Foodstamps - live on $176 a month

[SecondCor521]

Wow, we spend so much more than the norm on this board that it is scary. For the two of us we probably spend about $800 a month on groceries and at least another $400 dining out.

We are not extravagant eaters, but I do tend to buy a lot of organic products and we mainly eat fresh. Never buy steaks, but lots of fish. We spend at least $150 a month on fresh organic blueberries which we have for breakfast every day - they were $5.99 yesterday for a small punnet. We only drink organic milk which is about $4.89 a gallon. Last week when I purchased organic apples it was nearly $7 for 5 apples. If I buy ground beef (maybe once a month) it is always the 7% fat or less if available. When we buy cheeses it is usually imported, because we prefer the taste.

I haven't used coupons for a while as I found they were mainly for processed products we would not eat.

When it comes to paper products I only use Kleenex toilet tissue and facial tissues, I refuse to use the cheaper, rougher products. I wonder if the $176 figure includes these items and household cleaners?

I would imagine that people on food stamps may not have access to transport to farmer's markets etc to access cheaper products and maybe their diet staples are different to what the general population eat.

I don't eat "organic" labeled anything.

I buy whatever fruit I can buy that is less than $1 per pound. This usually includes bananas, oranges, apples, and pears. I sometimes splurge on strawberries or grapes, both of which run about $2.50 per pound.

My milk is the generic fat-free, which I believe runs about $2.75 per gallon.

I buy Tillamook cheddar cheese, which is $5.99 for 2#.

I very rarely use coupons, and only do so when it's easy. I've probably saved $10 in the past six months.

My expense figure I quoted above *does* include toiletries, household cleaners, etc.

2Cor521

 

[Bikerdude]

Most seem to be missing the fact that folks who get food stamps are poor.

"The poor, who need money the most, are the very ones that don't have any."

Don't recall who said that.

 

[BunsGettingFirm]

"The poor, who need money the most, are the very ones that don't have any."

Don't recall who said that.

Yoggi?

 

[Running_Man]

I found this topic interesting and tried to put a grocery list together to see what I would be able to have based on 3 local grocer weekly flyers and PeaPod for the remainder. Would need to go to Burger King and get some salt and pepper packets as well as the ketchup.

Next I have to update for the amount of calories and fat content.

 

[Cattusbabe]

You're making an excellent point Robert. Most seem to be missing the fact that folks who get food stamps are poor. There is no fully equiped kitchen, cabinets full of paper and cleaning products, staples and condiments, etc., to bring your purchases home to.

Try imagining moving into a subsidized apartment with a small box of pots, pans and utensils. No food or cleaning products in the place at all. Then put together your shopping list. Makes it a lot more interesting!

That would be difficult, however you are assuming that the recipient is living alone which is usually not the case.
Resources get pooled in order to make ends meet.

 

[tuixiu]

1. I love fresh fruit as much as the next person, but that blueberry post is amazing.

2. How much more do you need than a few pots, pans, and basic spices? It's nice to have and it surely increases your range of cooking options but you don't need a kitchen full of gleaming copper clad pans and a spice rack stocked with things like star anise and lemon grass powder to cook good food.

 

[Lusitan]

Try imagining moving into a subsidized apartment with a small box of pots, pans and utensils. No food or cleaning products in the place at all. Then put together your shopping list. Makes it a lot more interesting!

Not much more interesting; spices and condiments are ultra-cheap. How much does salt, sugar, cinnamon, garlic powder cost? How much for a tin of decent quality olive oil? Not much. Probably less than two day's worth of junk food I've seen people "buying" with grocery orders paid for (in part or in full) with food stamps.

 

[Frugality_of_Apathy]

That would be difficult, however you are assuming that the recipient is living alone which is usually not the case.
Resources get pooled in order to make ends meet.

People only getting $176/month or less in foodstamps are living by themselves. or if they have a roommate it's someone not related to them and they will also only have the $176 for food and likely isn't going to be sharing their food.

If they have kids or a spouse they are going to get more money in foodstamps.

You only need a couple pots and some dishes which can be fairly cheap at second hand stores, but spices are expensive. Almost any recipe you want to make is going to require $15 in spices, which even eating that same meal every day for the month means you've just spent 3 days worth of food money for a little spice.


Not to say it's really that difficult to eat on that much. When I was in college I had about $60/month for food because I didn't work enough hours to get foodstamps. My roommate that did get foodstamps was living pretty high on the hog compared to what I ate.

 

[Bestwifeever]

You're making an excellent point Robert. Most seem to be missing the fact that folks who get food stamps are poor. There is no fully equiped kitchen, cabinets full of paper and cleaning products, staples and condiments, etc., to bring your purchases home to.

