soda and chips are wrong. From what I’ve seen and heard, the real issue seems to be that the .99 cent bag of Cheetohs is bigger and tastier than a .99 orange. I have seen people buy 3 $0.99 2-liters of soda and say it’s because that’s so much more to drink than paying $3 for one gallon of milk and they can’t just make up the difference with water.
I would just like to add, I am in no way judging anyone for being on food stamps that need it or saying that everyone on food stamps makes poor nutritional choices. I understand money struggles and how it can feel when you’re counting your pennies in front of others. I have been on WIC and using those checks can make you feel just downright stupid in front of strangers. I am just trying to say that I totally understand what the author was saying. Any extra money in the food budget would be nice, right?! Eating totally unprocessed may not be financially reasonably, but there is a middle ground between that and junk.
I know this post is super old to be commenting on, I was just surprised no one mentioned candy seals with dentist offices. A lot of dentists, particularly pediatrics, trade bags of candy for small toys. Then, if you’re weak like me, you won’t end up eating the candy you should be tossing. Plus it’s free.
interesting article. I’m a lurker tho. I never really comment. so, like some other posters have said, I, too, was a bit uncomfortable by the “must be nice” statement. reading thru the comments I see what you were intending. Wish you hadn’t compared tho. Such a sensitive topic.
We’re on food stamps currently. we have an extremely low income. thank god Mike is starting a new full time job next week. and we receive quite a substantial amount of food money actually. so much, in fact, we wish it were our income!
we feel like we can never buy enough food to spend it all. I think it’s ridiculous actually, the amount of food money we get. I know there are so many people out there who can use it, too. and we receive no cash money, which is where we’re struggling the most.
so, while we can buy whatever food we want, everything else is a monumental stretch. stretch to the breaking point. so we pick and choose which bills to pay monthly, and take the late fee on the rest. we’ve cut out so much. we never leave the house. well, I never leave. literally. I never leave. I get out once a month. grocery day. its so hard not seeing people, we just can’t afford to see anyone or go anywhere. ever.
Mike goes out for his work or quick errands. one car. no tv. no new anything. ever. I haven’t been home in 6 months. my mom lives an hour away. we can’t afford the gas. we bum rides from friends when we can for emergencies (again, gas is expensive). I wash my hair with baking soda now. started out as a financial thing, but I like it. we make our own laundry soap now, too. so much we’ve learned to do on our own because of our financial situation. its been SUCH a learning experience. I feel I’ve become so frugal!
while, yes, it’s very nice to always have food. the stress from our living conditions (in general) are extremely taxing. had my first break-down the other day.
I wish the economy or government (or whomever) would realize that what we need the most … is jobs. thank God Mike finally found one! Him going back to school was NOT a waste like we feared.
also, it’s interesting you wrote “must be nice” .. I just had a conversation about it with friends …about their pet peeves. and “must be nice” came up as the most annoying thing people say to others. anyway, that made me shake my head and side ways smirk.. I’m like “oh geeze…she said it.” lol
well, I know you mentioned the $$ comparison just to illustrate food budget only. I couldn’t help but expand (or repeat) on what other posters were saying. because the topic of food stamps is so much more complicated than simply having money for food. it means a person (or family) is lacking significantly in other things, sometimes to the point of surviving. which people without food stamps do, too. every one has a struggle of some sort. one struggle is not less significant than another. which I’m sure you realize. and had no intention of meaning.
wow, this was long! once we’re off food stamps I’ll have to relearn how to shop for food. I’m so excited to close this chapter of our lives.
anyway! I still enjoy your blog.
Our local Whole Foods does take food stamps the fresh market does NOT – there is no Trader Joes in our area- I shop at the local food lion out here they do have good produce – i also like the farmers market – I got a garden started – :-) tomatoes lettuce squash cucumbers for my hubby and various peppers including banana and large head sunflowers =) also our food lion sells the speckled bananas for almost 30 cents a pound cheaper than the ones that are fresh if it is going into smoothies and breads and pancakes who cares – my mom use the forgotten ones that were almost black and made pudding and pies out of them :-) I have a MONTHLY budget of $200 for food for 3 people and for the last week I have been without a fridge I have been coping with various dried beans crock pot – rice we have been eating salads allot caned tuna – we have a few eggs left – and Kale, noodles, zucchinis tomatoes – today We had ::: grits and butter w/ coffee
for lunch sliced tomato sandwiches on whole wheat bread with left over yogurt – and green tea – tonight cranberry beans w/ onions garlic and Greek spices will have a salad with it –
I found your blog about a month ago and I’m slowly reading through old posts. One of our local dentists buys candy from the kids on the day after Halloween. He pays $1/lb. My boys go through and pick out on small baggie (snack size) that they want to keep and then the money is theirs to spend elsewhere. I have no clue what the dentist does with all the candy that she buys back!
