Making food stamps last
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We're not, nor ever have been on food stamps but I still have a budget and stick to it. Every other Sunday, I get on a website called something like Super Sunday Saver and it allows me to look at ALL of the sale ads in my area. I then plan the menu for 2 weeks worth of foods (we get paid every 2 weeks) and I base our meals around the sale ads of the foods we like. I make meals and they are healthy. We love chili soup, veggie soup, chicken, pork tenderloin, broccoli, carrots, beef stew, spaghetti, meatloaf, omelettes...you get the pic, we eat well but I do plan and I do coupon. I use the leftovers for my hubbys lunch too and that saves money.
Also at the beginning of the winter, I make a HUGE pot of chili, one of veggie soup, a couple of lasagnas and a pot of ham and bean soup and separate it into indiividual serving sizes and we always have a prepared meal in the freezer. I do this all in one day and it takes about 6 hours but fills the freezer.0 -
WOOOW gotta love the borderline hateful-trying-to-be-"helpful" replies. None of you know my position. As it stands with me being unemployed, and my ex getting $500/month on DISABILITY...$350 is barely enough for both of us. In my original post I did not say it wasn't enough, I said it was almost impossible, and IT IS. Again, you don't know my situation. We are barely getting by, and are way beneath the poverty level. i AM grateful for what we do get, but the fact of the matter is it is still hard and it is my God-given right to say something about it on a public thread. Don't like it? Get over it, or maybe use your words a little more gently to someone who's situation you know nothing about next time. Thanks
PS - Oh and we try not to buy processed crap as I said in the original post.
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.
Going to play the bad guy here...get off your soap box. People have it worse off than you and don't whine about it. Times are tough for everyone. Even if you have to trade some of your food stamps, $200 is more than enough. My SO and I get no help from and I manage for a 3 person family on a $200 budget, and I cook everything and buy nothing processed. Shop more wisely. Don't come around looking for pity, because you aren't going to get it my dear.0 -
1) You're not making yourself out to look like a bad guy, just an uninformed troll, so no need to worry there
2) I REALIZE people are worse off than me, so don't jump to some conclusion about that. Thanks.
3) I do try to shop wisely, the entire reason I watched this thread was for more ideas. Instead I got a lot of douchebaggery from people like you.
4) Again, NOT looking for pity, just looking for ideas because I AM in what most would consider a bad situation.
5) I'm not comparing my situation to yours, so don't compare yours to mine. All I'm saying is what we have, so far, has proven to not be enough. That's the only reason why I'm viewing this thread in the first place - for ideas.
6) This website is supposed to help motivate people. So maybe try throwing ideas out there instead of accusing me of "looking for pity" instead of looking for ideas/help. Jesus you people are rude.WOOOW gotta love the borderline hateful-trying-to-be-"helpful" replies. None of you know my position. As it stands with me being unemployed, and my ex getting $500/month on DISABILITY...$350 is barely enough for both of us. In my original post I did not say it wasn't enough, I said it was almost impossible, and IT IS. Again, you don't know my situation. We are barely getting by, and are way beneath the poverty level. i AM grateful for what we do get, but the fact of the matter is it is still hard and it is my God-given right to say something about it on a public thread. Don't like it? Get over it, or maybe use your words a little more gently to someone who's situation you know nothing about next time. Thanks
PS - Oh and we try not to buy processed crap as I said in the original post.
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.
Going to play the bad guy here...get off your soap box. People have it worse off than you and don't whine about it. Times are tough for everyone. Even if you have to trade some of your food stamps, $200 is more than enough. My SO and I get no help from and I manage for a 3 person family on a $200 budget, and I cook everything and buy nothing processed. Shop more wisely. Don't come around looking for pity, because you aren't going to get it my dear.0 -
To the OP before the thread gets out of control, the biggest game changer for me was to make a calendar and fill it up with my daily meals. I cook 5 days a week, leaving two for leftovers. I do things like buy a whole chicken and spread out the cooked meat for other meals. I plan it all ahead so that there is no confusion about what's next. That's how I do so well with it. When I buy lettuce, I plan 2-3 salads in for that week and either save the $2 for more lettuce, or go without salad the following week. Or one night I'll have grilled chicken salad, then taco night, then lettuce wraps, all in the same week. Or I'll buy tortillas for burritos and plan a breakfast wraps night for later in the week. I try to anticipate my schedule and plan accordingly. A pot of chili lasts my family 2-3 days and costs around $15. It could cost even less if I made some changes. Crock pots are great for cheap, easy meals for a busy person like you!
I hope this helps! If you have any questions, message me. I'd love to help 0 -
^^^^^^^
Now those are good ideas. Also, have you ever tried shopping in any of the world/international markets ? Just curious because I found a couple to be a lil less expensive than places like Giant and Walmart. At least certain items anyway.0 -
1) You're not making yourself out to look like a bad guy, just an uninformed troll, so no need to worry there
2) I REALIZE people are worse off than me, so don't jump to some conclusion about that. Thanks.
