Making food stamps last
Replies
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Also, my son has autism and SPD and a specialized diet which can cost between $20-$30 per day which is the main reason our stamps don't last very long.
I'm not familiar with what your son's specific special diet might be, but my son was on a very restrictive special diet for years. His food was outrageous, and the biggest cost was heavy whipping cream. I contacted a local dairy co-op (Prairie Farms) and explained why we needed such large amounts of cream. They were very helpful and wound up delivering 16 quarts of cream per week right to our door. This saved us about $80 per week.
When special foods are needed for medical reasons, especially for children, it's often possible to appeal to the manufacturers or distributors. In the case of dairy products, stores return their short-dated (soon to expire) items for a credit from the distributors. The distributor can't resell those items and usually just disposes of them. You may be able to arrange to pick up items like that at no charge to you.
Blessings to you and your family!0 -
I am not on food stamps but I budget of $300 a month for groceries for a family of four 2 adults and 2 kids. Here is how I keep our groceries so low.
1. Buy meat on sale and freeze it.
2. Be creative with your meat. For example buy a whole pork loin (usually $1.99 a LB on sale) and cut your own pork chops to freeze. Buy bone in chicken breasts (usually .89-.99 LB) and bone them out for Bonless skinless chicken breasts etc.
3. Make friends with a hunter (DH is my hunter) Our freezer is packed with venison we have it ground into burger and use this instead of hamburger.
4. Make friends with the local farmers and buy vegetables in season. We have even been given vegetables for free if we were willing to pick them on halves (meaning we keep half and the local farmer keeps half)
5. Put in season vegetables in the freezer when they are in season and you can buy them cheap or get them for free. We freeze Broccoli, cauliflour, peas, corn, okra, carrots, green beans, peppers etc all bought at the local farmers market all bought at a discount or given to us for free.
6. Learn to bake and cook from scratch. I make almost everything from scratch. Bread is cheaper and better for you if made in your own kitchen because you control the ingredients same with soups and tomato sauces (which I make in big batches and freeze)
7. Start a garden. We are always growing something. Right now we are growing carrots, greens onions and lettuce. You can buy vegetable seeds and plants with food stamps (alot os people don't know this but you can do it.) In the summer we always have tomatoes, squash, peppers, cucumbers, eggplant and herbs growing in our garden. In fact this year I picked over 10 gallons of tomatoes off of my 10 tomato plants. I canned all of them and will enjoy them all winter long.
Making grocery money stretch takes some creativity and some hard work but in the end it is all worth it because overall you will eat better.
Totally would do all of this if I had a place to freeze.... We know a local farmer and we prefer it fresh in season. Downfall is small freezer and no place to put a spare. garden hard too as only place good for one (lighting issues, rest of property is covered in shade all day) is the front of the house. Live in Chicago area. Any ideas? during winter we store beverages outside when we have company :bigsmile:0 -
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!!
Unfortunately, demographically, I can understand some of the other point. I have been in need and done as all here suggested, I still live this way off the assistance; BUT in my demographic area we see A LOT of misuse and abuse of benefits.0 -
I know people on food stamps who made over $600 a month. My monthly food budget is 400. Shop weekly.
This!
Make a menu that corresponds with what is on sale at the grocery store and shop weekly. Only buy what is on the list.
Sorry, but foodstamps are a sore subject for me because I would LOVE to be able to spend as much as people on foodstamps do for food each week, but I can't do that and still pay my bills.0 -
Buy your meats in bulk then separate and freeze.
Potatoes, rice and beans. They are healthy food options if you don't use a lot of butter.
Buy in season fresh vegetables. Buy bulk frozen vegetables.
Eggs are cheap. Deli meat and bread.
Buy fruits that are in season. Bananas, apples.
If you eat less, you will save money and lose weight. Portion control is key. We tend to eat a lot more if we feel like we feel like there is no other financial comfort. It is habit.
I eat pretty cheap - boiled egg and fruit for breakfast, sandwich/salad/vegetable for lunch and I snack on pretzels. I do not eat cheese on my sandwiches, my salads are very basic and I add pickles or garbanzo beans or other cheap condiments to make them taste better. For dinner I have a meat starch and veggie, I skip the starch if I am paying attention to my calorie intake.
