Is eating healthy on food stamps possible?
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families of the same size as us in TX get more in foodstamps than we spend on our almost 100% organic, homemade diet. I think foodstamps should be combined with meal plan and cooking info/classes, a lot of people are like, WTH do I do with 2lbs of beans? eh, just get the pizza...0
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Yes. I have been a social worker for nearly 9 years working in the community with people who have mental health diagnosis and fit the category of low-income or "poor.".
I can say that in the Columbus, OH area there are plenty of "cheap" or low-priced grocery store options that have produce sections and other healthy options for meals choices. The stores may not have as large of a selection as the fancier brand-name grocery stores, but they do have healthier options for food.
I know of only a very small amount of consumers, out of thousands, that pick the healthy options when available, despite the efforts to educate and assist them to be reminded of healthy choices and the need to eat better.
A vast majority will always pick the cupcakes and chips over vegetables and low calorie options. Mt. Dew is like crack and as long as the food stamps pay for it, it will be purcahsed and consumed.
Even in food pantries and church soup kitchens, people will argue over being given more snacks and meat, rather than accept a large amout of healthy options. I've seen people leave the pantry and throw away the boxes and bags of the free healthier foods to keep the bag of chips, burger patties and store-brand Oreos.0 -
I can't imagine someone eating more than $20.00 a week in food by themselves.
I eat $10 to $15 a day in food by myself. Granted, I buy the good stuff (grass-fed beef, wild-caught seafood, etc.), but I imagine I'd be living on peanut butter sandwiches and canned soup if I could only spend $20 in a week.
Agreed. I spend $15-$20 a day for just myself.
My husband and I and our 2 dogs also eat grass fed, wild caught, free range and in season vegetables and fruits and we rarely spend more than $60.00 a week for all of us.
We eat very well on usually $40-50 a week.0 -
My mom gets 189 a month and first thing gets a meat bundle and makes it last a month. Then gets produce and other staples to get her through and manages just fine. Sometimes, she gets a little extra treat or two. So, yes, I believe it can be done.0
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I'm doing it. It's not easy & sometimes it's really tight, but I make a list & plan ahead.0
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I used to be on food stamps, I ate about $4-5(probably much less) of food a day and still do. Barely ever ate processed foods.
Tips:
Quit buying lean ground beef, the fat is great for you. I regularly bought 85/15 ground beef because it's much more calorie dense than the lean stuff, and cheaper.
Rice is amazing. Respect the rice.
Chicken breast is hella cheap in USA.
Many farmer's markets will double your food stamps.
edit:
As an unemployed adult student, I was getting $38/month in food stamps.0 -
I know some people on snap and they spend more on groceries than I have to spend. So if I can do it they certainly can.0
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I used to be on food stamps, I ate about $4-5(probably much less) of food a day and still do. Barely ever ate processed foods.
Tips:
Quit buying lean ground beef, the fat is great for you. I regularly bought 85/15 ground beef because it's much more calorie dense than the lean stuff, and cheaper.
Rice is amazing. Respect the rice.
Chicken breast is hella cheap in USA.
Many farmer's markets will double your food stamps.
edit:
As an unemployed adult student, I was getting $38/month in food stamps.
Are you telling me to respect the rice? I dont got nothing against it, Im eating more then pasta so I dont gain so much
And if people shopped around looking at the stores circulars they can see where the sales are granted there is many around them. Like for instance in a 5 mile radius or so I have at least 3-4 different food stores. So what I do with the chicken is i buy it in bulk and cut it down to sizes and I can get 3-4 weeks worth from a 5-6lb package sometimes 1 buy 2 if I know im getting low on it and just recently I did start to buy ground beef that is 2lbs or larger so I can break those down to a 1lb and have 1 meal for 2 weeks or more a month0 -
Food stamps have been in the news lately because the program was just (essentially) cut. Articles like this are poorly veiled attempts to criticize SNAP.
Do people honestly think it's okay to tell the destitute what they can and cannot eat? I don't mind things like Bloomberg's soda ban because it affects everybody, but it's absurd to legislate diet restrictions on only poor people. I see wealthy and middle class Americans gorging themselves on ice cream, smoking 2 packs a day, and drinking like there's no tomorrow (which, for them there probably isn't). But as soon as someone buys a pack of Redbull with an EBT card they turn into Frank f**king Lalane. If these people are so concerned with the cost of providing health care for diseases caused by poor lifestyle choices they should first take a look at their own lives.
If you ask me, it's all a conspiracy lead by D!ck Cheney. He wants to turn the underclass into an organ farm for the gluttonous, disease ridden aristocrats on Wall st and in Washington.
Of course he's at odds with the not-so-secret conspiracy of our wonderful multinational food corporations to keep everyone in America addicted to cheap, nutritionally empty products.
(I'm being facetious about D!ck Cheney, although the fact remains that he annihilated his first heart and is now clearly working on destroying his second. Which could have been used to save the life of someone who didn't willingly cause their own heart's demise.)