I think a few of our local dentist/group(s) does some thing similar with unopened Halloween candy, but they to send to the troops over seas. So maybe that’s what your dentists does too.
ok I know old article, but reading some of the comments has me irked. yes I get it, I get more on SNAP than the author of the article has budgeted for food. well I would if you don’t count my two older kids whom I have joint custody of and cannot get them put on my food stamp case because they are on their dad’s, but anywho. first, remember $167 a week is still a little over $5 a day, and still challenge. Second, most people who have SNAP, or in general really, have little idea what a healthy diet looks like, have little knowledge about cooking, and mostly think that being as busy as they are have no time to do it. and Third we all have our own personal financial hell this day and age. the comparison is a hard pill to swallow, when I think about the fact that I have to scrimp and save all year long just to buy some stuff that is sorely needed, I have been limping along the same 2 pair of jeans for almost a year now(an they are both over 6 years old) and I do not own a t shirt that is less than 6 years old, AND the thrift stores have not had a damn thing in my size…I think ever. so while yes I can splurge a tiny bit in the food department, I don’t have the luxury of buying other needed things when they are needed. (with the exception of TP, personal hygiene,laundry supplies, including money for the laundry mat, and things like baggies and foil)
Angel, you ever think about using Free Cycle in your area? I use it all the time. What about Buy/Sell/Trade/Barter??? I do it. I live on ZERO income. Try that. I’m 54 and have many health issues: Asthma, ADD, Panic/Anxiety/Depression. I worked full time up until 3 yrs. ago when I lost my job due to missing too much work because of Panic/Anxiety. You have to be creative in this world these days. You may be really good at one thing that someone else can’t do. I sew. So, I got the manager’s permission in my apartment building to hang signs in the laundry room that I would do mending for the neighbors at certain prices. I also play piano and sing. So I posted signs all over saying what I could do. Barter with people. You’ll take them shopping for $20. Or you’ll do their cleaning for (X) amount. This is what I do. Find a senior citizen that needs help. They grew up in the barter system. I did too. One neighbor helped another. It’s the way it should be. I also cook big meals on Friday nights for several families. Last week it was Tacos. We’ve had Chicken Parmesan, Chili Cornbread Bake, Roast with all the fixings, Pork Chops, etc.. I watch for the sales at all the stores and I use my grocery point cards to redeem specials. I don’t throw away leftovers. I freeze them. I freeze chicken stock and beef stock for other stuff. If you can’t think of ideas, there are tons of pages on the net to help you. Area churches around here do Community Cares Programs. They help with getting things done that I can’t do or afford. Check your area for stuff like this. Other ideas. I do my laundry in the bathtub. Two buckets, scrub board. Went to the dollar store and got clothesline and pins and hooks and I have 17 feet of clothesline in my living room. If you can walk places, Walk. Don’t drive if you don’t have too. Make your own laundry soap, dish soap, cleaners, bug spray, etc. Lots of online recipes. It really helps. Recycle everything. I make gifts out of tin cans, cereal boxes have been made into pinata’s, or puzzles for my grandkids. Hope some of these ideas help you.
Carol, I appreciate the tips! however I do, do most of these already! I understand the above article came off as whiney, and it was not meant to. I was really trying to point out many people when they first are put into a poverty situation, do not know how to cope with the situation, everywhere from the food area, to the personal hygiene, and household. it takes some time to learn the skills involved to live on little to nothing. our local freecycle, unfortunately had turned into a wish list board, but craigslist does pretty good. my clothing situation is just one of those areas I keep putting off because I am that person who always puts others before myself. we get by though. again thanks for the tips, I hope it helps someone who really needs it!
Hi Angel, I didn’t see you as whiney. I just thought you needed some suggestions. Only trying to share what I know that works. Life is tough and if we can share what works for us, maybe it can help someone else. I’m like you, I’m a giver. It’s hard to be a receiver after always giving. Wish I knew what size of clothes you needed, I’d send some to you. I have a huge box of Women’s Plus Size clothing. 1x, 2x. Pants, Tops, Skirts, it’s all there. The person who was going to take it decided she didn’t need plus sizes anymore. So I still have the box ready for the next person. Take care.
Here in Michigan and in Ohio most Farmers Market have a double up food program. You can use you food stamp card to redeem for “coins” good at the market. July through October they double they amount. If you redeem 40$ you get 80$ and so on. This is a GREAT advantage for getting fresh stuff~
Not here in WI. You can only qualify for Farmer’s Market Certificates if you are a Senior Citizen and you are Disabled. They don’t take the Quest Card here.
I don’t know what part of the USA you all live in, but I am at the top of the scale for Quest (snap or whatever you call it) and all I receive is $200 per month. I live on zero income. Medical issues not recognized by the government to receive my disability.
First of all, a disclaimer- I love the site, its so important to have this information out there for folks. But I think the discrepancy is truly understanding how the SNAP/food stamp program works. Just because you’re a family of 4 doesn’t mean you automatically get the $167/week. You have to factor in the family’s “Expected Contributions” which is a calculation done based on income and assets. The benefits are rarely the full $167. And in addition to the dollars and cents problem, there’s also the issue of not having all of the things you need to make the meals that you would make with the healthy things you purchased and having the time as well. Another thing, a site like this is amazing and really helpful for a mom like me who has constant internet access and the free time to look things like this up. We need a fundamental shift in the way food is made/accessed/and distributed. What’s devastating is that if you are even $1 over the line of the 130% cut off, you get no assistance. Yes, you can buy healthy foods on a tight budget but another, very difficult issue facing millions of Americans is living in food deserts. There are millions that live in communities where there is ABSOLUTELY NO access to fresh food. I think that its easy to jump to conclusions with dollar figures that aren’t tied to reality but its different in the real world. There are more factors involved than just a spreadsheet and assuming that people just aren’t trying hard enough to have access to good foods. A great film was made not too long ago called “A Place at the Table” that addresses this very issue and is definitely worth checking out if you’re interested in the food and health access issue.