You have to change your emotions when eating. When you eat for nutrition rather than comfort, a lot of things will change, but it is very difficult to do. Fancy expensive diet foods are not necessary to lose weight.
BTW, you will be shocked when you don't spend money on chips, little debbie snack cakes and cookies. Skip the bread. If you want it make it by hand, so you are "working". I promise, you will feel so much better.0 -
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.
Agreed. That's $80 a week. A box of spaghetti is around $1, a jar of sauce another $1, a pound of hamburg or chicken $1.99. So for $4 you and your fiance can have spaghetti WITH protein. This should give two adults dinner and lunch the next day.
My hubby and I managed on $80 a week (we have more than that to spend now, but times are a little better). Its all about budgetting and meal planning and planning it around the sales at the grocery store. And as others pointed out this is supposed to supplement your food budget not be ALL of your food budget.0 -
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.
Yup. You sound pretty entitled to me. I think most people on food stamps are grateful for what they get. Most of the time when I see people buying food with food stamps they seem to be making wise choices, so I feel pretty good about the program helping people who need it. I just hate to see a bad attitude. I have never had food stamps, but I have an insanely tight budget. I spend no more than $300 a month on good quality, healthy food for two people. And healthy food does not have to cost more than cheap, processed crap. It can be done - I know that because I do it. My husband and I "dip into our savings/paychecks" to pay for our bills every month. That's what people do. You make it sound like it's not fair that you have to "dip into your paychecks" and spend your own money to feed yourself. That makes people on food stamps look bad. Not cool.0 -
When my daughter was 2, I was on food stamps for 6 months. Coupons and places like Aldi, Bottom Dollar, etc. Stay away from packaged food. A frozen pizza is like $7 and lasts you a day. You can get a pound of ground beef, noodles, and pasta sauce for less than $7 and have a meal for two days. You have to be smart.
I was actually working when I was on food stamps but only making min. wage. I got about $200 a month and I made it last for about 3 weeks.
Don't let anyone make you feel bad. Not all of us are perfect enough to not fall on hard times.
I think she was looking for HEALTHY options. frozen pizza, noodles and pasta sauce is not very healthy. she should shop for produce, fruit and fresh meats0 -
PSS - Another edit. I'd like to add it's rare that we get to use the whole $350 to just the two of us anyway. We're so low on money all the time, we usually keep $150 then he gives the rest to his dad in exchange for help with a bill/utility. THAT'S how bad off I am. And no it's not by choice, I'm not lazy, I've been searching for a job since I moved to this lil town and do everything from odd jobs and babysitting just to get by.
^^ That is NOT what Food Stamps is for... and I'm fairly certain that constitutes welfare fraud.0 -
Lots of rice and beans, bought in bulk.
Eat organ meat like liver, tongue and heart - they come super cheap and are full of good vitamins. (If you hate the taste of liver try soaking it for half an hour first in cool water, rinsing well, dredge in flour mixed with salt and pepper and pan fry. Be careful not to over cook it. Liver cooks faster than a good steak.)
Start a garden in the spring. If you don't have land, use recycled containers like milk jugs to grow vegetables in.
Learn to forage for wild food in season. Be careful if you don't know what's edible - get a good guide at the library. I grew up in New England and we used to pick gallons of wild blueberries, raspberries, elderberries, and concord grapes. My mom made them into jelly and jam so we had sweets all winter long. As a kid I used to feel weird about it (my friends were eating store bought jelly) but now I'd pay a lot to have those flavors back.
If you live in a major urban area look for grocery stores that cater to the latino population. When I first moved to LA I was barely scraping by and I found shopping at El Superior was much, much cheaper especially for produce and meat than any of the other stores. They will carry organ meat you can't find elsewhere. Their produce is at least as fresh as the major chain stores and sometimes more varied so you don't have to eat the same thing over and over.
Good luck, hon! My family was on food stamps and WIC when I was a kid so I sympathize. Work hard, keep your head up and ignore the haters - you'll make it through!0 -
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.
agreed.
"Most of the time we have to dip into our savings/paychecks"
I do everyday. I have a fulltime job and a part time job so I can support myself.
:grumble:0 -
God bless America. You give your people free food, free housing, and I thought we failed with socialism here.
