Living on food stamps

[angierae]

Low grocery budgets is something I've never managed to achieve but there are certainly plenty who do. One of the Financial blogs I read is a guy who achieved early retirement in his 30's and he and his family (2 adults one child) seem to get by on around $90 a week. He shops very alternatively though ... local produce and all that. It doesn't seem to go to the standard "grocery stores" much.

We spend more on groceries than we should, but I know that that's my own laziness. When I'm shopping sales and hitting multiple stores and cutting coupons we do really well, but it ends up being exhausting to spend my Saturday running to 4 different stores when I work 40 hours a week. I really do need to start doing better, though.

 

[pocomom]

Because it varies by area _so much_. Right now, at the store on the corner, 5# bags of potatoes are on sale for 99c, and I regularly stock up on canned tuna when it's on sale for $1/can. Milk is regularly on sale at Kroger for $2.50 a gallon.

It's so impossible to compare grocery budgets on a national board like this.

I although I knew from moving , that grocery prices are higher in certain areas, I never really thought about HOW different they can be. DD's and I are talking about it and they would like to chart the different prices of five basics. If anyone is interested in helping give them data I'll start a new thread for the 5 things they pick.

 

[nchulka]

Low grocery budgets is something I've never managed to achieve but there are certainly plenty who do. One of the Financial blogs I read is a guy who achieved early retirement in his 30's and he and his family (2 adults one child) seem to get by on around $90 a week. He shops very alternatively though ... local produce and all that. It doesn't seem to go to the standard "grocery stores" much.

We are a family of 4 (2adults, 2 kids) and our budget is 95.00 per week for groceries and paper/cleaning/personal care items. I'm guessing we just happen to live in a cheaper area. I see someone mentioned canned tuna on sale for 1.00 a can. Our regular price at Wal-Mart is 88 cents a can. I guess it all depends on what area of the country you live in.

 

[nchulka]

I although I knew from moving , that grocery prices are higher in certain areas, I never really thought about HOW different they can be. DD's and I are talking about it and they would like to chart the different prices of five basics. If anyone is interested in helping give them data I'll start a new thread for the 5 things they pick.

I think that would be pretty interesting

 

[ilovemk76]

We eat healthy and well balanced meals on 500.00 for a family if five but again we have a pantry of stuff to pull from and a second upright freezer so we do not have to start from scratch every two weeks we just fill in what we run out of with the 250.00 every two weeks. We are a family of 5.

You can't say that we eat bad just because you choose to spend more or have to spend more dependent upon your local grocery prices.

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The ones who spend little always say they eat healthy but wen asked they never actually say what they eat.

So what is healthy and well balanced on your table?

 

[ZoeBell]

The ones who spend little always say they eat healthy but wen asked they never actually say what they eat.

So what is healthy and well balanced on your table?

Conversely saying your groceries are so expensive when you are choosing buy organically so you say you are eating healthy is on the other end. There is a happy medium.

When I started weight watchers the 1st thing I did was eliminate most snack type foods. No pop, candy, treats and extra not needed. Eliminating those items took a huge chunk off my grocery bill...we drink nothing but water as cold drinks which is a huge savings.

For about $75 dollars I can buy eggs, milk, bread, chicken breasts, some type of steak/beef, wheat pasta, potatoes, fresh fruits and veggies, yogurt, taco supplies, cereal...etc

I buy what's on sale. This week it was grapes for fruits since that what Wegmans had on sale. And their bananas are always .49 cents a pound.

 

[4HppyCamprs]

The ones who spend little always say they eat healthy but wen asked they never actually say what they eat.

So what is healthy and well balanced on your table?