Like Sarah said… Benefits are based on your income and expenses. Even though we only have one income, we are a family of five and DO NOT qualify for SNAP benefits here in Kentucky. Grocery shopping is a constant worry/stress for our family, but we make it work.
What Sarah said is right on. Not to mention that people who are on food stamps don’t have the time to go to multiple stores to get food cheaply. Just thought the snark was pretty unnecessary. You’re not better because you can make these choices you’re just in the position to make those choices.
Thank you for pointing that out Sarah. SNAP is based on your income so it does not mean that you will necessarily get the maximum for your family size. Trust me, people who are on SNAP have many bills to pay and many times the benefit amount is not enough to feed your family. If you can spend $20 a week eating out, you are doing better than most families who receive welfare.
I’m glad that benefits are based on income. I was pretty surprised to hear that someone on food stamps could get more assistance than the budget we have to keep. Our family of 5 tries to make healthy choices and eat well on a budget of $150 a month and it is not easy. We have medical challenges that require organic, healthy foods and it is not easy. However we do not NEED to shop at multiple stores either. I sincerely hope that the majority of those on food stamps choose to make healthy choices with their food, but sadly that has not been my visual experience. I see way too many times the cashier asking if I have coupons for the food I am buying which are typically non existent….healthy food rarely gets coupons and fresh food cannot be “stocked up” when there is a sale….while the person ahead of me is paying with food stamps to get white bread, little debbies, chips, etc. I hope that this experiment allows people to NOT have an excuse of making healthier choices because it “costs more”. It DOES cost more to eat healthy BUT that doesn’t mean that you can’t do it on a budget. Kudos to your budget experiment!
We were recently approved for just $55 a month in SNAP benefits for my family of three. Any Advice for making the most of it? I care a lot about what goes into my four year old’s body. Financially, with my husbands recent job-loss and my part time job as a waitress I am having trouble envisioning my kid eating what he should.
Hi Mel. Were you posting this question to the blog or to the reader above? LMK. ~Amy
I”m reading through this, so I haven’t read to the end. But I hope you’ve printed a retraction or correction of your error about SNAP.
I can’t help thinking (given how much cheaper food is in the US than here in the UK) that this really isn’t a particularly tight budget. I’m currently feeding 6 of us on £40 a week, and sticking to real food. We just don’t EVER have meat or fish.
Count your blessings.
i believe the 167 she is talking about is the amount the snap programs claims it costs to feed a family of four a week. the amount given can vary based on income and other factors but that would be the max allowed for that family size (167*4=668 a month). most don’t receive that amount most i have seen (working in grocery and talking to people) is between 150-400 a month for a family of 4-5 people. it is a designed as a supplement but for many unfortunately is the only food budget they have.
I’m very disappointed in this post. The jab at people on food stamps is totally unnecessary. If you’ve got such a problem with it, maybe you should itemize out your monthly income for the world to see so we can determine if you have the right to judge people on food stamps. A lot of families on food stamps are about to get their benefits cut even MORE, and most of those on food stamps don’t have the luxury of being a stay at home parent and running something like a blog. I literally JUST joined this website and now I’m reconsidering having anything to do with it with that kind of attitude (I don’t NEED anything from this website, since I already eat healthy and whole foods as it is – as does my family, but I thought it would be nice to see others ideas).
I saw the amount of food stamps you would get…..I obviously need to move. We receive 214.00 A MONTH!!! That is for four of us. Obama is cutting that this next month….yay. Most of our veggies are canned, some are frozen. I kept a garden this year so the bounty from that was amazing! Still have a few butternut squash left. Next spring we will try to build a chicken coop and we can buy laying hens for cheap, locally. I will also be expanding the garden. I save all seeds from ALL organic produce I buy, which isn’t that much. We are very poor. My husband is on disability at just under 1300 a month and I was disabled in a car accident but cannot receive disability as I did not “work” enough. I have been a stay at home mom forEVER! Life is tough but I appreciate the ideas here and a lot of the meal plans are doable with some modifications. I am not a know it all…..FOR SURE!! I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Thanks for your blog :) We shall be OVERCOMERS of our circumstances and do the best we can for these kiddos!!
$55 a month for three people. You would think that both of us have jobs, or at least one decent job. Nope, husband recently unemployed and I work part time waiting tables. Apart from keeping a garden, what advice do you have for making it work? I don’t want $1 boxes of “fruit flavored” rings. Or bread made with HFCS.