Edit: Uncensored Cheney's name.0 -
I think the amount quoted in the article, for Texas, is fairly accurate. We get many families below the poverty level in Central TX as well. Many are on food stamps and ask me how they can eat healthily on their food stamp amounts. This area is not a food desert, but it is a military town and there is a division on different sides of town with what is available, as to types of stores and quality of fruit and produce. Wal Mart and HEB, the only competitors in this town, are on the 'good sides of town', whereas where the poorer population in town only has a subpar independent grocery store with very poor selection of produce. There are frozen vegie varieties available, but they are much more expensive than those available elsewhere.
I am not saying that $430 for a family of 6 is impossible, but add to the fact that this year food stamp benefits are being reduced, due to federal cuts, food prices are constantly rising and in their community, there isn't a lot of food availability.
I am sure many people would love to have a higher food stamp allotment. Not all people on food stamps buy soda, frozen pizza and other such foods, although I think that many people are not aware of the true cost of these foods to their health.
I don't know what the solution is, but there is definitely a problem!!!0 -
Do people honestly think it's okay to tell the destitute what they can and cannot eat?
If you mean limit the food purchase options of food assistance - then of course? There are already limits. SNAP isn't a prize. It's a public expenditure to enact a social policy choice.
The problem with purchase limits isn't breaching an inalienable right to eat what we want with government money, it's food deserts and lack of appliances/power.0 -
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A typical daycare bill is far more than the $5,000 that you're using as an example. I don't think that people choosing to not have children should be penalized, or should be made to share the burden of those households with children, but the cost of raising children in this day is extremely high. If both partners work, there is a huge daycare bill typically. If one stays home, the other had better be earning professional dollars to maintain a typical family of 2.5 children. Back to the working poor analogy ....
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I bet out of every 100 people getting huge tax refunds (especially low income families receiving the EITC) maybe 2-3 of them actually use the refund for anything related to daycare, child rearing, etc. From my observation the money is more often spent on tattoos and flat screens.
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I wouldn't presume to judge how others spend their money. Speaking from experience, we never had to rely on food stamps because both DH and I work, have good jobs, and manage our money adequately. However, when our kids were young and we were always pinching pennies, we used our tax returns as a guaranteed savings account for home repairs. No one should judge how we spent it; we used our hard-earned money every week to pay for our childrens' daycare, putting off repairs for tax return time.
All that being said, I work with many adults who have never learned to manage their money, do not have computers at their disposal (ready access to information, i.e., recipes, nutrition, etc.), and who come from generations of uneducated and economically challenged people. I stopped judging these people years ago when I realized that the world will always be comprised of "haves/go-getters" and "can't-get-out-of-the-ghetto have-nots", and there will always be someone there to pass judgement on those not exactly like themselves.0 -
My mother qualifies for food stamps due to disability. They give her something like $40 every 2 weeks. For her at least it's not really enough to be more than supplemental. People with kids get quite a bit more.
Yep. TOTALLY do not understand this. My former client who was a man with autism in his 40's working at a special facility earning way under min. wage, got $34 per month in food stamps. I know a family of four, dad works making decent money at a factory, mom stays at home, and last I heard, they received $500+change monthly for food stamps in addition to the children getting free breakfast & lunch at school. What in the world...!?
Ah, I guess it's the same thing as tax time when people with kids get thousands back. Pisses me off to be quite honest.
Yep it's not very fair someone with a true disability is punished for not procreating. I'm taking advantage of it though. I'd be stupid not to if the government thinks popping out a kid is worth a few thousand then I'm taking it.
Yeah I can't say I blame ya.
I just think it should be less of a drastic difference. Like single person gets $100, 4 person household $400, that would work in my mind...or at tax time, I wouldn't even care if I got $0 refund (which has happened, mine's never large in a DINKS household) but I feel like two low wage workers w/ matching annual salaries, one with kids and one with no kids, the difference in their tax refund should not be *THOUSANDS*. Hundreds, sure. But like $5,000 difference...no....
A typical daycare bill is far more than the $5,000 that you're using as an example. I don't think that people choosing to not have children should be penalized, or should be made to share the burden of those households with children, but the cost of raising children in this day is extremely high. If both partners work, there is a huge daycare bill typically. If one stays home, the other had better be earning professional dollars to maintain a typical family of 2.5 children. Back to the working poor analogy ....
I bet out of every 100 people getting huge tax refunds (especially low income families receiving the EITC) maybe 2-3 of them actually use the refund for anything related to daycare, child rearing, etc. From my observation the money is more often spent on tattoos and flat screens.
wow. so much bitterness. Everyone I know who gets EIC uses that money to do something that they need to do that they haven't been able to afford: fixing the car, getting a new car, paying off credit cards they relied on when they didn't have enough money to feed the kids. Paying rent for a few months while they go to school to try to get a degree.
THIS^^^^^0 -
A typical daycare bill is far more than the $5,000 that you're using as an example. I don't think that people choosing to not have children should be penalized, or should be made to share the burden of those households with children, but the cost of raising children in this day is extremely high. If both partners work, there is a huge daycare bill typically. If one stays home, the other had better be earning professional dollars to maintain a typical family of 2.5 children. Back to the working poor analogy ....