It's not free.... the taxpayers fund it.0 -
I am not on food stamps but I budget of $300 a month for groceries for a family of four 2 adults and 2 kids. Here is how I keep our groceries so low.
1. Buy meat on sale and freeze it.
2. Be creative with your meat. For example buy a whole pork loin (usually $1.99 a LB on sale) and cut your own pork chops to freeze. Buy bone in chicken breasts (usually .89-.99 LB) and bone them out for Bonless skinless chicken breasts etc.
3. Make friends with a hunter (DH is my hunter) Our freezer is packed with venison we have it ground into burger and use this instead of hamburger.
4. Make friends with the local farmers and buy vegetables in season. We have even been given vegetables for free if we were willing to pick them on halves (meaning we keep half and the local farmer keeps half)
5. Put in season vegetables in the freezer when they are in season and you can buy them cheap or get them for free. We freeze Broccoli, cauliflour, peas, corn, okra, carrots, green beans, peppers etc all bought at the local farmers market all bought at a discount or given to us for free.
6. Learn to bake and cook from scratch. I make almost everything from scratch. Bread is cheaper and better for you if made in your own kitchen because you control the ingredients same with soups and tomato sauces (which I make in big batches and freeze)
7. Start a garden. We are always growing something. Right now we are growing carrots, greens onions and lettuce. You can buy vegetable seeds and plants with food stamps (alot os people don't know this but you can do it.) In the summer we always have tomatoes, squash, peppers, cucumbers, eggplant and herbs growing in our garden. In fact this year I picked over 10 gallons of tomatoes off of my 10 tomato plants. I canned all of them and will enjoy them all winter long.
Making grocery money stretch takes some creativity and some hard work but in the end it is all worth it because overall you will eat better.
Totally would do all of this if I had a place to freeze.... We know a local farmer and we prefer it fresh in season. Downfall is small freezer and no place to put a spare. garden hard too as only place good for one (lighting issues, rest of property is covered in shade all day) is the front of the house. Live in Chicago area. Any ideas? during winter we store beverages outside when we have company :bigsmile:
We have an upright freezer bought it used from a garage sale for $50. If your front yard is the only place you have sunlight plant your garden as your landscaping. I do this around my back porch and patio. I also have pots with my herbs planted in them. You can also do raised garden beds Mine is on the side of my house the other place that has decent light in my yard. I put a pretty little picket fence around it and it looks great.0 -
Im not in the States nor am i on Food stamps but i would like to add my 2 cents.
I live on a very tight budget as well mostly by choice and being a single mom... however i have learned a lot along the way to free up some money...
I try to make as much stuff at home as possible (which has been suggested) for christmas my step mom bought me a bread maker and i use it religiously (im not saying go out and buy one but maybe as a christmas present or something) i make all my bread at home and it actually works out to be about half the price of a regular loaf and i can make all sorts of different types like raisin bread to mix it up once in a while with no consequence to my budget.
We also make our own yogurt... the cost of making about a litre of yogurt is basically that of the cost of half a litre of milk.. again you can season accordingly. Yogurt in Canada is outrageously priced for like 16 of the little cups your looking at $8.00 minumum. Its easy to make and is something that can be put in to cook overnight. (again sorry but you would need the little machine that processes it but again its not super expensive compared to the money saved) i get 2x the yogurt for about $3
There was another suggestion to growing your own veggies at home. I do this year round i have multiple pots that can be moved from inside to outside (for the crazy Canadian winters) i grow things like Tomatoes, Jalepeno's, green onions, potatoes as well as tons of different herbs, garlic, celery. A lot of veggies can be grown from what is left over after you eat it... like garlic can be grown from a bulb of garlic put into some soil and Celery from the end peice that is typically thrown away. This is by fair the best suggestion... seeds are very inexpensive and most plants after you harvest the veggies or herbs will grow back fairly quickly.
I think you are very lucky to have a system to fall back on when you need assistance. We dont have FS well at least to my knowledge.... we also dont have ways to use multiple coupons to save money that way.
Thanks for the Thread it gave me tons of ideas how to stretch my food budget as well even from up in Canada
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PSS - Another edit. I'd like to add it's rare that we get to use the whole $350 to just the two of us anyway. We're so low on money all the time, we usually keep $150 then he gives the rest to his dad in exchange for help with a bill/utility. THAT'S how bad off I am. And no it's not by choice, I'm not lazy, I've been searching for a job since I moved to this lil town and do everything from odd jobs and babysitting just to get by.