Hi Mel. This post has a few tips to help in your planning: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/09/30/real-food-tips-12-ways-to-keep-it-cheap/. And here is some other information which might help: http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=511, http://www.eatingwell.com/blogs/food_news_blog/best_healthy_foods_to_buy_on_a_tight_budget, and http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-11074/6-ways-to-eat-healthy-on-a-tight-budget.html. ~Amy
I agree with Jessie. I was looking to do the challenge but am now reconsidering, as well as will stop recommending this site. Lisa, leave your self righteous judgement off your posts. Great you are working on a budget, but I don’t know too many families that don’t have to as well. And until you have taken assistance yourself, cut the comments of “must be nice” to receive food assistance. There is nothing nice about it, it doesn’t make you feel good or wholesome, and from my experience you want off it before you even have to take it.
Hm… I didn’t see the writer’s info on food stamps as self righteous or demeaning to anyone. I personally think some of the commenters are taking offense because of their own personal embarrassment for needing assistance. There was nothing offensive at all. My family has received food stamp assistance and I found nothing offensive on this blog nor do I feel any embarrassment. I will continue to refer this page.
Everyone is entitled to his or her opinion based on what they see or feel. I too have been in the store check out line watching people with food stamps buying heavily processed, unhealthy foods and then with their cash buying alcohol and cigarettes, rather disappointing to watch. I’ve known people who have gotten a large sum in food stamps every month and sell half of them to someone else for cash. It is sad that some people have given food stamps/assistance a bad name. I think that when the Welfare system was founded it had good intentions, sadly it has been taken advantage of. If you’ve ever seen the movie Cinderella Man, this is a wonderful example of what the welfare system was meant to do. He is forced to accept assistance during the depression, BUT, when he is able to change things around and make money, one of the first things he does is pay back the money that he “borrowed” from the government. How incredible would it be if that were to happen today. My husband is a police officer and has, in the past, participated in Shop with a Cop. He was amazed at what the kids not only asked for, but what they already had! Such as high dollar video games,(because they already had the systems) etc. It certainly makes one question giving to certain organizations for fear the money will not be appreciated or put to good use. We frequently give to missions overseas, because these people want to work and provide for their families, but a lot of times have no means to do so what so ever. This is not to say that there are not truly “poor” Americans, however, I believe that this would be a better country if we worked as hard in these times to provide for our families as they did when this country was founded. Even though I despise McDonald’s (for their food) if that was the only place I could get a job to provide for my family then that is what I would do. Having to be on assistance is not the issue, the issue (to my thinking) is, if you are able to find work and get off of assistance, is that what you are doing? Or do you continue to use the government as a meal ticket, because you’re holding our for a management position?
We have a weekly food budget of only $75 a week. I just recently started trying to look for natural and organic meats, it is hard!! This is the budget we have though, as a family of four with two small kids, (4 and 1) we don’t get any benefits, but we don’t have a lot left over after school loans and housing/car cost!! We didn’t have that big of a problem staying in the budget until we tried to go organic!! Not to mention the little amount available, as the closest stores (Without traveling 50 miles), are Walmart and Meijer! We’re making the most of it though, as we teach our kids about real food.
Hi Hill,
We also shop at Meijer. I usually buy organic items off the “dirty dozen list” and conventional or frozen for other produce. They do have decently priced organic store brands that also go on sale. One big money saver for us with little ones is to buy organic whole milk and apple juice and cut it with water. I saw the idea on Anderson Cooper and it works great. It tastes like low fat milk and the apple juice has less sugar that way. Hope that helps. :)
wow…where do you live? It is $242 a month here for 1 adult and 2 kids with no income at all. If you get an income…they start taking away the stamps.
Hello. We are in Charlotte North Carolina. :) ~Amy
I looked up North Carolina here: http://www.fns.usda.gov/pd/18SNAPavg$PP.htm
I don’t see your weekly number. I see this as a MONTHLY number:
SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM: AVERAGE MONTHLY BENEFIT PER PERSON 2013: $121.85
Assuming for weeks in a month and divided by 4 people that’s obviously 121.85 a month, not the $167/week you cite.
Do you have the links and can you show the math as to how you calculated your number?
Thanks.
Kristi – The number can be found through the SNAP link I share above in the post. It clearly states (under the section entitled “Benefits” How Much Could I Receive?) that a family of 4 can get a maximum allotment of $668/month and when divided by 4 (weeks in a month) that equals $167/week as stated.
Kristi, the amount you shared is per person. So, even your number would be approximately $121 per week for a household with 4 people. Also, the number you mention is the “average” amount and the number Lisa used is the “maximum” amount.
We are growers at our local farmers market. It is fortunate for us and for SNAP consumers that our market is one of the farmers markets that accepts SNAP. I did not take the authors comments about SNAP as trying to insult the consumers who utilize SNAP. I took it as she was trying to inspire parents who’s budget is so limited that they are having to utlilize the SNAP program, that this quality of diet is achievable. About 90% of our weekly customers that pay with SNAP are seriously consciencious about shopping our table for best value and looking around the market at all the vendors tables to get the best price on the produce varieties that are abundant that week.
I see “those” consumers at the grocery store once in a while. The ones swiping the SNAP card for a cart full of soda pop, chips, chicken nuggets and frozen pizza with nary a piece of fruit or an item of food in it’s original form to be seen. I think they are a much lower percentage of the whole than the average person perceives though.
