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Last year I got food stamps because my income was very low. I received $97 per month, but since I watch for sales, clip coupons, and cook from scratch, most of the time I only used half of it. I do the bulk of my grocery shopping at Target. Target put out their own internet coupons, and I can stack those with a manufacturers coupon. I buy my meat and produce at Hispanic markets, the prices are much better, especially their sales. At Target, I normally $80 - $100 on groceries, but after the coupons are deducted, it's cut in half.
I just bought a small upright freezer, and it's going to be delivered this week, so I'll be able to stock up more. I was in Costco last week, and one of the items that I bought was a rotisserie chicken. It lasted me four days, and the carcass in the freezer along with the turkey carcass, and I plan to make soup out of them. Target had spiral hams on sale for $1.00 per lb, so I bought a 10lb ham, which is also in the freezer.
It's really not reasonable to assume someone on food stamps will necessarily have more free time. Many who qualify for food stamps are the working poor. A single parent with a full time job is likely to have less time, and her food stamp budget will not go as far if she does not have time to do the coupon thing and cook everything from scratch.
There are many factors that determine someone's real food costs.
Another common issue is insufficient cooking facilities. Someone will not be able to stretch their budget as much without a full sized, working stove, for example, or a fridge that allows for buying larger quantities of foods (and therefore being able to save by buying in bulk or taking advantage of sales via a freezer).
Another often overlooked factor in the entire budget issue is the problem of "food deserts"; people having inadequate sources for reasonably priced groceries, lack of transportation, and the resulting heavy reliance on what is sold at smaller convenience stores and the like. Often if there is a full sized grocery store nearby in an inner city situation, or rural situation, there is no competition to help lower prices.
My sister in law is a good example of this problem. She is totally disabled and receives disability payments of about $600 a month. She lives in a housing complex with subsidized rent and I think she pays about $200 a month for rent plus utilities. She has no transportation aside from a bus pass and she physical issues that keep her from being able to walk very far. She has medication costs and transportation costs related to her necessary doctor visits. She does not receive food stamps because when she applied in the past she was told she'd only get $17 a month. So she doesn't see it as worth it. She manages to feed herself but there are significant challenges.
In her scenario, if she cannot get a ride to do most of her shopping at least every other week, she ends up having to buy things at the nearest corner store and suddenly the cost of milk or bread has tripled.
She is fairly lucky in that she can get rides, can take the bus, and she is just one person so doing all her grocery shopping on public transit isn't a huge issue... but you can imagine the difficulties it would present to someone with a larger family, less money for the bus or a taxi, and more people to buy for, right?
For five years I lived in the zip in my city with the lowest income out of all in the city, and the highest population density as well. I observed people attempting to buy "dinner" at the corner store (and then some) *all the time*. Canned goods, milk, cereal, bread, what "fruit" is near the checkout (if it isn't brown), all because that's the only place they could get to on foot and they are paying double or triple for these sort of basics.
For a short time we received food stamps when we lived there, and we were way ahead of the game because we had a car, a modern full sized kitchen, a large chest freezer, and knowledge about cooking from scratch, buying in bulk, etc. We also grew some of our own veggies and had already established this prior to needing assistance. Others around us had none of these advantages and zero knowledge about how to stretch their food dollar because no one had ever taught them.
Well, it could be a very large family. Or it could be a family with no income that applied in the previous month but was just recently approved. What happens in that case is that if the local HHS office takes forever in making a decision, the applicant receives food stamps for the current month of approval plus retroactive food stamps from the date they originally applied.
And no, to the OP (I think?) who assumed that someone on food stamps would always or often be receiving other forms of assistance as well. This is not at all "the norm". It totally depends and varies from family to family. Many families work full time and receive some food stamp assistance and nothing else. Some *only* get Medicaid for their kids, even though they probably could qualify for food stamps. Likewise someone may work and have health coverage through work and only need some food assistance.
There are, of course, people receiving TANF and Food Stamps and Medicaid and Housing but they are not necessarily "typical" and in many places, housing assistance is incredibly difficult to get (if even possible at all).
I agree with much of what you say. however, on the couponing/time issue, it really doesn't take that long esp. if they can access the internet. there are forums that do match-ups, give links to printables, and tell you how best to organize your coupons to make it most efficient and easy.
One way is to put you inserts whole in a folder and mark the date on the front, and then you can go back to that date and cut when you need for your trip. People will put the date of the insert the coupon's found in, beside the match-up on the couponing boards, and there's also a database you can access, that will tell you when a coupon came out. best part is, it's all free
The mayor of Newark went on food stamps for a week, as an experiment. It's only about $30 per week and barely enough to live on. Is that what all people get from food stamps??