^^ That is NOT what Food Stamps is for... and I'm fairly certain that constitutes welfare fraud.
Besides i dont think your THAT bad off... you have a roof over your head a person you love next to you and food in your belly... so you dont have all the materialistic crap and all the luxeries... your not homeless your not dieing (some people with major diseases that are bed ridden in hospitals would trade for your spot any day) and your not alone
I do agree that that would fall into welfare fraud
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I have a budget (not food stamps) of 480 a month for two people one (me) with MANY food allergies.. I buy fresh veggies a lot also fresh meats,GF pasta and rice,cereal and goodies for the boyfriends lunch with around 120 bucks per week..I get paid on the 15th and 30th .. A lot of times I don't even spend 100 bucks..I only eat portion sizes and I buy allergy friendly foods on sale online through websites I found to save money and carter to my needs.0
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If you are on food stamps and use a coupon, some stores (Martin's mainly, sometimes Wal-mart) make you pay tax on the coupon. I don't know if it has to do with the type of coupon, but it does happen. When shopping with coupons, I always bring a few dollars extra to cover that. The first time it happened, I wasn't expecting it, and had to ask the lady behind me in line for a nickel. Depending on the coupons, it can add up. The most I've paid in cash for tax is $5.54, but I save $50 that day in food, so I consider it a win!
OMG! That's crazy! You shouldn't have to pay tax on the coupons. For shame, Walmart, for shame!0 -
PSS - Another edit. I'd like to add it's rare that we get to use the whole $350 to just the two of us anyway. We're so low on money all the time, we usually keep $150 then he gives the rest to his dad in exchange for help with a bill/utility. THAT'S how bad off I am. And no it's not by choice, I'm not lazy, I've been searching for a job since I moved to this lil town and do everything from odd jobs and babysitting just to get by.
^^ That is NOT what Food Stamps is for... and I'm fairly certain that constitutes welfare fraud.
Besides i dont think your THAT bad off... you have a roof over your head a person you love next to you and food in your belly... so you dont have all the materialistic crap and all the luxeries... your not homeless your not dieing (some people with major diseases that are bed ridden in hospitals would trade for your spot any day) and your not alone
I do agree that that would fall into welfare fraud
If she didn't reserve that 150 to offer in exchange for help with bills, she would probably become homeless, which would make your point invalid.0 -
God bless America. You give your people free food, free housing, and I thought we failed with socialism here.
It's not free.... the taxpayers fund it.
That's right which makes it socialism.
When my dad lost his job, we couldn't get foodstamps because my mother homeschooled us. :-\0 -
You really need to plan your meals. I get diet books like Flat belly Diet and things like that to get ideas. I then make a list of what is needed for recipes. Then I buy everything but the veggies at the beginning of the month. I portion out all of the meat in half pound increments. Then once or twice a week I walk to the store to get the veggies I need. This makes food last. Rice and beans are a great way to fill up for cheap. (Now if only I could get my partner to eat beans, lol) I also stretch my hamburger by mixing half 95% hamburger to half turkey. I know Higher fat content meat is cheaper but you get less meat in the process. You are just cheating yourself. My mother suggests also adding TFP (A food filler you can get at winco) to your meat to stretch your meat if your on a tight budget and need to stretch your food. My mother is currently homeless and has to keep her food at a storage unit in a freezer.0
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I also stretch my hamburger by mixing half 95% hamburger to half turkey.
I read that you can stretch your hamburg by doing a 50/50 hamburger/mushroom mix. OR hamburg/black beans.0 -
I also stretch my hamburger by mixing half 95% hamburger to half turkey.
I read that you can stretch your hamburg by doing a 50/50 hamburger/mushroom mix. OR hamburg/black beans.
Great tip!!!0 -
Invest in fresh fruits, veggies, and quality products that can make healthy, home-cooked meals.
Please DON'T use your food stamps to buy Oreos, Pop-Tarts, Toaster Strudel, Pizza Rolls, & Doritos.
