Living on food stamps

[chobie]

Hair picked up from your local barber scattered around the garden sometimes helps keep the critters away.

In my area it is very common for food stamp recipients to do no budgeting at all I have often heard first hand talk of buying good steak and lobsters because food stamps came in. I live in a lower middle class area with whole towns where no one would be called truly poor by NYC standards. I personally am a big fan of Food angels and services like it because they do all the budgeting for the family.

Have you ever actually seen someone buy steak and lobsters with food stamps?

 

[nhmommy]

Have you ever actually seen someone buy steak and lobsters with food stamps?

Yes I have Honestly seen this. Sadly

 

[nhmommy]

Yes I have Honestly seen this. Sadly

That said I have also seen food stamps allow a family going through a rough patch keep their home, so it's not like I'm against food stamps as a whole it's just too bad I have personally seen more of the former then the later.

 

[mjantz]

Re: school lunches. I work in a school & even I don't know which kids are on free or reduced lunches. Everything is handled by the office. Every kid has an ID & those are scanned in the cafeteria if the student is getting a school lunch but I don't have anything to do with the scanning or have access to the database so I have no clue.

 

[Jenny3]

Have you ever actually seen someone buy steak and lobsters with food stamps?

I have. I was in line behind a woman who bought 4 steaks (about $50 worth) with her food stamp debit card.

 

[mikkishelles]

I find it truly incredible to see how people stand in judgement of what people are buying with their food stamps. I am not on food stamps, and I live in an area where abuse of the welfare system runs rampant. That being said, you don't know an individual's situation. Maybe they are getting aid because they truly need it, times are very hard, and maybe that steak or lobster is a one time treat. Can you imagine how hard and depressing it must be to truly need to ask for aid (not just because you qualify, ie. unclaimed income, etc.). Can you imagine how humiliated some must feel for handing their EBT card to the cashier, knowing that, more likely than not, complete strangers are standing in judgement of them? Does the system need to be overhauled? Yes, absolutely. Are there masses of hustlers getting from the government just because they can? Sure. That doesn't make it fair to judge complete strangers who may truly be struggling.

 

[SugarSpice]

We were on food stamps for a little while last year. Our family of 5 for $350 a month. It was not nearly enough.

 

[pocomom]

I have. I was in line behind a woman who bought 4 steaks (about $50 worth) with her food stamp debit card.

I keep trying to stay out of the actual food stamp debates, since the thread was about the project for my kids.... but
I imagine there is some waste/fraud/abuse/ or just plan bad choices on occassion - but I can think of many scenarios where this would be a completely legitmate choice. Could of been a foster mom buying birthday dinner... could have been celebrating a new job which would mean the end to food stamps! Maybe they use a little bit of the steak at each meal, or eat rice, beans, cabbage and potatoes all month to have some steak now and again. You don't know much standing behind someone in a supermarket.
I honestly don't know how any one tells anyway - I always use a debit card at the swipe - don't know how I would know someone was using the food stamp debit card... except the one time the system was down when I was in walmart and people were walking out of the store in droves ... sad times.

 

[Marionnette]

We were on food stamps for a little while last year. Our family of 5 for $350 a month. It was not nearly enough.

It's not meant to cover your entire food bill unless you are entirely dependent on public assistance (welfare). If you have some sort of income and assets, then it is expected that you will use some of that money as well to feed your family.

 

[dominiondad]

I was a cashier at a grocery store for several years. It was not uncommon for some, not all, food stamp recipients to split their bill into two separate orders. The first order was food which they paid for using food stamps. The second order was discretionary items - cigarettes, alcohol, sunglasses, coolers, etc. Many times, the cash used for the discretionary items would have covered the cost of the food.
I think we all recognize there are some people who truly need assistance with their food bill. Likewise, I think most of us agree that there are people who abuse the system. I think the debate comes from how we can better help the people who need and deserve it.

I'm leaving my personal opinion out to avoid political "points", and simply replying to a previous post that seemed to inquire if there was really waste in the system and if anybody has observed it. I saw it as a cashier, and after 16 years in law enforcement have seen it MANY times since.

 

[toystory1130]

I find it truly incredible to see how people stand in judgement of what people are buying with their food stamps. I am not on food stamps, and I live in an area where abuse of the welfare system runs rampant. That being said, you don't know an individual's situation. Maybe they are getting aid because they truly need it, times are very hard, and maybe that steak or lobster is a one time treat. Can you imagine how hard and depressing it must be to truly need to ask for aid (not just because you qualify, ie. unclaimed income, etc.). Can you imagine how humiliated some must feel for handing their EBT card to the cashier, knowing that, more likely than not, complete strangers are standing in judgement of them? Does the system need to be overhauled? Yes, absolutely. Are there masses of hustlers getting from the government just because they can? Sure. That doesn't make it fair to judge complete strangers who may truly be struggling.

A treat for me when times are hard is having enough until the end of the month, with chicken and hamburger not steak. Judgement is hard not to have when the EBT card comes out of a Louis Vuitton wallet. Just sayin'

 

[happygirl]

A treat for me when times are hard is having enough until the end of the month, with chicken and hamburger not steak. Judgement is hard not to have when the EBT card comes out of a Louis Vuitton wallet. Just sayin'

Why judge for all you know they got it at a thrift store for next to nothing. I know I have been on food stamps, and I worked and my hubby both worked out butts off but still couldn't get ahead. So we never deserved anything nice because we were on food stamps?

