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Well, I have recently applied for CalFresh/SNAP, and I have no shame in doing so. I don't fit the stereotype many people seem hell bent on perpetuating. I am going through a separation/divorce, coming out of a decade long marriage, of which produced three children I was the primary caregiver of. My soon-to-be ex husband had a long career in the military and was released in the summer. He was given a nice severance package with his honorable discharge, which we split after the bills/debts were paid off. He has been job hunting before he got out. Back in the spring he was given a contingency offer with a job in D.C., a job with a nice salary, but the company was not awarded the contract from the DoD, so he did not get the job. He's been looking since then and is still applying to jobs. Prior to his release from the military I received a nice chunk in child support and alimony, but since then we have been relying on savings, which is now drying up.
I am in school full time and have a toddler at home (my older children are in school). In my situation, returning to work would be practically futile in this economy and in my situation. The majority, if not all of my paycheck would go straight to funding childcare (I live in So Cal, in which case, childcare is not exactly inexpensive). I am educated, intelligent, possess "nice things" because these are things I had and owned before we ended up in this situation. We don't "look" like the type to be in need of assistance, but at this time, it is absolutely vital and necessary.
Should my soon-to-be ex receive an offer with the DoD position he's currently applying for, assistance would no longer be needed and we'd cease use of said benefits. However, until then, I have absolutely NO problem whatsoever making use of said benefits.
ETA:
As for using the benefits for "crap" or non-essentials. In the past I have done most of my primary shopping at stores like Trader Joe's, Whole Foods and Farmer's markets, and of course the usual local store. I avoid Wal-Mart as much as I can. I haven't shopped there in months. I primarily eat Primal/Paleo, and my children eat similarly, so the concern or issue of using benefits for purchase or to live on "crap" or "junk" is rather moot.
Wow! You make it sound like real people use SNAP, not just the phony cartoon characters that the trained-seal haters try to draw! Good luck dealing with these recent life-changes. Hopefully you'll be beyond them soon. In the meantime, use all the assistance available to you and your family. That's what it's there for.
Location: where people are either too stupid to leave or too stuck to move
3,982 posts, read 6,688,188 times
Reputation: 3689
well the stigma came from the reagan adminstration.. where they created a caricature called the "welfare queen" it was a woman with a lot of kids, no job and a pink cadalliac which in turn ruined the view of food stamps pretty much forever
well the stigma came from the reagan adminstration.. where they created a caricature called the "welfare queen" it was a woman with a lot of kids, no job and a pink cadalliac which in turn ruined the view of food stamps pretty much forever
Baloney.
You can go back generations to find people, many of whom were recent immigrants, who'd rather starve than go on welfare. Even people who may have truly needed it, saw it as a stigma and shame.
well the stigma came from the reagan adminstration.. where they created a caricature called the "welfare queen" it was a woman with a lot of kids, no job and a pink cadalliac which in turn ruined the view of food stamps pretty much forever
Not true! Jimmy Carter, Jimmy Carter, Jimmy Carter.
[quote=thinkalot;31419133...Most people grew up in a time and area that food stamps were something to be ashamed of. Today people seem to think nothing of it. When we lose the stigma of bad or wrong behavior society suffers, it does not make us better as some would have you believe. And yes, peoples decisions and behavior are a leading cause of food stamp usage.
If a person has a run of bad luck, and that is a very small group, I have no problems with food stamps for a LIMITED amount of time. I think their use should be limited to store brands. Most changes in what they can buy has become more liberal in the last few years. I completely disagree with that.
The first thing I thought of when the OP mentioned they were on food stamps was that they have a computer and ISP but not money for food. I am sure I will not be the only one thinking this.[/quote]
This comment seems motivated by a general disdain for the unfortunate. Having to resort to assistance is not limited to the greedy, lazy or criminal these days and does not exclude hard working honest people. Some people even use library internet access, a friend or relative's computer or some areas here like shopping malls, provide free wifi for those who still have their smartphones and laptops after losing their employment. Not all people with EBT cards traveled the same roads.
This comment seems motivated by a general disdain for the unfortunate. Having to resort to assistance is not limited to the greedy, lazy or criminal these days and does not exclude hard working honest people. Some people even use library internet access, a friend or relative's computer or some areas here like shopping malls, provide free wifi for those who still have their smartphones and laptops after losing their employment. Not all people with EBT cards traveled the same roads.
And again, store brands are not always cheaper...and often when coupled with coupons and sale, the name brands can be really cheap or even free.
I have been strategic couponing for years and keep a price book. I stockpile at the lowest price point that I will see for 8-12 weeks (sometimes more) so that I'm never paying full price.
This has allowed me to build a stockpile that has helped in in tough transition time when people generally make too much for aid, but still struggle.
I remember my late mother relating a story to me. She was on the checkout line at the food store and a young man ahead of her, seemingly in the picture of health and with enough spare cash to have a plethora of tattoos, was paying for shell steaks with food stamps. My mother was buying day old chop meat to save a bit of her social security.
A young man? Wow. Uusally it's a woman bedecked in furs and jewels -- you know, the really nice stuff -- who buys shell steaks AND LOBSTER and then drives off in her brand new SUV.
By the way, food stamps had been replaced everywhere by EBT cards quite a long while ago. As in during the last century. And EBT cards frequently have unrestricted TANF benefits on them as well.
Location: Just transplanted to FL from the N GA mountains
3,997 posts, read 4,142,915 times
Reputation: 2677
Why does Auto-Zone take EBT cards? Had to go get a part for the car and there was a big ole sign on the front... "We ACCEPT EBT." Really????
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Baloney.