(Not trying to be snarky....just a frequent check-out line observation.)0 -
PSS - Another edit. I'd like to add it's rare that we get to use the whole $350 to just the two of us anyway. We're so low on money all the time, we usually keep $150 then he gives the rest to his dad in exchange for help with a bill/utility.
What you are describing is illegal. Foodstamps are expressly forbidden to be traded or used as though they are currency.
If I were you I would not divulge my illegal activities online.0 -
Wasn't aware if it was illegal, but thanks for the info though
And to "cblevitron" you are right. If we didn't have the help, then I'd be looking for a shelter right now. Some people's situations are just different from others and they can't always understand, I don't judge other people and how they live their lives. I'm on this forum to support people and (hopefully) be supported in our weight loss and health journeys. That said, I'm seeing a lot of good ideas for money saving store trips. Thanks! I recently moved out of my parents house, and was used to them making all the right decisions at the grocery store. This is all new to me, POSITIVE support/feedback is appreciated 0 -
I am not on FS but I feed a Family of 3 on about 250 a month. I buy off band everything (90%of it is very good or even better). As for meat I buy the marked down meat (nothing wrong with it). Buy pasta, rice, frozen veges and Egg. Eggs are very important so many way to use them.0
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PSS - Another edit. I'd like to add it's rare that we get to use the whole $350 to just the two of us anyway. We're so low on money all the time, we usually keep $150 then he gives the rest to his dad in exchange for help with a bill/utility. THAT'S how bad off I am. And no it's not by choice, I'm not lazy, I've been searching for a job since I moved to this lil town and do everything from odd jobs and babysitting just to get by.
^^ That is NOT what Food Stamps is for... and I'm fairly certain that constitutes welfare fraud.
Besides i dont think your THAT bad off... you have a roof over your head a person you love next to you and food in your belly... so you dont have all the materialistic crap and all the luxeries... your not homeless your not dieing (some people with major diseases that are bed ridden in hospitals would trade for your spot any day) and your not alone
I do agree that that would fall into welfare fraud
If she didn't reserve that 150 to offer in exchange for help with bills, she would probably become homeless, which would make your point invalid.
Sorry but i dont find internet to be a NEED Which since she is unemployed and can barely afford to live why does she have internet? 0 -
PSS - Another edit. I'd like to add it's rare that we get to use the whole $350 to just the two of us anyway. We're so low on money all the time, we usually keep $150 then he gives the rest to his dad in exchange for help with a bill/utility. THAT'S how bad off I am. And no it's not by choice, I'm not lazy, I've been searching for a job since I moved to this lil town and do everything from odd jobs and babysitting just to get by.
^^ That is NOT what Food Stamps is for... and I'm fairly certain that constitutes welfare fraud.
Besides i dont think your THAT bad off... you have a roof over your head a person you love next to you and food in your belly... so you dont have all the materialistic crap and all the luxeries... your not homeless your not dieing (some people with major diseases that are bed ridden in hospitals would trade for your spot any day) and your not alone
I do agree that that would fall into welfare fraud
If she didn't reserve that 150 to offer in exchange for help with bills, she would probably become homeless, which would make your point invalid.
Sorry but i dont find internet to be a NEED Which since she is unemployed and can barely afford to live why does she have internet?
The internet isn't a need! It's a luxury. Like I said before, I realize there are people worse off than I am. As for the internet, my ex/roommate pays for that. It's available and I'm allowed to use it, so why is it an issue if he lets me? Also I wouldn't of been able to find a lot of the babysitting jobs I have to help get by without it.0 -
It saddens me that people need food stamps and I hope that if you need them that they last as much as they need to. Nobody deserves to be worried about food
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Here are some tips for you. My family used to be on food stamps as a child, so I know what it's like.
1) Always buy store-brand. I found that it was usually half the price of the actual brand and tasted exactly the same.
2) Buy fresh fruits and vegetables at a farmer's market instead of the supermarket. I don't know about the ones around you, but my farmer's market actually accepts food stamps.
3) Buy bulk of whatever type of meat that is on-sale and store it in your freezer for future dinners.
4) Buy dried beans and rice! Very cheap, and there's lots of different ways to make beans.
5) Use coupons! Try to get as much money off as you can get.
Those are the only suggestions I have for now, but if I think of any others, I'll definitely post them. Good luck.0
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