That was not the intent of this thread. I am not going to hijack this thread to satisfy your curiosity but I can say I would never spend 2.50 on a 5 pound bag of potatoes I can buy a bigger bag at Costco for slightly more and have larger potatoes that i can use less of therefore making more
Meals. I buy my celery and carrots at the farmers market. I would not buy a half gallon of organic milk when I can buy a whole gallon of organic milk for 5.98. I do not buy whole chickens unless it is for a specific recipe as my family likes chicken breasts and they are more versatile. We buy tuna at Costco and not only is the per can cost less the can also contains 3 oz more than a grocery store bought one. We buy meat in a meat box from a local Amish store so I get grass fed beef for 90.00 and get 12 cuts of steak. I buy hamburger at Costco it 88% 12% which is more fat than I like but at 2.99 a pound I can drain it. Orange juice I would never buy by the gallon because it would go to fast I buy 24 10oz bottles for 11.00 and then it is easier to portion out. We do not eat eggs at every meal because it is not good for my husbands cholesterol

. I am not perfect and I am not pretending to be but to say that you cannot imagine somebody eating healthy on less than what you spend is silly. It costs more to buy processed food, not less!

I am on my phone so I cannot see what else you mentioned.

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[pocomom]

That was not the intent of this thread. I am not going to hijack this thread to satisfy your curiosity but I can say I would never spend 2.50 on a 5 pound bag of potatoes I can buy a bigger bag at Costco for slightly more and have larger potatoes that i can use less of therefore making more
Meals. I buy my celery and carrots at the farmers market. I would not buy a half gallon of organic milk when I can buy a whole gallon of organic milk for 5.98. I do not buy whole chickens unless it is for a specific recipe as my family likes chicken breasts and they are more versatile. We buy tuna at Costco and not only is the per can cost less the can also contains 3 oz more than a grocery store bought one. We buy meat in a meat box from a local Amish store so I get grass fed beef for 90.00 and get 12 cuts of steak. I buy hamburger at Costco it 88% 12% which is more fat than I like but at 2.99 a pound I can drain it. Orange juice I would never buy by the gallon because it would go to fast I buy 24 10oz bottles for 11.00 and then it is easier to portion out. We do not eat eggs at every meal because it is not good for my husbands cholesterol

. I am not perfect and I am not pretending to be but to say that you cannot imagine somebody eating healthy on less than what you spend is silly. It costs more to buy processed food, not less!

I am on my phone so I cannot see what else you mentioned.

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Never seen a Gallon of organic milk at any of my stores - I'm happy when they have the half gallon! It seems like we have uncovered a big issue here, when talking about grocery budgets - just what ARE your options in your area. There is education on smart shopping of course, but if you don't live in an area where you can get the bigger bag of potatoes (or manage to bring them home) you can only do so much.

 

[Granny square]

The ones who spend little always say they eat healthy but wen asked they never actually say what they eat.

So what is healthy and well balanced on your table?

We do one vegetarian meal a week and sometimes two. Tonight we are fixing the pork roast, pumpkin casserole and a salad. The roast was $10 but will become pulled pork sandwiches for the weekend. And dh will have a bit of that plus a salad in his lunch tomorrow.

Dinner tomorrow night is black bean burgers, trying a new recipe in the attempt to copy the ones we had in st augustine. The buns are homemade, as is the guacamole.

Friday, frittata with leftover veggies and cheese from last nights Mexican meal.

Weekend, red beans and rice, using a local ham hock, and local homemade sausage.

And chicken noodle soup, with a whole chicken that cost about $4 and homemade noodles. Although I don't make them whole wheat because the soup gets too starchy.

Lunches are leftovers, sandwiches on homemade whole wheat bread, or if the boys want to make pizzas we always have dough in the freezer and something that can be tossed on it in one.

Breakfast is eggs, oats or cereal. Or pizza, or smoothie, or whatever else is around.

Eating healthy inexpensively takes effort, and a joy in cooking. But I like to cook, and I pay one of my sons (who likes to bake) to make the bread. It works for us. Real food isn't expensive. When you go to whole foods and want to buy the premade organic, however you are going to pay a fortune.

 

[MomToOne]

DH and I spend $400+ per month. I can't imagine what you and your DD eat on $50 a week. That is $7 a day for 6 meals.

5 lbs of potatoes are $2.50 on sale. A dozen eggs are $1.69. A whole chicken is $1.29/lb. a green pepper can be $1.50. A half gallon of skim milk is $2. Fish is upwards of $10/lb for wild caught. We do not eat talapia since most comes from china. A can of tuna, white in water and no added salt, is $3.29.