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PER PREVIOUS COMMENT
"I bet out of every 100 people getting huge tax refunds (especially low income families receiving the EITC) maybe 2-3 of them actually use the refund for anything related to daycare, child rearing, etc. From my observation the money is more often spent on tattoos and flat screens."
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RESPONSE
I wouldn't presume to judge how others spend their money. Speaking from experience, we never had to rely on food stamps because both DH and I work, have good jobs, and manage our money adequately. However, when our kids were young and we were always pinching pennies, we used our tax returns as a guaranteed savings account for home repairs. No one should judge how we spent it; we used our hard-earned money every week to pay for our childrens' daycare, putting off repairs for tax return time.
All that being said, I work with many adults who have never learned to manage their money, do not have computers at their disposal (ready access to information, i.e., recipes, nutrition, etc.), and who come from generations of uneducated and economically challenged people. I stopped judging these people years ago when I realized that the world will always be comprised of "haves/go-getters" and "can't-get-out-of-the-ghetto have-nots", and there will always be someone there to pass judgement on those not exactly like themselves.
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Just a fast run down of options:
Water is free
A head of lettuce is $1
Store brand fat free salad dressing $3
A huge bag of rice is $10
12 eggs are $1.40-$1.99
Natural peanut butter is $4
One of the brands of pasta is always on sale for $1/box
Find the chicken on sale
Find the tuna on sale (buy the larger cans and portion it out for bigger savings)
Buy the 3lb tube of ground beef $7-$8
Look for the BOGOS in the soup isle
ALWAYS check the weekly circular for savings/coupons0 -
A typical daycare bill is far more than the $5,000 that you're using as an example. I don't think that people choosing to not have children should be penalized, or should be made to share the burden of those households with children, but the cost of raising children in this day is extremely high. If both partners work, there is a huge daycare bill typically. If one stays home, the other had better be earning professional dollars to maintain a typical family of 2.5 children. Back to the working poor analogy ....
People CAN live the 'stay at home' lifestyle without making 'big bucks' if they make that choice a priority and if each person (especially the stay-at-home person) treats their domestic life like an actual job. Lots of planning, budgeting and sacrificing luxuries like travel vacations and cool toys. I was a stay at home mom and I currently work with the husband of one. Believe me, he ain't making "professional" bucks. But he pays those taxes and doesn't get everything he pays in back.
I don't mean to seem unkind to people who are struggling. I've been everywhere along the income spectrum short of the top 10%.
Believe me, it's NOT easy at the bottom.
There are plenty of things lacking in the US, but for many, many people, there ARE ways to make it work and pull themselves up. I would rather look for ways to help them become self-sufficient (and healthy at that!) than just keep throwing money at those who don't.0 -
meh...I know people won't agree with me on the tax refund thing and that's okay. I'm a super liberal person (yes even socially) but there's this ONE particular issue that I think is absolutely unacceptable and that is the huge tax credit for low income individuals with kids. Under no circumstances should (in my opinion) anyone get a $7,000 tax "refund" when they paid in less than $1,000 in income tax. Period.
Not offended and I don't mind being called bitter, mean, judgmental...I am on this one issue. I am angry about it and bitter and I think it is disgusting.0 -
If people want to eat healthy, they find a way!!0
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I would say yes.
Here we have Aldi's & I can buy produce super cheap. Avocados at less than .60 each, bananas at .29 per pound, tomatoes @ 6 for $2.50, grapes @ $1.89 per pound Then hamburger @ 2.79 per pound, wheat bread for less than $1.30 a loaf. Our family of 3 (2 adults & 1 toddler) eat around $100 per week.
But I live in a small suburb in Oklahoma & have easy access to produce, IDK what it would be like in a big city.0 -
A typical daycare bill is far more than the $5,000 that you're using as an example. I don't think that people choosing to not have children should be penalized, or should be made to share the burden of those households with children, but the cost of raising children in this day is extremely high. If both partners work, there is a huge daycare bill typically. If one stays home, the other had better be earning professional dollars to maintain a typical family of 2.5 children. Back to the working poor analogy ....
People CAN live the 'stay at home' lifestyle without making 'big bucks' if they make that choice a priority and if each person (especially the stay-at-home person) treats their domestic life like an actual job. Lots of planning, budgeting and sacrificing luxuries like travel vacations and cool toys. I was a stay at home mom and I currently work with the husband of one. Believe me, he ain't making "professional" bucks. But he pays those taxes and doesn't get everything he pays in back.
I don't mean to seem unkind to people who are struggling. I've been everywhere along the income spectrum short of the top 10%.
Believe me, it's NOT easy at the bottom.
There are plenty of things lacking in the US, but for many, many people, there ARE ways to make it work and pull themselves up. I would rather look for ways to help them become self-sufficient (and healthy at that!) than just keep throwing money at those who don't.
I've always been a stay at home mom & we sit down & budget every Sunday after Church. Yes, it's frustrating, yes it's time consuming, but it's well worth it for our family. No, we don't buy new clothes or eat fast food, but we prioritize the most important things in our life & make it work.0
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