RE: Food Stamp Challenge--$21 a week

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thompsonx -> RE: Food Stamp Challenge--$21 a week (6/8/2007 7:25:41 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: justheather quote: ORIGINAL: thompsonx The only food you can legally buy with food stamps is food produced in the United States... Where did you get this information? Food stamps can be used to purchase imported food as well as seeds to grow your own food according to this gov't resource: http://www.officeonaging.ocgov.com/PDFs/FreeFood.pdf Edited to add: I found a reference from 1964 that stated you could not purchase alcohol or imported foods with food stamps. Maybe that's where you read it? Seems to be some conflicting info out there. justheather: The link you provided seems to be a supplemental program in Orange County, California. I say seems to be since it speaks of supplimental...etc It is entirely possible that the food stamp program has been modified to include imported food. This would be in keeping with corporate farming practices. ADM (Archer,Daniels,Midland) being the largest farmer in the world, has millions of acres under cultivation world wide. From that perspective it would only serve their bottom line to expand the base from which they could suck revenue from the pockets of the taxpayer. Please do not construe the above to infer that I wish the poor to do without food. It is meant to show that the "laws of supply and demand" are written by the suppliers. If there were no food stamp program the price of food would go down or the suppliers would simply shut down production to keep the prices where they wanted them. thompson

SeeksOnlyOne -> RE: Food Stamp Challenge--$21 a week (6/8/2007 7:45:03 AM)
more of a rant than a reply but here goes....when my mom became disabled she was told by her dr she could apply for foodstamps. because she could not get out much, i had the jouyous experience of doing this for her. i waited in an area with young, able bodied folks, some having 3 or 4 kids in tow and another on the way. i filled out forms in triplicate, and brought proof of everything except her daily bowel movements. when the letter of approval arrived, mom was oh so happy to be getting $15 a month(yes i said month). i offered to pay her $15 a month to not make me go pick them up for her(this was before the days of the cards they have now), and got a sermon and a guilt trip that caused me to immediately get in my car and go fetch the afore mentioned food stamps. as i got out of my car, an older model buick, that i was proud to have paid cash for, a woman who was well dressed and wearing enough jewelry to feed a small country for a month, also got out of her newer model bmw. as luck would have it, she was in front of me and i heard as the clerk counted out her $720.00 of monthly food stamps. after gettin the $15.00 my mom was so proud to receive(it WOULD buy her milk and bread and eggs for the month), i walked out and just wondered....... what kind of system gives a 60 something year old woman who has worked her entire life and paid taxes $15 a month and gives an able bodied younger woman, who could sell her jewelry and drive an older car $720.00. ok i feel all better now-sorry for the rant. mom passed away in dec 2000, and i do not know why reading this got me so riled up. [sm=mad.gif]

BeingChewsie -> RE: Food Stamp Challenge--$21 a week (6/8/2007 9:15:40 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: thornhappy Getting job training can be the same: you need good transportation. And time. Without a set of fairly good wheels (had some lemons but at least I could pay for repairs) I wouldn't have been able to work at higher-paying jobs and go to school at night. thornhappy This really is not true anymore. You can do an entire degree online from start to finish, getting full financial aid or using grants and loans. I did my Masters online. I'm considering embarking on an MBA degree online. These are from fully accredited Universities. My owner oversees an undergrad and grad CJ program with over 17,000 undergrads online just in CJ, 80% of them get some form of financial aid, some full boat. There really isn't much excuse these days to not be able to get a degree and a better paying job. I don't think a college degree is the B all and end all..I'm a much bigger believer in starting corporations, buying/developing commercial rental properties/ other real estate ventures and investing as the path to wealth but having a degree can sometimes make that easier.

philosophy -> RE: Food Stamp Challenge--$21 a week (6/8/2007 9:33:51 AM)
"I'm a much bigger believer in starting corporations, buying/developing commercial rental properties/ other real estate ventures and investing as the path to wealth" ...doesn't that require that one has access to a degree of wealth to begin with?