Being at the table all day seeing the crowd as a whole, families using SNAP have baskets with a lot less “splurge” items in them than the families using cash. It has really changed my attitude about how our tax dollars are being utilized by our friends who need the help. What really breaks my heart is a young mother or father is painfully embarrassed to pull out SNAP tokens to pay for their purchase after we have watched them calculate the value of what is available and had them ask questions about how to prepare an especially inexpensive item they are unfamiliar with so that they can stretch their dollars as far as they will go.
No one should be embarrassed to use an aid program in the spirit it was intended. That money is there to make sure the children and the elderly do not do without proper sustenance.
Saying the words food stamps does not make you a bad person, and it should not be a subject that is off limits for discussion. Perhaps if it wasn’t perceived as an insult to say it out loud, then the families using them wouldn’t feel the need to display shame while they are making wise decisions, and the families who aren’t making such wise decisions might be exposed to options they were unaware of.
Even in the small percentage of families using the SNAP to purchase carts full of junk food, I’m sure most of them have just not been exposed to the experience of how much difference real food makes in a Childs life a well-being, and that it doesn’t have to be time consuming and expensive. Not many are just shoving it in everyones face even though they know better.
Obviously being a single parent, or having two low paying jobs if your household is a two parent household goes hand in hand with needing the assistance. When your family is in one of these two categories, you’ve got a lot on your plate and your day is usually full without adding luxuries like rethinking the way you were fed as a kid. (Most of us who are currently parents were raised in the 80’s and early 90’s when processed easy food was what was socially accepted as the best choice so a family could get Mom in and out of the kitchen quickly after a long days work and into the living room or backyard for good “quality” time with the children she hadn’t seen all day. Our Moms were making the best choice for us with the information available at the time, just as we with more knowledge on the value of foods are changing our choices to do the best for our children with the information we have.)
So don’t jump all over Miss Lisa who is putting the work into this because she referenced Food Stamps. It shouldn’t be a dirty word that can’t be said out loud, and programs like what she is putting together are the kind of things that BUSY, HARDWORKING, DAY FULL OF EVERYTHING BUT THEMSELVES people need to be able to make changes. I am fortunate enough to be in a position not to need food stamps, but I do work full time in addition to working at the farm in the mornings and evenings and marketing on the weekends. We are raising two children in the midst of all this, and on a tight budget. It makes for a full day, everyday.
I’m glad that a woman who does have the luxury of staying at home to raise her children takes her job seriously and does it right, and that she is willing to put in the extra time and effort to share the experience with us. Mothers like her who allow mothers like me to cut out half the hurdles by learning from her hurdles make things like this do-able.
Hello Jennifer. I really appreciate the thought that went into your comments above! I never understand the inclination to criticize and attack someone’s circumstances nor someone else’s honest efforts to create something that might be helpful to others. Thank you for recognizing both. ~Amy
Wow…you’re so much nicer than us about the candy. We don’t do trick-or-treat here, but our kids do get bags of candy from parades and sometimes fall festivals, etc. We allow them 5 pieces right then and then we get rid of it. Like you, our kids almost never get candy, so 5 pieces is like a major treat for them. But, that’s what they’ve always been used to, so not very traumatic. That’s a cool idea to “buy back” the candy from them.
I found your blog because our family just recently decided to go completely real-foods only and I was looking for resources. So glad I found all the great info here!
We are fortunate in that we have always limited sugary treats. My older son didn’t have any sweets (except for fruit-sweetened ones that my pastor’s wife bought especially for him instead of giving him candy like the other kids) until he got birthday cake on his 2nd birthday. He has always LOVED fruit like some kids love candy. I have to limit the fruit because my boys (4 and 6) would literally eat an entire pound container of strawberries, a pint of blueberries, etc. in one sitting! They also love yogurt, as those things have been their “treats” for so long. Of course, it was sweetened yogurt they were eating at the time.
However, it seemed that over the past year or so we’d gotten more relaxed in our rules and I could definitely tell it by the amount of times they asked for a piece of candy or treat, etc. We knew we wanted to get back on track with healthier eating, and finally cut ties with some of our processed staples. We haven’t had a ton of them–no boxed mixes or anything like that, but still used chocolate chips, sugar, ketchup, spaghetti sauce, and a few other random things. Those processed ingredients are everywhere! So, for Lent, we are giving up processed foods and refined sugars completely. And then see what we want/are able to work back in, in moderation, after that. I suspect we’ll probably do something similar to you and allow treats at social events and maybe once a week at home otherwise.
We homeschool, so fortunately don’t have to deal with those things.
Um… it is absolute not nice. It is horrible. My husband is a soldier, an Iraq veteran. We have both worked since we were teenagers and we were not raises on assistance. Must be nice to be able to keep your income and your job. Must be nice to get paid reasonably for what you do and to be able to keep your retirement benefits. Must be nice not to have your retirement cut by a full 1 percent after giving everything to this country and leaving your baby and pregnant wife for a year to drive a convoy in Iraq. Must be nice.
