Food Stamp Challenge Day One
Ok, here is my attempt to spend only $21 on groceries for the week without resorting to the dollar menu at a local fast food restaurant. Included: Loaf of Bread, Milk, Peanut Butter, Bananas, Pasta, Sauce, Salad mix, dressing, eggs. I tried to hit all of the food groups and stay away from the dollar menu, the big question is... how many servings do I have here? I got to the grocery store with a plan written out. Eggs were more expensive then I expected, so I had to cut out coffee from my list (guess who's going to be at the office coffee pot every morning). The pasta sauce was on sale though, so I was able to get whole wheat pasta. (Also, to the others on the challenge... Bananas are 19 cents at Trader Joe's this week!) Here's my tally to this point. Not much room for error.
Cost of food
John is correct. For a househol of 1 with $0.00 monthly income the current allotment would be $176 a month (or roughly $40 per week assuming 4 & 1/3 weeks. This is after thecost of living raise that happened this month. Secondly this is a national standard. It doesn't distinguish from high rent/fuel districts (such as ours) to the milder/cheaper areas such as middle America. USDA has not peged the amount of assitance to the local ecoomy (and probably never will)
Food Stamps as a Subsidy
John,
It's a good distinction to make. One of the reasons that we took on this challenge at this point though is because of the extraordinary economic changes that are going on right now. Where as $21 might have been a solid addition to your standard food budget in the past, Mass residents are dealing with startling overall cost of living increases, heavily tapping the money that they could previously put towards food budgets and making that $21
ever more important and ever more meager.
Milk prices have increased 21% over the past year and egg prices are up 35%. Overall, the cost of food has seen its highest increase in 17 years. Fuel has also risen sharply. Mass residents who heat their homes with natural gas or oil could end up paying nearly $1 billion more this
year, a 30% increase.
So the reality is, people are going to have to make sacrifices somewhere, and cutting into standard food budgets is one way many families do it.
Thanks for your comment.
I think you have it wrong....
Food Stamps are a subsidy, they are not meant to supply all the food for a person for an entire week. They are solely meant to subsidize one's food cost. Just like rental & fuel, it is not meant to cover the entire amount of one's rent or fuel for the year. According to the massresources.org website, "The amount of food stamps you get in Massachusetts depends on your household size, income, and expenses. You are expected to spend about 30% of your own income on food."
$20 for the week, but can I come to your house for dinner?
After hearing you were doing this Meghan, I had it in the back of my mind to try it while I was shopping for the week. I managed to spend right around $20, only that was just for breakfast and lunch! I might be able to make a few dinners out pantry supplies at home, but by Thursday, I will be in a tough spot. This is eye opening for sure.
My grocery shopping experience
I also tried to go for staples like bread and bananas, yogurt, some protein (tuna fish and ground turkey) and even some veggies (celery, onion and canned vegetables for the chili I will be living on this week). I managed to spend $20.61 but there is very little wiggle room. Like you, I had the experience of coming prepared with a list of what I could afford, only to discover that the prices were different when I got there (sadly I had to cut the brown rice off my list). Also when you add in any dietary restrictions (for me this is mostly keeping kosher and being a bit more health concious of late) keeping to this budget is really challenging. It took me almost an hour and a half to create my meal plan. I can't imagine being able to spend that amount of time on a regular basis.
Meghan, you will definitely not be alone at the coffee station at work this week. Of everything, I think picking up my usual cup of joe is what I will miss most.
Great experiment
This is a great experiment; it draws attention to the challenging reality many face, and I imagine it will give those who participate a renewed appreciation for their good fortune.
Meanwhile, stay strong. I know those $0.99 lattes Dunks is advertising are tempting, but you need to stick to nutrient-dense foods like the ones shown above. Don't worry. I'll be watching, keeping you honest.
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