mistoferin -> RE: Food Stamp Challenge--$21 a week (6/8/2007 9:35:42 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: BeingChewsie quote: ORIGINAL: thornhappy Getting job training can be the same: you need good transportation. And time. Without a set of fairly good wheels (had some lemons but at least I could pay for repairs) I wouldn't have been able to work at higher-paying jobs and go to school at night. thornhappy This really is not true anymore. You can do an entire degree online from start to finish, getting full financial aid or using grants and loans. I did my Masters online. I'm considering embarking on an MBA degree online. These are from fully accredited Universities. My owner oversees an undergrad and grad CJ program with over 17,000 undergrads online just in CJ, 80% of them get some form of financial aid, some full boat. There really isn't much excuse these days to not be able to get a degree and a better paying job. I don't think a college degree is the B all and end all..I'm a much bigger believer in starting corporations, buying/developing commercial rental properties/ other real estate ventures and investing as the path to wealth but having a degree can sometimes make that easier. I have known quite a number of people over the years who qualified to receive food stamp benefits. None of them were in a position where they were able to afford a computer or a high speed internet connection.

MsSonnetMarwood -> RE: Food Stamp Challenge--$21 a week (6/8/2007 10:01:54 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: mistoferin I have known quite a number of people over the years who qualified to receive food stamp benefits. None of them were in a position where they were able to afford a computer or a high speed internet connection. To be fair, we have a couple of regulars on here who fall into that category.

velvetears -> RE: Food Stamp Challenge--$21 a week (6/8/2007 11:47:07 AM)
Where do you all live cause i want to move there! $21.00 a week is a joke. Just an example: Gallon Milk - $4.00 Bundle of fresh broccoli - $3.00 Dry cereal (generic brand) not large bax - $2.00 a box Chicken lowest i have seen 80cents a lb Chop meat - $3.89 lb for the fatty kind not prime cut Potatoes - 5 lb bag $4.00 - varies depending on what type of potatoe Eggs - $1.29 dozen Butter or margarine - never seen for less then $2.00 for a tub or 4 sticks Bread - if you want the processed Wonderbread kind $1.00 if it's on sale Cold Cuts - Bologna $2.89 lb, Roast beef $8.00 lb (just to give you the range) Pasta (generic brand) - if it's on sale $1.00 a box Canned Tomatoes - 16 oz (stewed, crushed, whole) never less then $1.20 usually $1.70 Sauce - ranges depending on which one 12 oz jar $2.50 to $4.50 Rice - big bag $2.50 Beans - dry - between $1.00 - $2.00 a bag, canned - $1.25 usually (average can) Ice cream - whats on sale always - 2 for one (gallon) can get for $5.00 Bananas - .89 cents a bunch Fresh veggies and fruit are a fortune where i live - when i was closer to the city it was cheaper if i wanted to trapse down to the markets. Frozen veggies 16 oz bag $1.50 (mixed veggies) i feed a family of 4 and i spend minimum $150.00 a week and it barely lasts - there aren't extras and we eat a lot of leftovers (drilled into me from growing up in the 60's in a family of 5) It's ridiculous to expect people to subsist on rice, beans, and veggies and not go stark raving mad! i was on public assistance years ago when i had my oldest daughter and our food stamps at that time '89 we recieved about $350.00 a month (3 of us then) plus they paid our rent and gave us a small amont of money i think $200.00 to buy essentials. They were very liberal back then, it has changed since - and they even allowed this for a year up to after we started working again, so we could get on our feet. phauk said it best when he said many are an accident away from having to live this way - i would wish it on no one, very hard to keep your spirits up when you have so little coming your way. If you are so inclined i would be so very interested if others in different parts of the country (assuming you live in the US) would post similar costs as i did. Are these counties paying out $21.00 a week in rural areas where costs may be much cheaper?? i live in a suburb outside of NYC.