We are a family of 8 with only one income. My husband works and I am a stay at home mom. We are a real food family on a tight budget as well. With 6 girls (4 of them in school) I am packing lots of snacks and lunches plus dinner to keep up with their growing appetites, our grocery bill can easily get out of hand. We receive 396.00 a month in food assistance. On top of that amount I budget in 400.00 a month. So that makes our weekly food budget about 190.00 a week with very little wiggle room ( this includes household needs as well as our food, I do not include any eating out we might do, which is only one a month if at all, a resturant or fast food bill with 6 kids would make you pass out! ). Now if I go to the store without my calculator ( a very rare luxury ) I easily spend 230.00 to 250.00. Very little goes to waste in our house. I sit down every Thursday night and plan out our week of food, dinners, favorite snakes, lunches and we have our regulars like yogurt, milk, fruits, veggies that are pretty much the same every week. I shop Miejer for the majority (and with their M-perks program I am able to get some awesome coupons and savings through out the month) and I have also stared to shop our local whole foods store. It’s a coop that runs a farm and works with as many locals as possible to provide a great selection of real foods at prices that are not crazy. I can’t afford to buy everything I would like to there, due to the size of our family and budget. Also in the summer we hit up our local farmers market and have a garden that gets bigger every year to provide as much fresh fruits, veggies, and herbs as we can ( it’s a lot of fun for me and my girls in the summer months! ). And we are planning to add chickens to our family this summer for eggs, I am hoping that experience goes well! So I think feeding a larger, growing family really food on a very tight budget is possible with carful planning. Be open-minded and never stop learning! I am always reading, talking, and exposing myself and my girls to new information and resources. We try to sock up as much knowledge as we can! We really appreciate your website and FB post! Lots of great dinners and so many ideas have sprouted from your experience and knowledge 😃. Thanks!
I should also add that my kids are 11, 9, 8, 6, 4, and 3. When they were younger and I was wrapped up in having babies, sleepless nights, diaper bags and all of that I did not have as much time or energy to put into our food choices!
Thanks for sharing all of that Brandi! You have your hands full. :) ~Amy
This is an extraordinarily privileged stance to take. Most people on food stamps are not stay at home parents who have the time to cook things from scratch and blog about it. They are working hourly-wage jobs for insulting pay. I love the idea of your site, I appreciate that you are doing it on a budget, but this post shames the poor and provides fuel for the people who want to drug test recipients (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/18/us/no-savings-found-in-florida-welfare-drug-tests.html?_r=0) or swear they’ve seen someone buying alcohol with food stamps (which is ridiculous). You can choose to cook things from scratch, that is a privilege not afforded to everyone. I will not be back to your site.
I was at SAMs when a man in front of me used a food stamps card to buy sausages then used another card to buy Courvoisier Cognac. I’m an accountant and I can’t afford Courvoisier but my tax dollars are being funneled to those who can. You feel my pain Danielle?
I’m sorry but did you really write on here it “must be nice” to be on food stamps? Wow. I hope you and your family never get to experience how “nice” it really is.
No, it is not nice. SNAP benefits are on a scale, in order to receive the maximum amount you would have to have no income at all. For the past three years, since my husband’s work injury, we have raised a family of 7 on $20k a year with $500 a month in SNAP. Sure we got more than that when he was completely out of working recovering after his surgery but $800 a month in SNAP doesn’t help anything when your kids need shoes. So no, that extra $20 a month does not make up for the overall lower quality of life for those who live in poverty.
I receive SNAP of $169 per month for a family of four. My husband and I both work, but we have nothing extra to add to the food budget. We do odd jobs, online sales and trust the universe to provide for the monthly shortfall we have for bills. So I guess I’m trying to say that it is very rare for a family to receive the full benefits. Before our income plummetted, I shopped exclusively at Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. Now I find myself shopping at Aldi. I have had to make some trade offs with what I am willing to buy, but I am kind of proud of myself for sticking with some ideals and managing to serve healthy, unprocessed food on our tiny budget. I do meal plan and cook from scratch because it’s healthier and cheaper. (And we eat rice and beans more than I care to admit.) It’s not easy to eat clean on a REAL food stamp budget, but it can be done.
Yeah – it’s $167-169 per month, not per week, in California. Huge difference all things considered.
The original post IS correct. That’s per week! In Missouri it’s in the mid $300’s for a family of 2! Glad to see I’m not the only one bothered by how much more food stamp recipient’s food budget is than my own!
That is not a set amount for every family of two, your income is taken into effect and your housing and utilities. I manage myself and 4 kids, my 7th set of kids I am raising for deceased family members. We get $1100 a month in total income, rent alone is $800, not including utilities. And we receive $276 a MONTH in SNAP. That is it so don’t post something you have no actual knowledge about.
Why does it matter if people on food stamps have more money in their food budget than you? The majority of people receiving that assistance probably have a lot less disposable income than you do. Don’t make assumptions about things you don’t understand.
Mid $300’s per month
Hi,
Just came across your site via facebook. I have to read your blog more thoroughly, but my son and I get food stamps and it is not enough. We do not eat junk food, I cook from scratch, and use very little of what I would consider processed food. We are in a northeast metropolitan area. Ezekiel sprouted bread sells for $7.00 a loaf. Organic whole oats are $1.49 a pound. I can not shop at the Amish bulk stores since they do not take SNAP. We eat very simply. I will be looking at your SNAP meal planning.
I think your comments about “I wish I had that much to spend” comparing yourself to people on food stamps is rude and insensitive. I like your site — but think the comment was out of line.
