Making food stamps last

MissySho

I am not on food stamps but I still have to budget my food. I can only spend $100/week on groceries and that is for 3 people in my household. I have learned that planning meals ahead of time is helpful and I don't get off track on shopping. I buy only what I need and don't buy something just because it has a coupon. I don't eat much beef, usually lots of chicken and ground turkey. I have learned that a full chicken is cheaper than a package of boneless skinless chicken breasts. I can buy a whole chicken for about $500, bake it then pick off the rest of the meat and make a huge pot of chicken and dumplings (both very cheap to make!)

I cook my daughter breakfast every morning and use eggs, egg whites and turkey sausage (cheaper than buying boxes of cereal and healthier too) lunch is usually a lunch meat sandwich with some avocado, dinner I made a large meal that will last a few days. You can make it work you just have to try a lot harder...good luck

Agree....I usually spend right around 100 a week and cook enough to feed 6 daily. Hubby uses the leftovers for lunch at work, or we use it for lunch at home, sometimes we freeze the leftovers for another meal the following week. We only eat beef like once a month. It's hard to budget and stay on budget when the cost of food is going up. But it can be done.

PaleoPath4Lyfe

Me and my ex-bf get only $350 a month for food stamps for BOTH of us. And it's almost impossible to make it work for the entire month, especially with healthy food which of course is more expensive than cheap processed crap. Most the time we have to dip into our savings/paychecks, get help from his parents, A couple months in a row i even just bought a months worth of slim fast ($40 each month) simply because we just didnt have the money for food. Seriously messed my stomach up drinking that stuff for that long.

I'm sorry, but this just seems like a complaint from someone being helped out. Why not be grateful for the $350 you didn't have to spend out of your pocket, and possibly look at this forum thread as a good way to get ideas, rather than complain. I don't want to seem harsh, but I do think you may need to rethink your attitude on this. It's a gift, or it sure seems like one to me.

Seriously. I don't understand how you can complain about getting $350 help from the government. $350 for 2 people is actually a decent amount of food stamps. We have 4 people in our family and we get ~$440 and we make that work. There are loads of ways of making it work. In my post i mentioned numerous places you can do to shop for food and save LOADS of money. You just have to be willing to go to more than one store. With this being the USA, the government can easily decide to raise the bar for monthly income for a household of 2 and kick you off. We don't buy processed Crap, i cook all my meals and we have everything STOCKED. Perhaps your shopping habits and your attitude is what need to change.

Exactly. If my husband and I got $350.00 in food stamps every month for groceries we could eat high off the hog and still have funds left over.

We only spend about $250.00 per month on food and hygiene items as it is and we eat very well.

Treece68

You have to shop around look at the ads and see what the best price is.
When I had Food Stamps a local butcher shop would take it so we would spend $70 on great cuts of meat and freeze it and we would be good on meat for about a month and a half. For veggies and other stuff Aldi and County Market has great coupons about once a month. Look around for the best deals.

Jenn728

I am not on them myself, but if I were, I would use coupons to help extend the funds. I already use a combo of sales prices/coupons to help extend my grocery budget and would definitely do so with food stamps.

Fairysoul

Me and my ex-bf get only $350 a month for food stamps for BOTH of us. And it's almost impossible to make it work for the entire month, especially with healthy food which of course is more expensive than cheap processed crap. Most the time we have to dip into our savings/paychecks, get help from his parents, A couple months in a row i even just bought a months worth of slim fast ($40 each month) simply because we just didnt have the money for food. Seriously messed my stomach up drinking that stuff for that long.

Not tryin to be rude but I know someone with 2 kids and they only get 250 a month. they make it work and their kids eat well.

itsmyvwbeetle

Not on food stamps, husband and I both have good jobs. We also have 7 kids. Our grocery budget is about $100 a week. We can spend more but I like other things more than I like to waste money on food. The kids eat breakfast and lunch at school for 5 days a week.

That said, once you get used to shopping cheap you know your "go-to" meals. I would suggest making a list of at least 14 cheap meals that you can have for dinner and the alternating them. Plan your meals ahead (if you shop once a week plan 7 dinners).

Watch the sales ads and then plan your meals based on that. Whole chickens were recently on sale for $0.59 a pound. A whole chicken can be used for several different meal types and several days if you dont have a huge family like I do. You can cook it all day in a crock pot and then make chicken wraps, chicken noodle soup, chicken salad, etc. You can do the same thing with a roast. You can buy chicken leg quarters super cheap and use those too. The best way to save money is plan your meals and buy ONLY what you need for them.

I have a super picky 9 year old autistic son and we do have to watch our "combo" meals because his foods cant touch. After a few weeks practice and a little homework you can do it too and have it relatively easy.