MstrssPassion -> RE: Food Stamp Challenge--$21 a week (6/8/2007 1:02:43 PM)
ok, I'll give it a shot velvet Gallon Milk - I hunt around. The Walgreen's & CVS stores are always in a price war with popular foods. Often I can find milk there for 2.49 when on sale or 3.49 off sale. I also read the fliers I get for grocery stores. Sometimes I can find it there for 1.49 a half gallon or 2 for $5 on gallons. Once in a blue moon Albertson's will do half gallons for $1 each... if not on sale at the grocery store it can be up around $4.I refuse to pay that much & to date I haven't. I have 3 kids in the house & use milk in meal preparation. I can go through 4 to5 gallons (or more) a week easily so I shop around. If you go for convenience & only shop at the grocery, you'll pay too much. Bundle of fresh broccoli - 1.00 for two decent size heads at Alberton's this week, just bought $3 worth to add to salads & eat as snacks. Dry cereal (generic brand) Wal-Mart BIG HUGE BAGS of malt-o-meal (about 2 1/2 pounds each) of frosted flakes & vanilla mini wheats.... 2.50 & 3.50 a bag everyday price & I buy regular size boxes of granola with banana bits & almonds for $2 a box at walmart. Chicken- fryer leg quarters at the aka Spanish-Winn Dixie .39 cents a pound for a 10 pound bag, whole fryers .59 cents a pound, whole "Purdue" roasters when on sale at Alberstson's .99 cents a pound, on sale this week at Albertson's boneless skinless chicken breast 1.99 a pound & sometimes found for as little as 1.69 ...Off sale 2.99 or higher so stock up when on sale. Chop meat - I assume you mean ground beef/hamburger: Alberston's will discount the day old ground beef. I buy it up when I find it & buy the LEAN 10/90 or 15/85 stuff for less than $2 a pound. Off sale I refuse to pay more than 2.69 to 2.99 for ground up scrap 20/80. At the aka spanish Winn-Dixie ( call it that because I can't remember what the place is called, El Presidente or something) I have found USDA Inspected but ungraded ground beef for 99 cents to 1.50 per pound.... a bit too fatty for my taste but good for open fire. I assume it is 30/70 or something close.... very fatty but great from open fire Pork I pay 1.49 to 1.99 a pound for boneless chops 1.09 to 1.29 for assorted chops.... whole tenderloins less that $2 a pound Lean Beef, london broil, flank steak, round steak, raosts.... I shop around & pay between 2.00 to 2.99... if I can't find beef for that range, we eat chicken that week. If I pay more than $3 a pound for meat its fresh fish or seafood. Salmon I find on sale at Albertson's for 3.99 to 4.99 a pound, off sale its as high as 9.99 so I only buy on sale. Talapia 3.99 a pound, Basa 3.99 to 4.99 a pound, Flounder 4.99, Grouper 4.99 to 6.99 on sale, scallops 5.99 a pound on sale, shrimp (big ones) 3.99 to 4.99 on sale Potatoes - russet potatoes 10 pound bag, decent size bakers, $5 at wal-mart or I go to the fresh market (nursery that has a large open air vegetable market as well) & buy them for about 39 cents a pound. I buy most of my fruits & veges there. Eggs - hmmmm, I bought 2 18count packs for 1.29 each at Walmart a couple weeks ago-- not sure what current price is. Butter - On sale at Albertson's this week 83 cents for 4 sticks (I won't touch margerine-BLECH!!) Bread - .99 for plain old store brand Publix bread & the yummy 9 grain Peperidge Farm or Harvest Fresh or other big name fancier breads rotate each week at Walmart for 2 loafs for $5 Albertson's has their brand of English Muffins on sale this week for $1 a pack & Lander's Bagels are only .98cents a pack at walmart Cold Cuts - about the only deli meat we buy anymore is Publix brand bottom round Roast beef & that runs just under $8.00 lb Pasta (generic brand) - everyday price for 1 pound box/bag of various pasta at Wal-mart is 50-78 cents a box (gotta watch for falling down prices as well as prices falling up [;)]. Albertson's will place a sale on the name brands Meullar's or Ronzoni 20 for $10. I'll even find hamburger helper 10 for $10 or Kraft Mac-n-cheese 20 for $10 Canned Tomatoes - 16 oz (stewed, crushed, whole) 2 for $1 to .75 cents a can. I have not found a scratch n dent since I moved to WPB, Fl, but when I lived in Tampa I payed about 10 cents a can. I don't buy many canned foods other than soup anymore & I only buy the Cambell's or Progresso Hearty/Chunky/Homestyle ready to eat stuff for 1.50 a can at Wal-mart or I find them on sale at Albertson's buy one get one free at 2.49 & I stock the pantry (good hurricane food) & the other good one is tuna, 2 cans for a $1 or on sale this week at for whole white .89 cents a can. Sauce - ranges depending on which one 12 oz jar $2.50 to $4.50 Ummm, what kind of sauce are you talking about? I'll go with pasta sauces... 32 oz jar of Progresso $1.68 at Wal-mart or buy the tall cans made by Hunts or Del Monte for $1 each. The alfredo sauces I find for 1.50 to 1.99 a jar at walmart Rice - I bought a 20 pound bag about 4 months ago & I think I paid about $3 for it. Almost time to buy again. Beans - who the heck has time for dried beans anymore... LOL Ice cream - I'm with you there... what ever is on sale & about $5 for two containers but whatch those name brands, they don't make full gallon packs anymore... tricky fuckers they are!!! Bananas - I get them for at the fresh market for 4 to 6 pounds for a dollar. (depends on their color... when bright yellow they sell them off cheap & we eat banana pudding, banana bread & I mash up bananas, freeze them & blend them up on the weekend in frozen drinks with or without alcohol Like I started off with in the first paragraph regarding milk... I have a large family & we cut corners everywhere we can. We do this & we reward ourselves in other ways.... like premium Disney passes for everyone, going again this weekend & because we save I'm paying for a day trip for my visiting niece. I spend about 100 a week on food items for 5 people. Myself, my partner & 3 kids... an 18 y/o a 16 y/o & a 11 y/o I buy in bulk, when its on sale... I stock up... I shop for sales... I do all my shopping on one day, in one trip & the only thing I pick up during the week would be milk as we run out. I don't even bother with coupons unless its in the thing hanging above the item. I'm sure I could bring my purchases down a bit more but then again, no... I buy a lot of store brands. I've got every friggin key tag you can think of from every store so that it can be scanned & I save. You just have to be smart, have a head for numbers & live in an area where you can shop variety.

