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lol, I would NOT call Whole foods and Trader Joes as "average". Seriously?? YOU really believe that the "average" working folks is doing their family shopping at WHOLE FOODS??
You live a very charmed life. Here in Philadelphia there are 2 whole foods and they are in the most expensive neighborhoods in the city. We call it Whole check because it takes your whole check to buy a few items.
They're in the Bay Area... around here, that sadly IS what we consider "normal" grocery stores. We literally have like half a dozen of each within a 10-mile radius, and they're definitely not limited to upper-income neighborhoods.
On that note, Trader Joe's is actually quite reasonable in terms of their pricing. Whole Foods not so much (one reason I rarely shop there), and I have no idea about Sprouts since I've never been to one. I do shop at "cheaper" stores like Safeway, Lucky, Big Lots, and Walmart, but that probably makes me an anomaly for the Bay Area.
I do feel sorry for the very few people who genuinely need the help, but for the rest of the dead weight going without SNAP for a while might teach them a little about budgeting and self sufficiency.
Notice how these people on SNAP can't afford food but always have enough money for cigarettes?
Yeah, when I did volunteer outreach work (14 years in Dade and Broward counties) folks always seemed to have plenty of cigarettes and booze; they made sure they fed their vices and let the gov't feed their children.
I do feel sorry for the very few people who genuinely need the help, but for the rest of the dead weight going without SNAP for a while might teach them a little about budgeting and self sufficiency.
Notice how these people on SNAP can't afford food but always have enough money for cigarettes?
And I'd say that many have smartphones, big screen tvs and the women have expensive hair weaves or extensions and fake fingernails. They also have many children that they can't afford to raise also.
At least with food banks, they are handing out healthier foods than if these SNAP recipients were let loose with their EBT cards. At least, the food banks aren't handing out junk foods.
I'd much rather there be food banks for SNAP recipients, than let them shop with an EBT card.
And I'd say that many have smartphones, big screen tvs and the women have expensive hair weaves or extensions and fake fingernails. They also have many children that they can't afford to raise also.
At least with food banks, they are handing out healthier foods than if these SNAP recipients were let loose with their EBT cards. At least, the food banks aren't handing out junk foods.
I'd much rather there be food banks for SNAP recipients, than let them shop with an EBT card.
Food banks around here hand out a lot of junk foods. You're more likely to get junk food/snacks than something healthy. I've gotten pop tarts, donuts, moldy bread, moldy vegetables (I'm allergic to mold, so that's definitely not healthy), and other junk/snack foods. Ever so often you can get meat, but they often don't have meat. It's often at least half junk food. And I sometimes receive pop. I have pop in the cabinets I got from the food bank over past several months. I usually don't drink pop. I used one can of coke I received to clean the battery when it was corroded. Took that stuff right off.
lol, I would NOT call Whole foods and Trader Joes as "average". Seriously?? YOU really believe that the "average" working folks is doing their family shopping at WHOLE FOODS??
You live a very charmed life. Here in Philadelphia there are 2 whole foods and they are in the most expensive neighborhoods in the city. We call it Whole check because it takes your whole check to buy a few items.
You sure don't know me.
I do not live a charmed life. I am an excellent money manager. Unlike my parents who lived paycheck to paycheck (my Dad liked his toys), and paid only the minimum toward each bill, I always paid the full amount of all bills so I would not incur service charges. My husband and I live well beneath our means. (Personal examples just deleted as TMI.)
We don't shop only at Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and Sprouts, but supplement with Raley's and Safeway and Asian stores. I would not call Trader Joe's expensive, especially if one shops carefully and does not give into impulse goodies. There are only two of us, so we don't buy value packs of meats. We buy organic produce whenever it is recommended to do so. When we buy bread we do splurge, because I got used to eating great German breads and we buy the closest thing we can to that. We don't smoke and drink alcohol only rarely and buy nearly no soda pop.
Whole Foods has become less expensive in the past year, depending on the product, often beating the prices at Sprouts, etc. There are at least 26 Whole Foods locations in the SF Bay Area, and they are not restricted to the most expensive neighborhoods, also 30+ Trader Joe's locations, in ordinary shopping centers or small strip malls or wherever. Add to that the hundreds or thousands of other grocery stores, including ethnic grocery stores where we can also shop (Asian shops for excellent quality, low-arsenic rice and other staples at low cost), and we are indeed inundated with grocery stores. We never have groceries delivered. Last year I "shopped" at Sprouts online for Arizona (means I just looked at prices, but we always shop local), and I found that lamb prices were $2 more per pound in AZ (the home location for Sprouts) than here. The competition in the SF Bay Area probably brings prices down, although almost all grocery items seem to require a larger percentage of a person's income than years ago. Salaries are higher in the SF Bay Area, compared to the average across the U.S., so if grocery prices are the same, they become more affordable here for the average family.
Food pantries don't always have healthy food. dh volunteered at one and a lot of the food was candy bars and cookies. Also, canned food. Finally they started getting real food like a while chicken, eggs, and some hamburger and the community gardens started donating their extra vegetables during the summer.
People who get this food and don't bother learning to cook, probably don't deserve to get the food. I never knew how to cook either, but as soon as I got out of college and didn't have the cafeteria anymore, I got a cookbook and learned. Today there's the internet. Don't know how to cook a chicken? Put it into a pan, turn on oven, and place chicken into oven. For length of time, google it. SNAP is a great thing. We all need to eat.
People who get this food and don't bother learning to cook, probably don't deserve to get the food.
I don't know how many times it's been said in this thread and others like it that many of those who get food benefits don't have the kind of kitchen facilities that allow for scratch cooking. People who live in extended stays are lucky to have a microwave and mini fridge, and homeless people don't have anywhere to cook at all. That must be a really hard way to live.
Last edited by Metlakatla; 01-23-2019 at 12:33 AM..
Status:
"Smartened up and walked away!"
(set 24 days ago)
11,776 posts, read 5,789,903 times
Reputation: 14198
Quote:
Originally Posted by yspobo
Not everyone on SNAP smokes cigarettes.
Oh please stop with the PC and taking everything literally.
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