Other cheap, easy, kid friendly meals are:
breakfast burritos with a side of seasonal fruit
make your own pizza with sandwich pocket as crust, spaghetti sauce and meat options
baked chicken (legs, thighs, quarters) with cubed potatoes and veggie
breakfast (scrambled eggs, meat, fruit, and toast)
spaghetti (healthier noodles and no meat) and veggie
biscuits and gravy (not the healthiest but my kids love it)
pork chops (on sale) with veggie sides

There's tons more ideas out there that you can cater to your diet and family needs.

JLgettinghealthy

Me and my ex-bf get only $350 a month for food stamps for BOTH of us. And it's almost impossible to make it work for the entire month, especially with healthy food which of course is more expensive than cheap processed crap. Most the time we have to dip into our savings/paychecks, get help from his parents, A couple months in a row i even just bought a months worth of slim fast ($40 each month) simply because we just didnt have the money for food. Seriously messed my stomach up drinking that stuff for that long.

ummmm. your food stamps per month for two people is more than my grocery budget per month for two people. and i pay for my groceries myself. it's possible. lay off the junk, processed, pre-packaged crap and you'll be fine. eggs, oatmeal, potatoes, onions, milk, bread, and various veggies don't cost THAT much.

Fairysoul

May I add that the point of food stamps is not to get you thru the month unless your unemployed.

tekwriter

I would also suggest lots of beans and rice. Use different varieties for different flavor. You can also get the 10 pounds of chicken quarters and boil with water. strip the meat off the bones, and chill the stock to get the fat off. You can use this in noodle and rice casseroles and it is tasty and cheap. Eggs are another cheap source of protien, and store brand oatmeal is good for breakfasts. making soup is another way to stretch the money. Best of luck. Please feel free to friend me.

barberella

After me and my husband lost our jobs, we had to rely on them. We have a 6 year old as well and we get $180. I do think of it as not only "help" but a gift because our mortgage and bills still are expected to be paid, so recieving help with the food cost is a relief. We make it last as best as we can.

First of all, the kid is the priority. I try to shop the best for her, and yes, produce is expensive but I still buy it and buy it cheaply when certain stuff is on sale.

Secondly, I buy NO crap. I stopped buying chips, candy, pop, etc. If it happens to be on sale or whatever, I still pass it up. She doesn't need it and I don't need to waste my money or my waistline on it. She gets enough treats everywhere else, like her cousins or even at school when she gets treats at school.

Third, I shop at Aldi. I shop at the Sara Lee outlet store for my bread (I buy the 45 and Delightful brand from Sara Lee) and sandwich thins for less than $2.00. Since I don't eat a lot of bread, a couple of loaves last us a long time.

Lastly, I look for a ton of sales in the weekly flyers we get in the mail. Like one grocery store was having a produce sale and boom, I was there. Another store was selling milk cheaply with a coupon so that worked well too.

All in all, I pay attention to sales. And since I've come back to MFP, I watch what I eat now and eat a ton less than I used to as well as my husband. It seems he is more conscious on our food budget since we are on stamps.

It is difficult to eat healthy when you are on a budget but just try your best to get what you need. Try to stay away from processed food like crackers and hot dogs and chips!

ejwme

I know it's November, and this won't work in a lot of places, but you might be able to supplement by growing some stuff yourself. I'm not on stamps (nor am I judgemental) myself, but we are on a super tight budget since I'm the only earner (and even before that I was super cheap).

The most cost effective things to grow yourself are herbs - in a few weeks, in a pot on a window sill, you can turn $0.02 of basil seeds into what would be $6 of basil. Trim and use prudently to keep the plant alive, and you can enjoy that $0.02 for a year or more. BUT probably fresh herbs aren't breaking your budget. This is just a nice way to get some fresh flavor in what may end up being a mostly boxed and processed diet out of necessity.

The most calorie effective things to grow yourself are potatoes - use the "potato in a garbage bag" method to grow around 35-50 pounds of potatoes from a few seed potatoes. You can grow the ones from the store, just put them on the counter until they start to sprout then plant them in dirt. When they get real leaves, start adding dirt to get them to grow more potatoes. Squash (pumpkin, butternut, acorn, spaghetti) is the next most effective calories for the effort. they take a lot of space, though, but are doable with experimenting.

You can grow indoors in pots year round. A strategically placed lamp with a CF lightbulb can help in the winter, but some stuff does well in windows alone. Works in apartments year round too. You can get seeds for free from local gardening groups, friends, that little old lady down the street, start asking around and you'd be surprised. Sometimes you can save seeds from stuff at grocery store, but you want to make sure you're not getting a sterile hybrid variety (problem with tomatoes) or that it's been sprayed with growth inhibitor (problem with garlic, potatoes, root veggies). I've had volunteer squash plants from composting store bought squash every year (and they're delicious).