velvetears -> RE: Food Stamp Challenge--$21 a week (6/8/2007 2:44:25 PM)
Thanks so much for the time spent listing to give me a comparison - all in all each item is cheaper - some lots, others not so much but it all adds up. Meat is ridiculously expensive here - we eat a lot of chicken lol.... also a lot of pasta. i do cook from scratch using pasta, rice, sauces, cheese, etc to make things tastier and it's not cheap to do that - spices cost a lot, so does parmesian or romano cheese - a pound grated costs $7.00 - who can eat pasta without cheese [:'(] You seem to have done your homework lol... i really need to do that more myself - i usually go to the same market and will stock up on sales - like the mac and cheese 20 for $10.00 or hamburger helper 10 boxes for $10.00 - but i don't really like eating or letting my kids eat processed foods - too much salt and other crap in there, but the sales are enticing when you are looking to stretch a budget. my mom always cooked from scratch - she was a wonderful cook, i miss eating her meals. She made a great chili...mmmmmmmmm..... making me hungry thinking about it. The milk deal is what gets me - around here it goes up and down and i do see it posted $2.50 a gallon - i have to remember more or keep a pad with me when i drive. Between gas prices and food prices [&o] ---- depressing. Again, thanks a buunch MstrssPassion [:)]

meatcleaver -> RE: Food Stamp Challenge--$21 a week (6/8/2007 2:51:01 PM)
General point. I went to the shop today and bought a few bits for about $20 and then had a bite to eat at the local bar for $15. The idea of living a week on $21 of food is simply ridiculous. I guess one can have pasta on Monday, rice on Tuesday, beans on Wednesday, cabbage on Thursaday, fish heads on Friday, potatoes on Saturday and fast on Sunday.