Try imagining moving into a subsidized apartment with a small box of pots, pans and utensils. No food or cleaning products in the place at all. Then put together your shopping list. Makes it a lot more interesting!

I don't think you can use food stamps for paper and cleaning products--I'm seeing this federal info repeated for several states in a google search:

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"Benefits may be used to purchase most foods at participating stores. They may not be used to purchase tobacco, pet food, paper products, soap products, or alcoholic beverages[/FONT]."

I don't include those in our food budget, which is well below $176/mo/person.

I think the biggest problem for people receiving food stamps might be just getting to well-stocked grocery stores. I have a lot of sympathy for people who must rely on food stamps.

 

[haha]

I spend on average $350/mo on groceries, which includes ancillaries and cheap wine. Perhaps another $50 eating out. This doesn’t include bar tabs which I account for as “leisure”.

To do it this cheaply I buy stuff on sale- almost never buy a veggie or fruit or meat that is not on sale. My neighborhood is well served by supermarkets.

What I don't do is go to Costco and buy in bulk, as I don't have the freezer space and I also don't like to spend time at something that for me is wearying. However I experienced trips to Costco or to a food co-op as pleasure when my kids were still around.

Ha

 

[DangerMouse]

Seems like some are amazed by the amount that we spend on blueberries. However unlike some others, we only buy what we like to eat, we don't tend to buy something because it is on sale. We like the taste of blueberries and add in that they are one of the top 5 foods for antioxidants which is a bonus. I guess I am just as puzzled that people would buy something based on price rather than on what they like.

Olive oil and spices are not that cheap. Olive olive must be close to $10 a bottle and spices are usually close to $4, some quite a bit more, some less with discounts. Seems like every recipes calls for a different spice which is why I have a selection of 20+ spices in my cupboard, most of which I use regularly.

I am not certain why just because we eat what we like and choose organic produce we are labelled as being extravagant. I see it more as we are making a choice as to what we put into our bodies. We only eat free range eggs because I don't think chickens need to be locked in a cage to lay an egg. I eat organic produce because the produce normally tastes better. I drink organic milk because the hormones that may be in the regular milk concern me. We eat imported cheese because it tastes better than Tillamook.

All things considered my diet must play some part in my health. I need to lose a bit of weight but have to say the last time I had a cold was in 1997 when we lived in the UK and I never get the flu. With a strong history of cancer in my family I believe it is important to fuel my body with the best that I can provide.

 

[Gumby]

..

 

[Moemg]

I was brought up in a middle class family with three siblings . So I got to watch my Mom make the most of her food budget and she taught me well . I've always been able to feed my family well . Our current food expenditure is $350 to $370 a month for two adults ( One who is a big eater and that is not me ) . This includes all cleaning and paper products and wine . I do not scrimp . I read the circulars and plan my menu according to the sales . A lot of the food stamp recipients seem to need education on meal planning and nutrition from what I've seen in their grocery carts .

 

[shiny]

I'm right there with you DangerMouse.

Me too.

Although I do buy frozen organic blueberries more often during the winter for smoothies and pancakes, that saves a bit of money.

My grandmother has three blueberry bushes. It is one of the most cost effective things to grow!

 

[youbet]

That would be difficult, however you are assuming that the recipient is living alone which is usually not the case.
Resources get pooled in order to make ends meet.

Actually, rather than an assumption on my part, I believe the subject being single and receiving the maximum amount of food stamps of $174 was part of the original premise.

 

[youbet]

I don't think you can use food stamps for paper and cleaning products--I'm seeing this federal info repeated for several states in a google search:

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"Benefits may be used to purchase most foods at participating stores. They may not be used to purchase tobacco, pet food, paper products, soap products, or alcoholic beverages[/FONT]."

I believe that's correct. It sure would help, however, to have a few basics on hand.

I don't include those in our food budget, which is well below $176/mo/person.

That's excellent. DW and I spent almost that much dining out last month. Not typical for us, but easy to do especially if you enjoy a cocktail before and wine with dinner.......

I think the biggest problem for people receiving food stamps might be just getting to well-stocked grocery stores. I have a lot of sympathy for people who must rely on food stamps.

That could be, but my point in an earlier post is that people who are extremely poor are often carrying a lot of additional baggage beyond just long term zero income. Physical disabilities, mental disabilities, poor education, negative life experiences in youth, etc. It really is silly to compare how folks with the personal resources to accumulate enough assets to FIRE would survive on $174/mo for food (and no other income in the example we're discussing here) with a person who is unable to hold even a menial job, for whatever reason.