I find it just as odd to claim you are eating a well balanced and unprocessed diet on so little.

Well, I got 10 lbs of potatoes for under $2 last week, and regularly get whole chickens for $.89/lb on sale. I buy leg quarters all the time for less than $1/lb (I boil them up, then use the meat in all sorts of dishes). Breast meat is less than $2/lb on sale. I can get pork chops for $.99/lb on sale - they may not be the best cut, but I trim them down anyway for stir frys, etc. We eat meatless about once a week not out of any attempt to cut costs, but because I enjoy beans (should I admit that? ) I buy rice in 20 lb bags because it is dramatically cheaper. We eat simple steamed vegetables, that are in season (right now a lot of squash to my daughter's dismay), always available cheap (carrotts) or frozen (spinach, peas). Green peppers cost me less than $.50 right now, if they were $1.50 I would not buy them and plan a different meal that took advantage of the produce that was reasonably priced. I shop at a store 7 miles away that isn't as pretty or nice as other stores, but the regular prices are 20-30% lower than the stores in my neighborhood. I bake "treats" on weekends like cookies and cupcakes instead of buying them premade. I make a meal plan and shop accordingly, I don't go into a grocery store every night or two saying to myself "gee, what am I in the mood for today?" I leverage extra produce and other items that I may have left over from one meal for another meal in my plan. We eat store brand low-sugar high fiber cereals for breakfast, oatmeal, etc. My daughter usually takes a sandwich and fruit to school for lunch, and I bring leftovers or a sandwich to work.

For breakfast today, we had store-brand raisin bran. Lunch today for me is leftover chicken/vegetable enchillas and spanish rice from dinner a couple of nights ago. Tonight's dinner is Chicken Jambalaya, made with my less than $2/lb chicken breast, a few cents of rice from my 20 lb bag and my less than $.50 green pepper. We'll either eat the leftovers on Friday for dinner again(a finish-it-up day in our house), I'll take them to work with me for lunch the next few days or my daughter will eat them on the weekend for lunch. We'll have a salad with it, using the $1 head of romaine lettuce I got at the store this weekend which we also used for another meal and sandwiches - I'll actually wash and cut up the lettuce myself, I don't generally buy bagged stuff - I'll spend a few minutes of my time fixing it to save a dollar or two.

We eat just fine, thank you.

 

[Granny square]

I also know that drinks can cost a fortune. I buy a lot of tea, and we drink good coffee. But otherwise no soda or flavored waters. The kids tend to use the tea bags diluted to flavor if they want something.

 

[4HppyCamprs]

On another note for those who are paying the premium for organic foods should google "The myth of organics".

I agree that where we live and where we shop inpacts our budget greatly but again I would not say that somebody who spends less is eating unhealthy. We just have different resources.

We have a whole foods store 1/2 hour away and when shrimp is on sale there I can get it at the same price as I would pay for frozen shrimp at the local store.

We also buy big bags of flour and rice. We can then make pizza at home for very very cheap and load it up. A large pizza is less than 5.00 with meat.

I agree with the PP that I would not pay 1.50 for a green bell pepper. They are the cheapest in our area at usually 3/2.00 and the colored ones (which are the ones we eat) are .99 when I buy them on sale.

We love artichokes too and I have a max price I will pay for them or I shop for something different. Actually all items I have a max price in my mind that I will pay or I buy something different

Another cost cutter: A pork loin is 15.00 at Costco. we buy the whole thing bring it home cut it in half and half goes in the crock pot as a roast for pulled pork and the other half is cut into pork chops.....

It works for us AND saves money

 

[MrsPete]

This entire thread is ridiculous and reeks of middle class privilege. I understand what OP is trying to teach her kids, but it's impossible to throw in all of the variables that a low-income family faces. Anybody who has replied talking about how they easily spend under the food stamp $$ shame on you! I dare you to walk a mile in a poor person's shoes.