velvetears -> RE: Food Stamp Challenge--$21 a week (6/8/2007 2:52:50 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: MstrssPassion Beans - who the heck has time for dried beans anymore... LOL LOL... i am with you on that note. i used to buy them and you have to soak before you can use them - well i did that and put them in the fridge for a few days....NEVER DO THAT - unless you have a foul smell fetish omg it was awful [&:] You really do have to plan to use them after they are soaked for the appropriate time. i buy canned beans but i rinse them really well or they have too much sodium.

velvetears -> RE: Food Stamp Challenge--$21 a week (6/8/2007 2:56:25 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: meatcleaver General point. I went to the shop today and bought a few bits for about $20 and then had a bite to eat at the local bar for $15. The idea of living a week on $21 of food is simply ridiculous. I guess one can have pasta on Monday, rice on Tuesday, beans on Wednesday, cabbage on Thursaday, fish heads on Friday, potatoes on Saturday and fast on Sunday. i agree. Is it possible to do - sure if you eat like Oliver Twist when he was an orphan but what kind of a life is that? If this is what families on public assistance have to do then no wonder depression is so prevelant... it would depress me.

MstrssPassion -> RE: Food Stamp Challenge--$21 a week (6/8/2007 3:30:51 PM)
I am a skilled chef, went to school, got my degree & worked as an apprentice for 4 yrs & then ran a couple of very upscale kitchens... the whole 9 yards. Got burned out, hated that my art became more like slap it on a plate & beat the seagulls (waitresses) off the plate. I didn't stay in that profession. Now I'm an off-site manager for a couple of businesses & this brings me to my mentioning some of the quick fix items that not only stretch the budget but bail you out when you find yourself working 60 to 80 hours a week.... oh, & you're depending on two teenage girls to prepare a meal to feed their baby brother who are quite ok with slapping a bowl of cereal in front of him & calling that dinner.... NOT! Most meals I make at home are made from scratch. I make a great quick fix chicken pot pie that will feed all 5 of us with left overs & may have a cost of about 10 bucks & 45 minutes to prepare. I make another tasty chicken dish with salsa & yellow rice that is a big hit for about the same price & time to prepare. Roasts with home made mashed potatoes & a vegetable side will serve as dinner & left-overs take care of lunch the next day.... & if it gets skipped over at lunch time, it's turned into a beef pot pie before the end of the week.... eureka!

thompsonx -> RE: Food Stamp Challenge--$21 a week (6/8/2007 4:04:06 PM)
<fast reply> I wonder why it is when we go about helping the less fortunate we do not really seek to bring them up to our level but rather to hold them in a constant state of penury. "No you should not have a good cut of meat to eat, wieners and baloney will be good enough for you". "Yes I would like to help you but not so you could prosper but rather only just enough so that I wont feel any guilt should you die for my lack of help" Do we actually feel that if the less fortunate had the same educational and social advantages the we posses that they would not prosper as we do? Do we not recognize that we to have our noses in the public trough. Which home buyer considers their mortgage interest deduction on their income tax to be welfare? It is. If we would care to find out just how much welfare those who do not make up the ranks of the less fortunate we might look at a book by David Johnston called "Perfectly Legal" The laws that dole out pennies to the less fortunate were written by the same people who wrote the laws that dole out millions to those who are not members of the less fortunate. thompson

SugarMyChurro -> RE: Food Stamp Challenge--$21 a week (6/8/2007 4:27:35 PM)
thompsonx: That was extremely well stated for a fast reply. I couldn't agree more! The Constitution is a social contract. Let's not forget the social part of that concept.

meatcleaver -> RE: Food Stamp Challenge--$21 a week (6/8/2007 4:44:16 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: thompsonx <fast reply> I wonder why it is when we go about helping the less fortunate we do not really seek to bring them up to our level but rather to hold them in a constant state of penury. "No you should not have a good cut of meat to eat, wieners and baloney will be good enough for you". "Yes I would like to help you but not so you could prosper but rather only just enough so that I wont feel any guilt should you die for my lack of help" Do we actually feel that if the less fortunate had the same educational and social advantages the we posses that they would not prosper as we do? Do we not recognize that we to have our noses in the public trough. Which home buyer considers their mortgage interest deduction on their income tax to be welfare? It is. If we would care to find out just how much welfare those who do not make up the ranks of the less fortunate we might look at a book by David Johnston called "Perfectly Legal" The laws that dole out pennies to the less fortunate were written by the same people who wrote the laws that dole out millions to those who are not members of the less fortunate. thompson Too true. The richer one is the more welfare one receives from the government.