 

[ilovemk76]

I find it truly incredible to see how people stand in judgement of what people are buying with their food stamps. I am not on food stamps, and I live in an area where abuse of the welfare system runs rampant. That being said, you don't know an individual's situation. Maybe they are getting aid because they truly need it, times are very hard, and maybe that steak or lobster is a one time treat. Can you imagine how hard and depressing it must be to truly need to ask for aid (not just because you qualify, ie. unclaimed income, etc.). Can you imagine how humiliated some must feel for handing their EBT card to the cashier, knowing that, more likely than not, complete strangers are standing in judgement of them? Does the system need to be overhauled? Yes, absolutely. Are there masses of hustlers getting from the government just because they can? Sure. That doesn't make it fair to judge complete strangers who may truly be struggling.

We were on food stamps for a little while last year. Our family of 5 for $350 a month. It was not nearly enough.

The program is called SNAP, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. It is meant to "round out" your monthly diet to ensure proper nutrition.

 

[mom2my3kids]

I dont mean to sound harsh but the people I know of food stamps enjoy a lot of them..I understand people wanting to think they only have a couple dollars a day to purchase food but that is totally wrong!!!! may be exceptions to the rule but in most cases...

 

[nhmommy]

I find it truly incredible to see how people stand in judgement of what people are buying with their food stamps. I am not on food stamps, and I live in an area where abuse of the welfare system runs rampant. That being said, you don't know an individual's situation. Maybe they are getting aid because they truly need it, times are very hard, and maybe that steak or lobster is a one time treat. Can you imagine how hard and depressing it must be to truly need to ask for aid (not just because you qualify, ie. unclaimed income, etc.). Can you imagine how humiliated some must feel for handing their EBT card to the cashier, knowing that, more likely than not, complete strangers are standing in judgement of them? Does the system need to be overhauled? Yes, absolutely. Are there masses of hustlers getting from the government just because they can? Sure. That doesn't make it fair to judge complete strangers who may truly be struggling.

At least 3 separate occasions I sat and listened to 3 different people at a school sporting events, a birthday party talk about how soon they would be able to go get there free "lobster,steak,or prime rib roast" then when further asked how they get to do that i the answer is "my GF gets food stamps because her daughter or something like that it happens and it's not me being judgmental but again I have seen it save a family as well.

I dont mean to sound harsh but the people I know of food stamps enjoy a lot of them..I understand people wanting to think they only have a couple dollars a day to purchase food but that is totally wrong!!!! may be exceptions to the rule but in most cases...

This is what I have seen to ,people I know not things I have seen in line at the grocery store so there is no confusing the situation.

 

[chobie]

I have. I was in line behind a woman who bought 4 steaks (about $50 worth) with her food stamp debit card.

I have never noticed what type of card the person I'm front of me uses. It seems kind of rude to me to looking to see what kind of a card a person uses.

I wouldn't want anyone looking over my shoulder to see whether I'm using an Amex or visa, it's none if their business.

 

[troane522]

don't know how you eat but no way could my family of four with 3 teens make it on 668 a month. generally I'm up around 750-800 a month. I will admit I dont do beans or soup.

2nd don't know where you live so don't know your food shopping options. In camden there is no grocery store, so you shop whats in the bodegas. One of the reasons why I loathe living in the suburbs is I have to drive every freakin place to shop. so now if you don't have a car it could be an issue of acces. the nearest shoprite to me (and I live in a standard upper middle class development) is still over 3 miles away. Walmart is a 25 minute car ride.

So exactly how are they to shop more "carefully"? I laughed at the "sushi" post. How would the folks in Camden get fish unless it's frozen fish sticks to make "sushi"?

While I agree with your overall point, I have to point out that there are grocery stores in Camden; there's a Pathmark, a Cousin's, Save-a-lot (2 if you count the one on the border of Pennsauken). There is also a recently opened supermarket on Federal St.

People in Camden have access to fresh fish as well as a few places where the primary purpose is reasonably priced meat packages...

 

[bdcp]

There are rules surrounding welfare and food stamp programs but people ignore them for the most part because they think they "deserve" to do what they want or whatever. It is other people's tax money providing, but whatever. My DH has family who has been on welfare their entire lives. And they are by no means ashamed. They think they deserve it because we're "lucky". Lots of reasons they're where they are and luck isnt' one of them. You aren't supposed to have pets (at least that was the rule) if you are receiving assistance, (welfare, food stamps) because it's meant to support the people in the household not animals. DH's family has had cats and dogs the entire time. So, we choose not to have pets but we are supporting those that do. I've also seen his family (cousin) buying lots of junk, alcohol and cigarettes (all necessities, right?). And, all for the 4 kids she chose to have when we decided we could afford two. The fact is the system is broken and always has been. Tons of abuse, and before the debit card, lots of illegal activity being funded by the programs.

I think it's great that OP is trying to teach her children something about budgeting which is really what this assignment was.

 

[snarlingcoyote]

A treat for me when times are hard is having enough until the end of the month, with chicken and hamburger not steak. Judgement is hard not to have when the EBT card comes out of a Louis Vuitton wallet. Just sayin'

90% of the time, in that set of circumstances, those are fake wallets that were sold out of the back of a trunk and cost less than the comprable wallet from Walmart. Just sayin'.

 

[snarlingcoyote]

In fraud accounting one of the things you have to learn and learn quickly that one of the functions of any process is fraud. It just is. Your choice is to have that function and get the end result you are hoping for with some fraud OR to not have that function.

Now, over time, as the function becomes more established and you get better processes, the fraud can be made smaller. But you will never eliminate it.

That's just the way the cookie crumbles.

So you can either say that you will accept the fraud, work to lessen the fraud, and continue with a program that seeks to assist people in this country so that they are not hungry, or you can say that you think that this program should be eliminated and we should not seek to continue with a program that seeks to assist people in this country so that they are not hungry.

There are lots of options and things that can be argued about and discussed in the first option, but it has to be done with the clear knowledge that everyone is working towards the same goal, and then there's the second option, which is pretty clear cut.

Take your pick.