Poverty isn't about lack of money, is truly a cultural phenomenon. You need to erase every ounce of knowledge about nutrition in your brain. Get rid of your pots, pans, ovens, stove top, blenders, food processors, and toasters. Now work 16 hours a day and raise 3 kids on your own. If you're lucky enough to have a college education, you're paying a good chunk of your salary towards your loans. You don't have a car and most impoverished areas don't have a grocery store within a mile, so you're forced to grocery shop at 7-11. You basically easy out of cans and bags, because you don't have the equipment or time to cook. You don't have health insurance or internet because you're pinching every last penny. Most food pantries, if you're lucky enough to have one within walking distance or the bus line, only allow customers to be served twice a year.

These are the people I serve everyday. These stories are the norm, not the exception. Until you've experienced poverty, it's impossible to understand the importance of cultural capital. Have you ever actually applied for SNAP? When I was going through a rough time, I applied to see just how hard it was. Despite qualifying for the full amount, it took 11 months to receive my first benefits! They don't have a phone # or email so you have to keep taking days off work to show up at DSS and hope your caseworker is in. If he/she had the day off, they won't serve you and you've wasted a work day. It SUCKS.

Not every school has free/reduced lunch, and a good number of kids are toO embarrassed to accept it. I never attended a school that served meals, and honestly thought that was a regional thing

I don't need to walk a mile in a poor person's shoes: I wore those shoes for years. They had holes in them. Literally.

I agree with your statement that it isn't about money -- to a point; that is, much of it is a failure to understand how to use what they have well. However, you've created a scenerio that isn't particularly representative of the people I know who are poor -- you've really skewed this one towards the negative. In my area anyway, only a few families live in situations that hopeless. Families who are "new to poverty" probably do have a kitchen full of cooking implements, and those who don't can easily get these items for only a few dollars at the Goodwill. You're assuming that the individual in this situation has a college degree and loans . . . yet no car? That's not particularly realistic for my area -- perhaps it is true in urban places where public transit is available. In reality, every poor family has a different set of challenges and benefits.

To provide a contrast to your view of people on food stamps, I know some people on foodstamps and their life is nothing like what you describe.

I am in a mentoring program and I have been matched to a young girl for the past 4 years. Her family is on food stamps, but their lifestyle is much different than what you describe. The dad works full time...40 hours a week. The mom stays home to care for her 8 month old...their 7th child. They have a fully functioning kitchen, heat, air conditioning and three cars (an older son has a car). The mom and an older daughter flew to South America last month to visit family. This family gets discounted cell phone, rent assistance and free Christmas presents at Christmas through some program. Their family gets more than enough to eat and often gets carry out pizza. They have cable TV and multiple gaming systems for the kids.

I know other people on food stamps who have similar stories...I usually see them as content, and not struggling every moment of the day to bring in extra income to get off food stamps. The standard of living for people on food stamps in America, compared to those in poverty in most other countries is so much higher. Most people on food stamps these days have cell phones, cable tv, Xbox, multiple cars, etc.

I do personally know people who live this type of lifestyle. Video games, etc. have been received for Christmases over the past years. The cars may not all be reliable. They aren't living high on the hog, but they're doing okay and are satisfied with what they have.

One of my students, one whom I know for a fact was on an angel tree last Christmas, was just robbed. From his bedroom they took his 32" TV and his X-box and his 20-something X-box games. Most poor kids do have "some stuff". They have less of it than middle-class kids, and what they really don't have is financial stability (that is, they may suddenly not have meals for a couple days, or they may suddenly lose use of the car for a couple weeks, or they may not be able to take part in a school activity that costs money). And poor kids do odd things to cover up: I've seen kids carry phones that have no service . . . just so it'll look like they have a phone. Tennis shoes aren't quite the status symbol they were a few years ago, but I remember seeing boys wear their old shoes into the school building, then change into their "cool kicks" once they were inside. The same group wouldn't lace the shoes, the goal being to prevent them from getting "creases" in the leather. In part, poor kids "have stuff" because many of their families don't have the concept of saving for a rainy day; rather, they believe in spending it while you've got it. So instead of saving for something they really need down the road, a girl might spend $30 to get her nails done, or a guy might buy an expensive ball cap. You and I, in our middle class world, would say these are foolish purchases because we'd be thinking that they need a winter coat, etc. . . . but they'd assume that if they don't enjoy that luxury today, the opportunity to have it will be gone.