That is not a set amount for every family of four, your income is taken into effect and your housing and utilities. I manage myself and 4 kids, my 7th set of kids I am raising for deceased family members. We get $1100 a month in total income, rent alone is $800, not including utilities. And we receive $276 a MONTH in SNAP. That is it so don’t post something you have no actual knowledge about. In Missouri.
Completely inaccurate food stamp budget for WI. And how does this have anything to do with eating healthy? I LOVE your blog, but Lets leave the politics out, eh?
Your state must give SNAP benefits a whole lot more than mine. When my family and I were on it for six months during the no-one-is-hiring-and-everywhere-is-firing (AKA 2010), we had no one that was employed, we didn’t collect any type of unemployment, lived completely off savings (which was 3 months of rent and that’s it) while desperately seeking employment, and we only qualified for $200/month. We managed, but I think saying that every family of four qualifies for $167/week is really off.
The amount of food stamp money you receive is based on your income and family size. They use a sliding scale and award you benefits accordingly. You may receive $400/month and then get a promotion at work and have your benefits reduced to $60/month because your income has gone up. That’s how it works – in every state.
Our family of 6 receives $212 a week of fid stamps in arizona. My freezer and pantry are overflowing. My gas tank is empty, our vehicle repossessed, our rent/utilities over do, kids shoes have holes, you get the idea. Yes it’s quite nice to have so much food benefits, food shopping is our entertainment since the grocery store is 20 miles away and that requires gas. Gifts to anyone require it to be food. When we both had $20-$25/hr jobs, food budget was smaller and realistic, but we could do more. Just please consider statements made regarding your SNAP readers. We are very blessed to have food stamps and family helping us. The good thing about unemployment is getting to be with our kids instead work.
Sorry for the terrible spelling errors in previous post……grammar left with the income
PS- Not on food stamps by the way. To those that truly need the food stamps/help I have no problem with you. To the ones that sit on their asses and don’t even try to find a job and keep having kids grow up!
Good for you, the world needs to know you are not on food stamps? I am not on food stamps either but I would not post disparaging overgeneralized remarks on a public forum either. Maybe you need to grow up? Food for thought.
My original comment, which I can’t find, was in support of people that truly need the food stamps and are still just squeezing by. Since most of the people that have commented on here are ones on food stamps I thought I’d give the opinion of someone not on food stamps. Do you even know how many people I have known that abuse their food stamps or welfare? No you don’t! I also work in a grocery store so at the beginning of every month I see the people that use food stamps. I see them there at 1am, 2am and later with 2 or 3 kids under 4 with one usually a newborn or under 1. I also work with one woman that she works, has 3 kids, and her boyfriend sits at home on his rear and won’t look for work because their car broke down instead of looking for a place nearby that he could walk to. They get food stamps every month and we paid for her to have all 3 of her kids. Do you think it’s fair that my taxes are going up every year to support the ones who are abusing it? My remarks are facts.
Your remarks are conjecture, not facts. And they are also as appalling as your grammar. Possibly more so.
So you believe that every single person on food stamps or welfare are on it legitimately? That there are not people that abuse it?
I have thoroughly enjoyed discovering your website, but I must say I am very disturbed of your mentioning of food stamps when you do not appear to understand how they work. The number you mentioned is the maximum you could get, and the only way you get the maximum is if you had absolutely no income. I would like to believe that the idea if having no income but $167 a week in food stamps would not be “nice” to you, because there would be so much more you would have to sacrifice on no income but a family of four. The higher your income is beyond $0, the less in food stamps you’d qualify for, so a family who just barely met the income guidelines would get next to nothing in food stamps. I do hope you understand that now and your mentioning of this was merely a misunderstanding.
I couldn’t have said it any better. The whole comment of “must be nice…” came off kind of rude. My family does receive SNAP. My husband is a full-time college student who also works, and I babysit from my home so I can stay home and homeschool our four kids (all 9 and under). We are just able to make ends meet and are extremely thankful to have help while my husband finishes school and can find a better paying job. And we also had our kids before having an income drop due to the economy in our area (so no, we aren’t irresponsible for having four kids). Also, I wanted to bring up the idea that we do not send our kids to school and this in effect saves our local school district approximately $36,000 per school year that they would receive from the government in funding. Just something to think about.
I resent the comment about assuming people on foodstamps(snap) have more $ to spend on food.On the contrary,most don’t.I t depend on your worker and other aspects and I’m sure(actually I know) some people get an unfair amount bc they find a way to cheat they system but us who don’t also struggle with food bills and making it through the month,especially when trying to eat healthier bc healthier foods seem to be more expensive. I can say I may have taken my $525/month for granted when they kids(2) were younger but then as they got older they began to eat more and making it threw the month became much harder and there were months we didn’t make it through the month with the $525.After my daughter moved out last summer it dropped to $325 and I still had trouble making it through the month and now we were cut again to $259 and idk how my son and I will make it through the month and trying to eat healthy seems like an almost impossible task.Plus he is 14 almost 15,and weighs under 80lbs and trying to put “meat on his bones” is a stressful feat.I can’t buy ensure or anything like that with foodstamps and I am at a lost at hope to feed him healthy stuff to help him gain weight and fit it into my budget.
You probably already know this, but maximum food stamp benefits are $167 a MONTH, not a week. I know this from experience and from looking at the website today.
