I wish Republicans and Blue Dog Democrats would find a way to flag all such foods as not eligible for food stamps; or a way to flag only cheaper basics as eligible for food stamps. In other words, disallow potato chips and frozen fries but allow raw potatoes, disallow bread but allow wheat flour (they can make their own bread, or at least biscuits or pan breads), disallow sodapop but allow raw sugar (I grew up with a lot of Kool-Aid). Allow beans and rice but disallow any meat since foodstamp users always have enough cash for cigarettes and alcohol and they could use some of that for hamburger or tuna.
I grew up as what most would consider “poor.” My parents, however, saw the value of good nutrition. Candy and pop were rare treats. Fruits were the norm, and most every spring (even to this day), we bought seeds and planted a small vegetable garden. Some hard work, yes, but we ate out of that garden in the late summer and it paid off.
Same here. We got one case of pop twice per year -- Christmas and Independence Day. Most of our candy was homemade fudge. We also raised chickens and had an extensive garden. The latter is not an option for apartment renters whose income precludes buying a house with enough yard for a garden.
I understand your frustration. I used to judge what people bought with my hard earned money, when I used to be able to work. I collected foodstamps while working a 40 hr minimum wage job. Then people started watching what I bought. I made a point to turn those 1/2 price tags on meat so that my fellow citizens saw that I was thrifty. Day old bread, dented cans, coupons.
Raw sugar costs twice as much as processed. I got a 5lb sack of regular sugar for 1.68 at Food 4 Less, along with packs of Kool Aid(yes I did buy a couple of grape flavored ones lol!)at 10 for a buck.
My altitude and crappy oven probably wouldn't make bread. It would more than likely make bricks. You have to factor in the faulty appliances poor people must make do with. If I find a used bread machine, I will definitely make my own, because not only is it cheaper, it is better for us. The link I posted above has a manual for a basic bread maker, that can be printed out. After he retired, my dad made the best bread on earth. Hot out of the oven, slathered with REAL BUTTER! Oh yeah, he made fruit crisps from the peach and plums grown in the backyard :) He taught me that dented cans and day old bread would not kill us. My mom wouldn't touch the stuff for fear of food poisoning.
I have often thought about volunteering to teach young welfare mothers how to shop wisely, and to cook tasty, healthy, and inexpensive food. Of course along with shop classes, home ec classes are gone. I feel sorry for them and their children. Us old timers sit here and judge ignorant girls who really don't know any better :(
Have you ever tried to make decent fries from raw potatoes? Yuck! I bought a 1lb bag of shoestring fries for 58 cents at FFL. Oh and btw, I almost was able to quit smoking until my 8 day vacation at the hospital. Thanks to the smokers on FR, I discovered organic loose tobacco and cheap filter tubes. Cheap, and they don't stink!!