The most realistic scenerio is somewhere between your description and Fall's.

 

[nunzia]

To answer the question of location and how that impacts grocery shopping, I think I've said before that we only have two options for groceries. A super Walmart and a Lowes Pay and Save (which should be called Pay and Pay)..I shop their sales and sometimes get their generic canned goods. The WalMart did what many do..moved in here and suddenly Albertsons and Smiths were gone (rumors of Albertson's coming back..yeah) We have a military base close by and some can shop there, but when chains look at our town they see three options even though only two are available to most. This is a pretty poor community..some of our schools have gotten free lunches for all without having to qualify since so many fit into free lunch (and breakfast) income. However..many places where the poverty level would be difficult to exist on you can do ok here. So here we are with 2 choices..no one ever doubles coupons, WalMart will price match but I think that's cheating..if they wanted to offer their items cheaper they should just do so, not just when a customer brings it up and not to run another store out of business. We do a SAMS shopping trip every couple months and stock up, so don't really shop that much in town..just things to round out meals and fresh items. Our Farmer's markets tend toward squash and chiles , but I want to start utilizing them more to support locals. We have a jam packed pantry and freezer. I buy when stuff is on sale and keep surplus things that can get buggy in the freezer. We have a lot of pecan growers here so spend time shelling and bagging and freezing gifted nuts. We run a Pumpkin Patch in the fall (the church where I work) so bring home damaged pumpkins and make my own pulp and freeze. I agree with many that one of the biggest problems with poverty in this country is education..I see so many who live large while their assistance is fresh and never ever learn to plan for the next week or look ahead to a future. They are always in a panic and call the day their water is going to be turned off..like it's a surprise.. and get mad when we don't just pay their bills. We have a Mescalero reservation...they do pretty well with a casino and gov't pay..first of the month they would come to our DVD/Music store and drop 100 bills on all kinds of junk..games, hats, candy, movies, etc. So yea..education is needed. I remember way back in the day when I was poor (and I still say poor then is not the same as 'poor' now..for many) I was told of a new program.. WIC ( I don't know how new it was in the early 80's but it was new to me) where you get get free milk, eggs, cheese, juice and cereal for your kids. WOW..fantastic. To get your vouchers you had a monthly education appointment where you watched little videos and got brochures on nutrition, meal planning etc. I don't think they do that anymore but they sure should. I think all asisstance programs should have some kind of education to go with..maybe help those who truly don't want to be lifers get a hand up with a little knowledge.

 

[momof3ds]

WIC is still around. It is for pregnant women and families with children ages 5 and under. We got it for our foster kids.

Babies get formula and baby food. Older kids gt milk, eggs, cheese, cereal and they recently added in frozen or fresh vegetables.

It was nice, ESP for formula. But, I hated that we could only get 2% or skim milk. My kids needed and still need whole milk as they are on the small end of the scale.

 

[leahjade]

you've really skewed this one towards the negative. In my area anyway, only a few families live in situations that hopeless.

The scene you imagined is not true in our area either. I worked in an assistance office for a year and almost EVERYONE in the program had a car (we live in the suburbs and there is practically no public transportation). Most families had smart phones, gaming systems, laptops etc. They might have tons of credit card debt but they are certainly not hungry or destitute.

You need to erase every ounce of knowledge about nutrition in your brain.

Every school teaches nutrition - you act like children can never learn another way of life than how they were raised. My husband's family only ever ate processed and canned food yet he decided to live another way and now eats a healthy and nutritious diet. My parents never hugged us or said they loved us yet I decided to bring my kids up in a different kind of family. You act like people are robots and have no choice in how they live! I could go on and on -no on in my family ever went to college but I worked full time and went to school as well not ever having much money or taking from the government. There are thousands of stories like mine - we can change our lives - we are not doomed to live as our parents did.

 

[Granny square]

I know that we can get someone a temporary food supply and accepted for food stamps in days, not months, also.