 

[harley]

What I don't do is go to Costco

And therein lies your grocery budget problem. You could cut your costs by 10-15% if you made the rounds at the senior citizen buffet a couple times a week.

 

[haha]

I thought the pupose of this thread was to demonstrate our eating well on a shoestring chops. All it does for me is make me wonder how to find the hole to enter into this alternate universe of tasty and nutritious but cheap food.

YouTube - Lucinda Williams - I Lost It

 

[youbet]

I've always been able to feed my family well . Our current food expenditure is $350 to $370 a month for two adults ( One who is a big eater and that is not me ) . This includes all cleaning and paper products and wine .

Assuming $50 - $70 for household products and (more importantly) wine , that leaves $300 for food or $75/wk. 21 meals a week would be $1.78 per person per meal. I'd say you have it down to the nubbin there Moemg...... Certainly not much room for dining out (ever!) or having any sort of special treat.

I think we could do it at your frugal level. But, our problem would be never making exceptions. Example: DW loves a shimp/asparagus pasta dish I make. A pound of peeled shrimp, a pound of asparagus, a tomato, a cup of 1/2 & 1/2, pasta, EVOO to saute, spices, and you're up to $12 or so with everything purchased at good prices. (Getting the shrimp on sale usually triggers the process.) Add garlic bread and an inexpensive bottle of wine and we're over $20. On your budget, we'd be eating bread and water for a couple of days to compensate!

When you need to average $1.78 per person per meal over the month, you're really getting into the nitty gritty when you need to go well below that to make up for an occassional extravagence!

 

[Khan]

That could be, but my point in an earlier post is that people who are extremely poor are often carrying a lot of additional baggage beyond just long term zero income. Physical disabilities, mental disabilities, poor education, negative life experiences in youth, etc. It really is silly to compare how folks with the personal resources to accumulate enough assets to FIRE would survive on $174/mo for food (and no other income in the example we're discussing here) with a person who is unable to hold even a menial job, for whatever reason.

It's difficult to prepare healthy meals from scratch when you're living in someone's basement with maybe a hot plate.

 

[haha]

It's difficult to prepare healthy meals from scratch when you're living in someone's basement with maybe a hot plate.

This may be the case for some old man or woman. But many younger welfare recipients have other sources of income.

Ha

 

[Moemg]

Assuming $50 - $70 for household products and (more importantly) wine , that leaves $300 for food or $75/wk. 21 meals a week would be $1.78 per person per meal. I'd say you have it down to the nubbin there Moemg...... Certainly not much room for dining out (ever!) or having any sort of special treat.

I think we could do it at your frugal level. But, our problem would be never making exceptions. Example: DW wive loves a shrimp/asparagus pasta dish I make. A pound of peeled shrimp, a pound of asparagus, a tomato, pasta, EVOO to saute, spices, and you're up to $12 or so with everything purchased at good prices. (Getting the shrimp on sale usually triggers the process.) Add garlic bread and an inexpensive bottle of wine and we're over $20. On your budget, we'd be eating bread and water for a couple of days to compensate!

When you need to average $1.78 per person per meal over the month, you're really getting into the nitty gritty when you need to go well below that to make up for an occassional extravagence!

Dining out is in a separate budget . We have shrimp or salmon almost every week . I budget $400 for groceries but most months it comes in under that amount . Believe me we do not scrimp or eat beans and rice ( unless they are black beans with a little chicken ). I think I 've just been doing it so long it just comes naturally . Last week we had beef stew , chicken piccata , whole wheat pasta with mushrooms and shrimp , sausage sandwiches and salmon on the grill .

 

[Frugality_of_Apathy]

Dining out is in a separate budget .

That's kind of cheating there. If you ate out every meal you would have just given us your cleaning supplies budget and passed it off as your grocery budget.

 

[youbet]

Dining out is in a separate budget ..

There's the key to your success...... If all 21 meals are eaten at home, it's tough to average under $4.00 per meal for two people if you enjoy something nice, a treat, every once in a while. If you dine out from time to time, it's easier to tolerate a steady diet of <$4/2 people meals at home.

Thinking about it.... I can't prepare DW's lunch for $2. She's does some part time and voluntary work over at the local school district and is there at lunch time 4 days a week most weeks. I make her lunch in exchange for her allowing me to live here with no additional beatings. A sandwich, a yogurt or cup of fruit, a few cookies, a can of fruit juice. That pretty much consumes a $4 lunch budget right there. Looks like I better start skipping lunch!

 

[Moemg]

That's kind of cheating there. If you ate out every meal you would have just given us your cleaning supplies budget and passed it off as your grocery budget.

We dine out once a week . It is usually $30 to $40.00. You guys are brutal !