SeeksOnlyOne -> RE: Food Stamp Challenge--$21 a week (6/8/2007 6:00:48 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: velvetears quote: ORIGINAL: MstrssPassion Beans - who the heck has time for dried beans anymore... LOL LOL... i am with you on that note. i used to buy them and you have to soak before you can use them - well i did that and put them in the fridge for a few days....NEVER DO THAT - unless you have a foul smell fetish omg it was awful [&:] You really do have to plan to use them after they are soaked for the appropriate time. i buy canned beans but i rinse them really well or they have too much sodium. if you put them in water with a bit of salt and bring to a boil, then take off the heat and let them sit for a few hours, then drain the old water off, add fresh water and whatever you wish to for seasonings, bring that to a boil, cover and simmer, they will be ready with just a couple hours of cooking. this works well on a weekend morning for lunch or supper that day-and go ahead and cook the entire bag.....they freeze well and can go from freezer to table in the time it takes to make the cornbread......

CassandraAlexis -> RE: Food Stamp Challenge--$21 a week (6/8/2007 6:21:23 PM)
One of the other ironic things are some of the counties and food co-ops which would make better food more accessable for a lower price are not set up for people who are working. When I moved to this county I checked all the churches, about 9 different towns around me and a few of the co-ops who do food deals and ever single one insisted that the food be picked up on their pick up day/time or you lost your package without refund. To be even more unhelpful, every single one had their pick up hours for only 2 to 4 hrs during a weekday which meant that a working person would have to take off from work to make the pick up. That pick up restriction was the only reason which made me unable to participate

velvetears -> RE: Food Stamp Challenge--$21 a week (6/8/2007 6:27:27 PM)
i love pot pie and have an easy recipe for one. i would make it once a week but my kids balk so i don't. Kids don't appreciate the time it takes to really cook a good meal - i mean anyone can slap chicken in the oven but i don't call that cooking really. So i end up giving them what they like - mac and cheese and tuna/hamburger helper - not more then 2 times a month but on those days when you're absolutely frazzled from work it's a good alternative. Biggest problem i have is getting my kids to eat leftovers - they hate to. i hate throwing out perfectly good food just cause they won't eat it [:@] One processed food i do admit to making quite a bit of are imitation mashed potatos - basically just too lazy to make real ones.... they take literally 5 minutes to make. i make a tasty shepards pie - i use taco seasoning mix and sour cream in it - not too bad for a meal that you can make in less than 1/2 hour and not expensive at all.

dcnovice -> RE: Food Stamp Challenge--$21 a week (6/8/2007 6:28:49 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: thompsonx <fast reply> I wonder why it is when we go about helping the less fortunate we do not really seek to bring them up to our level but rather to hold them in a constant state of penury. "No you should not have a good cut of meat to eat, wieners and baloney will be good enough for you". "Yes I would like to help you but not so you could prosper but rather only just enough so that I wont feel any guilt should you die for my lack of help" Do we actually feel that if the less fortunate had the same educational and social advantages the we posses that they would not prosper as we do? I suspect that many people fear that, given the same advantages, the less fortunate would prosper--and we'd have to compete with them. quote: Do we not recognize that we to have our noses in the public trough. Which home buyer considers their mortgage interest deduction on their income tax to be welfare? It is. If we would care to find out just how much welfare those who do not make up the ranks of the less fortunate we might look at a book by David Johnston called "Perfectly Legal" Thank you, thank you, thank you for making this important point!

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