 

[Colleen27]

Free lunch does not seem to have the stigma it had in the past. When my daughter transitioned to public school this year, so many kids were on free lunch that she thought lunch was free to everyone until I set her straight.

I agree with that, but for a different reason - technology. Rather than paying cash for lunches, our schools use a barcoded student ID. So whether the kid is paying full price for lunch or getting it for free is entirely invisible on the point-of-sale end; the only difference is if/how much the parents have to deposit into the student's dining account for those meals.

Low grocery budgets is something I've never managed to achieve but there are certainly plenty who do. One of the Financial blogs I read is a guy who achieved early retirement in his 30's and he and his family (2 adults one child) seem to get by on around $90 a week. He shops very alternatively though ... local produce and all that. It doesn't seem to go to the standard "grocery stores" much.

That's definitely a part of it for me. I couldn't afford as much organic, cage free, and free range if I had to pay grocery store prices for it, but buying direct from farmers' markets and the farms themselves makes it easier. I can't even begin to calculate an accurate weekly number, though, because we buy some things in bulk (ie 1/4 cow as freezer beef) and can/freeze when things are in season, plus I grow a lot of our veggies.

Every school teaches nutrition - you act like children can never learn another way of life than how they were raised.

Not in my experience. My oldest is in 8th grade and other than a few elem coloring pages about the food pyramid he's had no instruction in nutrition or health. I'm sure they'll cover it briefly in human bio in high school, but that's a semester-long class that covers everything from the bones, organs, and muscle groups to sexual health to bullying and emotional health to fitness and nutrition so it isn't a topic that's likely to get more than a cursory once-over. IME schools tend to steer clear of potentially offensive lessons, which these days seems to encompass anything with a human behaviour component.

 

[ilovemk76]

I agree with that, but for a different reason - technology. Rather than paying cash for lunches, our schools use a barcoded student ID. So whether the kid is paying full price for lunch or getting it for free is entirely invisible on the point-of-sale end; the only difference is if/how much the parents have to deposit into the student's dining account for those meals.



That's definitely a part of it for me. I couldn't afford as much organic, cage free, and free range if I had to pay grocery store prices for it, but buying direct from farmers' markets and the farms themselves makes it easier. I can't even begin to calculate an accurate weekly number, though, because we buy some things in bulk (ie 1/4 cow as freezer beef) and can/freeze when things are in season, plus I grow a lot of our veggies.

Ours varies greatly from week to week. I average the amount we spent over the entire year to get the number we spend on average. I do that at the end of the year when I complete our yearly expenses to compare to how we did on our budget and to setup the new budget.



Not in my experience. My oldest is in 8th grade and other than a few elem coloring pages about the food pyramid he's had no instruction in nutrition or health. I'm sure they'll cover it briefly in human bio in high school, but that's a semester-long class that covers everything from the bones, organs, and muscle groups to sexual health to bullying and emotional health to fitness and nutrition so it isn't a topic that's likely to get more than a cursory once-over. IME schools tend to steer clear of potentially offensive lessons, which these days seems to encompass anything with a human behaviour component.

ITA with the bolded.

 

[Teresa Pitman]

For me, healthy eating means maximizing our intake of fruits and vegetables. I aim for at least seven servings of those per day, preferably nine or ten.

We are vegan, so don't eat meat, eggs or cheese. We save money that way and I believe (although I am sure some disagree) that this is a healthier way to eat. We also try to minimize the foods made with flour, especially those with white flour, regular potatoes, and rice. We rarely buy bread; I do make some bread at home using sourdough starter and whole wheat flour, and I make any treats (cookies, etc.) at home. We eat oatmeal made from steel-cut oats and use some grains in cooking such as barley, millet and quinoa.

When canned beans are on sale, I stock up. (We use dry beans too but those rarely go on sale, it seems.) I do buy some frozen fruits and vegetables when they are on sale but we prefer fresh produce even if it costs a bit more - I find my family will eat more of it and that's important to me!

In the past on the DisBoards there were sometimes threads about how cheaply people could eat, with shopping lists and menus included, but almsot every time I felt the menus were very low on fruits and vegetables.

TP