Aren't food stamp users also on other forms of aid?
A coworker in my office who is single and has one child gets $468 a month...you do the math. And yes, I know this is accurate because she showed us the website that shows her monthly 'deposits' JP Morgan handles the cards online in Florid.
30 dollars a week per person is very possible. I bought a 5 lb pork loin roast this week for 10 dollars and it should provide for at LEAST six meals. I bought chicken legs last week that cost 4.50 for 12 so that would be four meals. A three pound package of hamburger cost 9 dollars and if I make meatloaf it will provide 4 meals easily.
That totals 14 entree meals (two weeks) @ 1.68 per meal or 11.75 per week. I can buy a can or vegetables for .70 cents each that will last for two meals so add .70 cents a day for sides with the entree. If you desire starches rice or pasta is inexpensive (add .50 cents MAX).
Dinners for a week - 2.88 a meal or 20.16 per week. A dozen large eggs cost 2 dollars or you can buy oatmeal for a little more. A loaf or bread about 2 bucks and some bologna for two or three dollars.
Of course when I see people using their EBT cards at my local store they are buying bottled water, brand name prepared foods, junk food, soda pop ect..... Something doesn't seem to square with the 30 dollar a week theory. Either these people are abusing they system not really NEEDING food stamps or they grow their own food at home and just use the EBT cards for "extras".....
The mayor of Newark went on food stamps for a week, as an experiment. It's only about $30 per week and barely enough to live on. Is that what all people get from food stamps??
Aren't food stamp users also on other forms of aid?
Last year I got food stamps because my income was very low. I received $97 per month, but since I watch for sales, clip coupons, and cook from scratch, most of the time I only used half of it. I do the bulk of my grocery shopping at Target. Target put out their own internet coupons, and I can stack those with a manufacturers coupon. I buy my meat and produce at Hispanic markets, the prices are much better, especially their sales. At Target, I normally $80 - $100 on groceries, but after the coupons are deducted, it's cut in half.
I just bought a small upright freezer, and it's going to be delivered this week, so I'll be able to stock up more. I was in Costco last week, and one of the items that I bought was a rotisserie chicken. It lasted me four days, and the carcass in the freezer along with the turkey carcass, and I plan to make soup out of them. Target had spiral hams on sale for $1.00 per lb, so I bought a 10lb ham, which is also in the freezer.
Good for you. It isn't easy, but it can be done. My sister and I often joked about the fact that because we were so very poor growing up, we know how to make a meal out of almost nothing. That's almost what it takes in this economy. You get pretty thrifty, smarten up and economize when you have too.
A coworker in my office who is single and has one child gets $468 a month...you do the math. And yes, I know this is accurate because she showed us the website that shows her monthly 'deposits' JP Morgan handles the cards online in Florid.
Many factors come in to play in deciding how much a family may get. I am unemployed, with two kids and we get $230 a month in food stamps.
30 dollars a week per person is very possible. I bought a 5 lb pork loin roast this week for 10 dollars and it should provide for at LEAST six meals. I bought chicken legs last week that cost 4.50 for 12 so that would be four meals. A three pound package of hamburger cost 9 dollars and if I make meatloaf it will provide 4 meals easily.
That totals 14 entree meals (two weeks) @ 1.68 per meal or 11.75 per week. I can buy a can or vegetables for .70 cents each that will last for two meals so add .70 cents a day for sides with the entree. If you desire starches rice or pasta is inexpensive (add .50 cents MAX).
Dinners for a week - 2.88 a meal or 20.16 per week. A dozen large eggs cost 2 dollars or you can buy oatmeal for a little more. A loaf or bread about 2 bucks and some bologna for two or three dollars.
Of course when I see people using their EBT cards at my local store they are buying bottled water, brand name prepared foods, junk food, soda pop ect..... Something doesn't seem to square with the 30 dollar a week theory. Either these people are abusing they system not really NEEDING food stamps or they grow their own food at home and just use the EBT cards for "extras".....
I can pretty much use the $230 a month in food stamps to feed my family. This week I did buy a cart of bottled water and sodas. But last week I bought a cart full of canned veggies and bread. We buy only on sale with coupons and stockpile. Last month I bought mostly meat and its nicely organized in the freezer. I treat my ebt card as an extension of my own money and spend it as smart as I can.
My mom was a little surprised at this but you can also buy candy on food stamps. I will utilize some of the money for the kids Easter baskets. Using coupons as well.
I looked at a purchase receipt paid with EBT, it did have remaining balance on it, $1500+.
I've never seen an EBT balance that high. Of course, I don't look at the receipt that often either, but that seems like an awful lot. My neice got them for her and two kids and it was nearly $600 month.
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