3) I do try to shop wisely, the entire reason I watched this thread was for more ideas. Instead I got a lot of douchebaggery from people like you.
4) Again, NOT looking for pity, just looking for ideas because I AM in what most would consider a bad situation.
5) I'm not comparing my situation to yours, so don't compare yours to mine. All I'm saying is what we have, so far, has proven to not be enough. That's the only reason why I'm viewing this thread in the first place - for ideas.
6) This website is supposed to help motivate people. So maybe try throwing ideas out there instead of accusing me of "looking for pity" instead of looking for ideas/help. Jesus you people are rude.WOOOW gotta love the borderline hateful-trying-to-be-"helpful" replies. None of you know my position. As it stands with me being unemployed, and my ex getting $500/month on DISABILITY...$350 is barely enough for both of us. In my original post I did not say it wasn't enough, I said it was almost impossible, and IT IS. Again, you don't know my situation. We are barely getting by, and are way beneath the poverty level. i AM grateful for what we do get, but the fact of the matter is it is still hard and it is my God-given right to say something about it on a public thread. Don't like it? Get over it, or maybe use your words a little more gently to someone who's situation you know nothing about next time. Thanks
PS - Oh and we try not to buy processed crap as I said in the original post.
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.
Going to play the bad guy here...get off your soap box. People have it worse off than you and don't whine about it. Times are tough for everyone. Even if you have to trade some of your food stamps, $200 is more than enough. My SO and I get no help from and I manage for a 3 person family on a $200 budget, and I cook everything and buy nothing processed. Shop more wisely. Don't come around looking for pity, because you aren't going to get it my dear.
First of all I ask not a troll. Normally I wouldn't comment on a thread like this but your general disrespect for the fact that you receive a free subsidiary from the government bothered me, especially considering it is free. If you don't want douchebaggery from people then don't post an ungrateful statement like that. AndI'm not being rude, I'm being blunt. Most would view your posts as whiny, just I called you on it. There are a ton of great tips on here, and I apologize to OP for hijacking your thread but this kind of ungreatfulness if why people have a hard time with respecting people in the system.0 -
bump to read all these ideas later0
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Not on foodstamps and am jealous of anyone who gets them LOL! But like others have said potatos, eggs, deli meats, boneless skinless chicken breasts, shop smart it can stretch! That's the same with spending cash we have to shop smart to stretch a buck! It can work.0
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I am not on food stamps and I go grocery shopping for my family of 4 every weekend. Sunday I spent $325 before I scanned my bonus card and then the total came down to $250 something. I thought I was doing good. It is now Thursday and I need more bananas and romaine. Holy crap I am doing something wrong here after reading all these posts. I think I will start paying attention to sale ads and coupons. Maybe even find a cheaper grocery store. Just think of the money I could save for more shoes!!!0
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Coupons definitely help! LOL0
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As for cheaper grocery stores what I had asked earlier is maybe some of the international/latin/world markets are cheaper? The two main stores we have here is Giant and Walmart. But they are abit expensive and after wandering through one of the market-type places it just seemed a bit cheaper.0
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my son is severely disabled due to a stroke and lives with friends. He rents a room from them. He only gets 120 something a month in food stamps so he shops at the local grocery store and only buys things when they are on sale and he also goes to the food pantry. Everyone in that house is disabled and gets food stamps so they try to join their resources and everyone takes turns cooking. They have one meal a day and nibble on apples and bananas the rest of the day. They usually have eggs or oatmeal for breakfast. For the most part they eat healthy compared to most people I know who are on food stamps. No chips, candy or junk food. Oh and they use coupons as much as possible. Sometimes if I get a 2 for one special I'll give him one of them like a chicken or pack of chicken legs or bread.0
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@Mommy, pretty much the same thing I do. Unfortunately my ex is always trying to buy junk food! >_< He's a skinny guy and isn't very helpful when it comes to the weight loss and healthy decision making thing. I'm always taking chocolate and twizzlers out of the cart!0
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Fresh produce stands, check local ads for "sales" (especially for meat/chicken/fish), beans and pasta are inexpensive (including whole wheat/whole grain pasta), tuna, salmon ...you can do it 0
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bump0
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I have never been on food stamps but I had a real passion for couponing for a while. I would buy between 1-3 papers a week at 2 dollars a pop... and print coupons from on-line.
I would spend no more than 35 dollars a week at the grocery store 3 weeks a month and 65 on another...
We ate well and donated the junk to food banks. You would have to buy the junk because the coupons would give you overages that paid for meat (always stocked up when on sale) and veggies. I would never walk out with less than 200 dollars worth of groceries. There were times I even walked away with money....