Growing your own also opens up a whole world of possibilities for food variety - you can eat beet greens, carrot greens, radish seed pods, sweet potato greens, all kinds of stuff that isn't sold in the grocery store for whatever reason. Really good way to get cheap nutrients in.

Gardening doesn't have to take a lot of money either - you can use dirt from the ground outside (free), you can use containers around your house (old yogurt containers are good for starting plants, old milk cartons or jugs, even old shoes or hats can do in a pinch). Sometimes a local nursery will have extra pots they're getting rid of, too. You can compost in your back yard or under your kitchen sink in a bin (seriously, google "vermicomposting") for fertilizer, get seeds and plants cheap if you're inventive. Perrenials you plant once and then they just keep coming back year after year, they're super cost effective. Chives, sage, mint, oregano, asparagus, will all return year after year and they're all relatively small. Self-seeding annuals are another way to garden cheap - ground cherries and jerusalem artichokes are tasty and mostly look after themselves, all you do is water sometimes, and harvest when ripe.

Good luck!

KombuchaCat

I have never been on food stamps my BF was for a bit when she was laid off. Everyone is giving really solid advice even for those of us not on them. I've really reigned in my spending by shopping sales and only buying what I need. I make my list and that's what I leave with. When I went vegan that reduced my food costs right there. It's way cheaper to eat lower on the food chain because you don't pay the cost to feed the animal that you are eating. And being vegan feels nice too :flowerforyou:

missprincessgina

I know the farmer's markets around here take EBT and so do some CSA boxes. I've noticed a lot of vendors/stores now accept food stamps.

YaGigi

Well, I spend about $150 per month on food but I'm not in the USA. When I lived in the USA, I spent from $100 to $200 depending on the state I lived (and I lived everywhere, from east to west). In Europe it's more expensive, for instance in Paris I spent at least 250 euro on food.

I do look for specials and good deals, and there are a lot f buy 1, get 1 (or even 2) free in America. I also would go to farm markets, veggies there were very cheap, and actually tasted like real veggies not plastic.
I cooked most of my food, like 80% was home cooked. It helps to save a lot.

God bless America. You give your people free food, free housing, and I thought we failed with socialism here.

missprincessgina

I wish the people close to me would read this thread. I am also sick of hearing how people who get food stamps buy expensive steaks, beer, cigarettes, etc. What some don't understand is that most people who get assistance work, and work darn hard. And they are not rolling around in fancy cars buying booze & smokes. That's my rant for the day!!

rebelate

Shop around, and only buy what you need.

We aren't on it, but we make a pretty extreme, and detailed list of what we need for the week/what can be used again for multiple dishes. It really helps. We pick a protein and plan our meals around that. We reuse a lot of the same things for multiple meals so nothing goes to waste.

I shop at Safeway, and Target. Safeway has their online "just for you" program with coupons which help us a lot. Shop for seasonal produce, too. Don't buy chips, cookies, pop and things like that. Focus on only the essentials.

Chicken and veggies, chicken fajitas, chicken chili, stuffed chicken, chicken stir fry, etc. You can uses bell peppers for fajitas, and chili, same with onions. You can make broccoli for veggies, and reuse it in a stir fry as well as peppers, onions, etc.

ilovemybuggy

I have them, and work full time. (Not everyone on food stamps is a bum- for those of you who will say we are)

Anywho, I appreciate this post b/c between me and my 2 year old son, making 230 a month last is pretty difficult. Thanks for posting!

ilovemybuggy

Me and my ex-bf get only $350 a month for food stamps for BOTH of us. And it's almost impossible to make it work for the entire month, especially with healthy food which of course is more expensive than cheap processed crap. Most the time we have to dip into our savings/paychecks, get help from his parents, A couple months in a row i even just bought a months worth of slim fast ($40 each month) simply because we just didnt have the money for food. Seriously messed my stomach up drinking that stuff for that long.

Way more than I get and it's me and my 2 year old. I'd be thrilled with 350. But i'm thankful for what I DO get, and almost make 'too much' at 8.50 an hour.....

Melo1966

Eggs, potatoes and dried beans can go far.

JennKie1

Coupons really help to stretch my food budget. I get a lot of things for free or at a deep discount. It takes me a couple hours a week, but it's well worth it. There are some great websites (couponmom.com is my favorite) that "match" sales in your area to coupons and show you where to get the best deals.

Also, fresh fruits and vegetables are actually much cheaper than canned or frozen (and generally taste better and are more nutritious). If you have too much of a veggie, you can blanch it and freeze it for later. Sometimes the larger packages of meat are much cheaper per pound. You can split them up and freeze them. It will take patience and you may need to be creative and plan ahead, but you can make it work. I'm not currently in that situation, but when my daughter was small I struggled a lot with having enough "healthy" food available. A lot of people here have offered some great suggestions. Best of luck to you.