It’s very easy and a lot cheaper to make tahini at home. Get sesame seeds in bulk, toast them lightly, then blend in a food processor with a touch of EVOO: http://www.food.com/recipe/homemade-tahini-73859
So glad to see you were taken to task on your elitist misunderstanding of how SNAP benefits work and how much families can receive! Disgraceful: “Must be nice…an extra 20 bucks or more a week would feel like a lot of money right now!”
This might just be the most ignorant post ever
Hi,
While I have had friends post some of your recipes on social media, I haven’t really checked out your blog until now. My husband and I are both disabled and receive social security benefits. We are in the process of renewing our food stamps, of which we received $179/month for the two of us. First, I will point out that we recognize SNAP benefits as supplementary financial assistance, but that doesn’t lessen the benefit of this assistance. We are both college students, and with my husband in his Masters, he has been trying desperately to find work in his field since before he graduated with his Bachelors this past Dec. One thing to keep in mind is that while some do certainly take advantage of the systems put in place to help those in need, there are those of us who truly need the help and are thankful for it. Moreover, not everyone receiving the help (including my husband and myself) plans to continue doing so for the remainder of our lives. There are those of us who are actually trying to better ourselves and be contributing members of society, even if society doesn’t recognize those of us with disabilities as such.
Prior to reading this post, I was going to consider emailing you privately to ask for any tips to begin eating more “real food”. We don’t have a Trader Joes, ETC in our area, and Walmart has been the most helpful store for receiving sighted assistance in shopping. However, since you have chosen to make your misconceptions about SNAP public, I don’t believe you would truly understand a situation such as the one we (and others) face. I certainly won’t take the time to detail all of our financial woes, but I might suggest walking a few miles in someone else’s shoes before assuming that their situation would be better than your own. You chose to be on a budget, and while I certainly commend (and agree with) this decision, some of us truly cannot afford the organic items and can easily believe that a “real food” lifestyle, while physically beneficial, couldn’t really be financially possible. For some of us, a budget isn’t a choice, but a necessity, and “budgeting” advice is laughable when a budget means you pay the minimal living expenses, and thank the Lord you were able to make it for another month.
Agree with you Mandy 100%
Mandy, my family of 5 is on SNAP for the same exact reasons you’ve laid out here, and I have noticed that we need to be careful not to buy into the very same shameful assumptions about food benefits that we are trying to cure others of. I think that if you look again at Lisa’s post, she isn’t maligning people who receive SNAP at all, but rather patting herself on the back for managing to scrape by on a budget that, unbeknownst to her, is even lower than the state finds to be sufficient to provide to those of limited income. I will admit that she is ever-so-slightly offensive when she says “must be nice…” but that isn’t the same as assuming that people on SNAP are layabouts taking the state for a free ride. I think some of us who are temporarily on SNAP are rev’d up to defend our right to take this state assistance. I know my husband makes the argument about once a month (to me, alone) that he gave his 8 years to the military and needs the additional assistance if he’s going to be able to take advantage of the GI Bill, bla bla bla… No one is actually accusing him of being a leech, but the very act of asking for help makes him ashamed. It shouldn’t. The state is investing in us, and gets a great return on its investment. I’m sorry this subject is a sensitive one for you, but I hope that you can (almost a year later, albeit) take a second look at this situation and see that you’re not being judged. There is no reason to reject the possibility of eating whole and healthy foods on SNAP. I’ve personally never eaten so many fresh fruits and vegetables as we have on benefits. However, I don’t stick to an all-organic diet. (Sorry, Lisa, not the perfect defense, I know! That’s up to you!)
I totally agree with you Mandy. The tone of this article was horrible. I myself have been in your shoes before and thank God things are better now. However, I have a child who has not one, but two disabilities with one being Crohns Disease. Therefore, I am always looking for ways to budget on foods because she cannot eat processed ones. With that being said, I have tried to get SNAP benefits for her but I make too much money (they say, I didn’t realize I was rolling in money) but the state has tighten its reigns due to so many people who misuse the benefits. The Blessing is that I have been able to become a small business owner while working a fulltime job (in Finance) and in school for Psychology. I have had some hard times in my life but I have never taken advantage of anything so to read an article like this is just in very poor taste and clearly Lisa Leake is not here to help everyone. I have seen many websites before that claim to help meal planning but I have never seen such a judgmental one.
Hi Casie – This article is 8 years old, so I went back and read it again after seeing your comment. I can see how it could easily be misinterpreted from our true views, so have updated the intro paragraph with this statement:
“I am by no means trying to diminish the difficult reality of truly living on a SNAP budget (we are practicing a self-imposed budget for only 100 days, after all), rather I am just patting myself on the back a bit for sticking to a tight budget.”
I hope that clarifies things. – Jason
So, we had a Halloween fairy visit our house!
They could pick 5 pieces ,but had to leave the rest of the candy on the table. The next day in exchage for the candy they got a one of the bigger sized nerf guns. They loved it!! The next year while out trick or treating they asked if the holloween fairy would visit again. Done no more dealing with loads of candy again and they still enjoyed trick or treating!!
That is such a wonderful idea!
Thanks for sharing!!!!!!