It is a great way to get all of your personal care items FREE. I never paid for shampoo, condition, soap, lotion, deoderant, shaving cream... I got razors for .25 cents a piece (the replacement heads). Paper products (towels, tissue and toilet) and laundry detergent (of which I only use two brands, but was able to stock up when they were on sale) were always at least 75% off.0 -
What kind if food is involved in your sons specialized diet? Can you buy the stuff and make it yourself to save money? (Compared to buying premade meals to fit his needs)? We can help give more specific advice if we know what kinds of foods you need 0
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I shop at Aldi for basic items. And then I plan out my week in advance on a piece of paper with my Publix add. I only buy what's on sale and stock up on items we use all the time when they are really cheap. I can usually afford one fancy meal every 10 days by doing this. By fancy I mean a nice steak, shirmp or salmon. Aldi has great prices on frozen seafood, whole frozen all natural chicken, whole grain pasta, granola, condiments, pam spray and more. Hope this helps.0
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I shop at aldi too, lots of ground turkey and frozen chicken breasts. I am not on foodstamps but I do put a 80 dollar budget every 2 weeks for groceries, its easy to do at aldi. Even when I get my son extra goodies to snack on I still manage to stay under $200 for the month.0
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Never been on food stamps but I just went to a dollar store and they sell food...Just and FYI0
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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.0 -
Great question, I was wondering the same thing about her sons specialized dietary needsWhat kind if food is involved in your sons specialized diet? Can you buy the stuff and make it yourself to save money? (Compared to buying premade meals to fit his needs)? We can help give more specific advice if we know what kinds of foods you need 0 -
yeah, I buy marked down meat and freeze it all and It lasts..... It's also smart to shop costco because everything is in bulk-I buy fiber bars that have 200 calories, are chocolate and have 200 calories.... Bulk yogurt is also a great idea, bulk soup or whatever.....0
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Not on food stamps, but budget is tight. Organic foods are so expensive, and the processed junk that is bad for your health is cheap. Go figure.0
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I forgot to add this--
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!
Also, this sounds lame, but if you ever find yourself over, give back. Sometimes I have an extra $30-40 left over. I could let it roll over to next month, but instead I buy peanut butter and donate it to the food pantry. It goes really fast, at least at the one near me, and it is expensive, but it's as good or better than any other donation you can make, and they always need it.0 -
Also, this sounds lame, but if you ever find yourself over, give back. Sometimes I have an extra $30-40 left over. I could let it roll over to next month, but instead I buy peanut butter and donate it to the food pantry. It goes really fast, at least at the one near me, and it is expensive, but it's as good or better than any other donation you can make, and they always need it.
I was getting a bit upset at the direction of this thread but your post makes me feel good that someone that does not have a lot extra can still think about those who have less. You are a special person.0 -
I'm not on stamps, but we are broke. I make a dinner menu for the month and try to use any item twice a week. So, if I buy a pound of meat, I will use it for two different meals. Also, since meat is expensive I always try to stretch it with other ingredients. 1 chicken breast can feed 2 people. If I can get 4 chicken breasts, we will have chicken twice that week, and then the left overs from each meal go in the freezer. Next month they come out and we eat that meal again. It really helps with having to eat the same thing all the time. You are also able to buy what is on sale. AND if you have leftovers in the freezer, you don't have to buy a ton of groceries each month.
The following make at least 4-6 servings ( eat half, freeze half)
2 Chicken Breasts + canned tomatoes+ half a box of pasta + whatever other veggies/cheese
1 pound of ground meat+ taco seasoning- divide in half. Make chili with one half + 2 cans beans+2 cans tomatoes. Make tacos with the rest when the ingredients are on sale. Or double the beans and tomatoes and use all the meat to make a lot of chili. Then use it on burritos, potatoes, pasta, etc.0 -
I'm not on food stamps but my boyfriend and I are college students that don't get any financial aid and live on our own so we're pretty strapped for cash. We spent about $150 a month on groceries and we eat very healthy. You just have to shop around, check sales, and probably do the months grocery shopping at different stores. This month we're only spending about $80. Buy stuff like rice than look for a sale on frozen veggies or Aldi's has great prices. You may have to cut down on meat if you eat it (I don't but my bf does). It works but you have to really plan. In the summer buy from a local farmer and look up how to freeze it properly.
Good luck! =]0 -
Also, this sounds lame, but if you ever find yourself over, give back. Sometimes I have an extra $30-40 left over. I could let it roll over to next month, but instead I buy peanut butter and donate it to the food pantry. It goes really fast, at least at the one near me, and it is expensive, but it's as good or better than any other donation you can make, and they always need it.
That's REALLY nice of you, that doesn't sound lame at all. =]0 -
I've heard some good things about Aldi, if you have one in your area.
Aldi is the PLACE! I have been a loyal shopper for years and I have watched their porducts change in a FABULOUS way! Things I used to not settle for from there are now sometimes better tahn other places. Seriously, go to Aldi :drinker:0
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