Posted on 09/22/2011 7:36:30 AM PDT by Abathar
(CNN) -- That is the reality for the more than 40 million Americans who rely on food stamps. According to the Food Research and Action Center the average food stamp allotment is just $30 per week.
I began thinking about taking a food stamp challenge earlier this month when I met several women who we profiled on hunger for two CNN stories airing this week. These women had to make tough choices between paying bills and buying food. Often they skipped meals so their children could eat. Often the amount of food stamps they received was not enough.
Living on a food stamp budget for just one week won't begin to put me in these women's shoes or come close to the struggles that millions of low-income families face every day; week in and week out, month after month. But I do expect to gain a new perspective and a better understanding.
(Excerpt) Read more at theindychannel.com ...
Get a Sam’s Club card and buy bullk from there; all the food you could need for a month and thirty dollars goes a long, long way. You can get hundreds of those Ramen noodles for a few bucks and four/five gallons of soda for a few bucks. That is a hefty enough way to stock up. THen there’s bread, huge chunks of meat, gallons and gallons and gallons of milk, then the chicken and suchlike and you’ll be more than set for a month.
I have been feeding my entire family of 5 for under $200 per month since January of this year when our family income dropped significantly and we are still eating very well. See my prior post at #159 for lots of ideas. If you or anyone else would like any more detail I would be happy to share recipes, meal plans, and other budget saving ideas with you.
Please feel free to freep mail me if anyone wants to know how I have done it. Believe me, we eat very well and all three meals plus snacks for all 5 family members are covered by that $200, and I actually don’t have the opportunity to use a lot of coupons, although I do try to use them when I can. I have also managed to increase our pantry stores as well on that $200 per month.
Even if she doesn’t want to take the skin and bones off herself, the boneless skinless ones go on sale for $1.99 per pound or less at least once a month in my neck of the woods.
http://www.recipematcher.com/
Will you pass along your exact recipe to us? I love to cook and would love to try that recipe myself.
Costco has rice $17 for 50 lbs. That’s enough to supply an average male all his caloric needs for well over a month.
Children eat what they are conditioned to eat.
Food choices are mostly in your head, regardless of whatever 'empty calories' or unclean generalizations you use to justify your personal tastes.
/johnny
You will need some other stuff in your diet to prevent beriberi.
/johnny
No, but I will eat at food lines and sell my food stamps for 50 cents on the dollar and buy beer, a pack of cigs, and perhaps a streak? /s
I make mead (honey wine). Stupid easy to do, cost about $0.25/serving.
$30/wk? See my tagline, and you’ll have $9 left over to spend on wine. Start that discussion with 3 bottles of Oak Leaf (ok, not high end stuff, but not awful either), giving almost 2 glasses a day.
I’m going to try stocking up on the hams and turkeys too. My kids love the mac and cheese w/ham in it and my husband loves turkey and dumplings (or chicken w/dumplings) during the cold months. We have a large chest freezer. It’s a good investment w/four kids ;)
I have started drinking the Oak Leaf. The Sweet Red isn’t bad, but I’m not crazy about the White Zinfandel. The Merlot is not too bad for the price. Per ounce, the Livingston is my best buy when I go shopping. I like the Red Rose. I usually drink 1-2 glasses a few nights a week, so I have to drink the cheap stuff, but if it’s a special occasion, I might splurge :)
How do you make the mead? That sounds good!
Ah, but you can use them to make it...
3lb jar honey, $6.
1 packet champagne yeast, under $1.
Heat 2/3rd gallon water near boiling, dissolve 1/3rd gallon honey (2:1 or 3:1 ratio, as you like).
Cool.
Pour in 1gal glass jug.
Cork with $1 airlock.
Let sit & ferment for a month.
Enjoy, or bottle for further mellowing for 0.5 to 3 years.
$0.25 per 4oz serving.
I found Aldi’s about a year and half ago ... it was like heaven on earth! But in the past few months even there costs have risen. Still, it’s unbeatable. I never go to regular supermarkets anymore, even with coupons.
hey operate under an extraordinary business plan and their house brands ARE as good as the name brands. Love the place, even if the appearance of the one closest to me is pretty dumpy. I reserve my “Aldi’s Quarter” in a secret compartment of my car so no one will use it for a toll/parking meter ;)
Beer, smokes, and running around naked.
My kind of Saturday night!!
I like to can up the extra ham and turkey in half-pint and 4oz jars. That way it’s ready to use in a soup or whatever. One of my favorite “instant” meals to make from the canned turkey is just a baked potato with the turkey and juices poured over it.
Too much work. Way too much work. Especially considering the type of bread I like for sandwiches is the generic. I don’t like to cook, the only bread I’m willing to make is beer bread, premixed packet, beer I don’t like, mix for 1 minutes, cook 45, done. No raising, no large pile of ingredients, very little, and it disposes of a beer mistake.
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