Food Stamps

[Constance]

I heard on the news today that the average person on food stamps gets $3 per day. My grandson is getting food stamps down in Florida, and he gets about $4 per day.

I'm pretty good at pinching a penny, but I think it would be tough to get by on that amount. What do you all think? Could you do it?

 

[suziquzie]

nope. not with 5 people.
just him or a family?
what gets me more is that I qualify. I dont think I am at a point where I SHOULD qualify for them.
Where there's a will, there's a way...
My will is to not depend on help unless I'm in dire straits. I don't think I'm there at the end of the day and I really think on it.

 

[GrantsKat]

I commend you suzi!!We have had food stamps since april when my husband was laid off from a good paying job! to be quite honest if we didnt have them, Im not sure how I could feed my kids! I agree with the statement "when theres a will theres a way" but for us ....its not working right now, I have children to feed & bills to pay.....VERY touchy subject for me..sorry!

 

[babetoo]

i probably could, but then there is only one of me. it would not be very well balanced food.

i qualify here in ca. but only about 35 dollars worth. not worth the paper work and having to go there, truthfully.

my daughter had them once. no shame in them. if used just to tide you over til things get better. i do know that they are often abused. the 35 dollars worth is for a month. as you can see not worth the 20 dollar cab ride i have to take for the paperwork.

 

[Toots]

I don't see how anyone could get by on $3 or $4 per day - thats just not enough, especially with skyrocketing food prices.

There was actually a study of this at this website and people tried the $3 per day food alotment to see what would happen

The Hunger Challenge

 

[Adillo303]

I see nothing wrong with food stamps, Whatever you get is more than you had before. My daughter had them for a while. At the end of the day, you are paying for the program out of your taxes, why not get something back?

Just my 2 cents.

AC

 

[mikki]

I got them for awile about 15 years ago, I'm not sure how much a day it equaled out to, but I haven't eaten as well since. Maybe it was because I was use to shopping cheap, but we could buy so much that we couldn't get on just my hubbys pay. I wasn't working and I guess they figured it would be cheaper to pay for groceries instead of childcare if I went to work. I didn't like accepting them at first,but then I figured that Ihad been paying into the system for 8 years already and would be paying into it again after kids went to school so it was kind of like my money anyway. Don't know if that was the right way to think, but it got me threw it.

 

[smoke king]

That would be tough, but adillo's point is a good one. Something is better than nothing.

I can remember a few years back, my Aunt applied for food stamps-she needed them. She had only her SS, no pension, retirement etc.

The State of Nebraska did all that they could to belittle and humiliate her for even asking, and then after what seemed to be a 20 page questionaire, and several interviews, determined she was eligable for 10$-per month!!! Not even worth the time and effort. When I asked them exactly what she was supposed to do with the 33 cents/day, all they could tell me was that their determination was based on a set schedule.

She lives with my wife and I now, so that someone else might be able to put the 33 cents/day to better use.

 

[bowlingshirt]

Ramen noodles for everbody...

 

[B'sgirl]

If that is an average, people will get more or less depending on their circumstances. And like Adillo said, it's more than you had before. I don't think it is meant to provide a luxurious living for those using them, it is just to provide assistance until people get back on their feet. I'm sure it is very difficult to get by on that amount, but hopefully, and ideally that is not their only source of income. The welfare system is spread so thin I doubt there is money to give much more.

I'm sure it also depends on the family too. I've seen families buy loads of expensive frozen pizzas and pre-made foods with food stamps, and I've seen other families buy inexpensive foods that requires a bit more preparation. I think people just make do with what they have, and hopefully it is enough to get them back on their feet.

 

[Constance]

I believe that is $3 per person, and I think different states handle it in different ways.

So for a family family of four, that would be $360 a month. Let's see...I'd buy:
20 lb. bag of potatoes
3 lb. bag Spanish onions
big bag of rice
economy size pkgs noodles and spaghetti
a box of bacon ends and pieces
10 lb. flour
5 lb. bag cornmeal
5 lb. bag sugar
no-name canned vegetables
Ramen noodles
tuna
big bag chicken leg quarters


I'm not up on my prices, as DH does most of the shopping...what else do you think could go on the list?

 

[luvs]

guys, you don't starve on them. my food is plentiful.

 

[Callisto in NC]

The restrictions are what gets me. Only certain foods can be bought with the food stamps, that are now in a debit card form. I remember seeing people in line with all kinds of food and having to put things back because they weren't covered. Silly things like generic store band cereal was covered but Kellogg's wasn't. And the poor person with the stamps had a book they had to go through to get as close as possible without going over to pay for their food. I think the state of California was trying to humiliate people into not applying.

 

[GrantsKat]

The restrictions are what gets me. Only certain foods can be bought with the food stamps, that are now in a debit card form. I remember seeing people in line with all kinds of food and having to put things back because they weren't covered. Silly things like generic store band cereal was covered but Kellogg's wasn't. And the poor person with the stamps had a book they had to go through to get as close as possible without going over to pay for their food. I think the state of California was trying to humiliate people into not applying.

Im curious...was this a large chain store, or a smaller "mom & pop" place?

 

[mikki]

Callisto-Must be a state thing I know in NY you can buy any food product as long as it's not prepared foods. The one thing that bothered me was you could not get TP or hand soap. Two things that I think are needed.

 

[GrantsKat]

Callisto-Must be a state thing I know in NY you can buy any food product as long as it's not prepared foods. The one thing that bothered me was you could not get TP or hand soap. Two things that I think are needed.

thats why I was asking mikki, here in Florida its the same, no prepared foods or paper products.......but there are some small stores here that will tell you that you cant buy certain food items, I think they are making thier own rules though!

 

[mikki]

GK- I never ran into that, Of course I had them along time ago so things might have changed.

 

[luvs]

here you cannot get prepared foods.

 

[B'sgirl]

Callisto-Must be a state thing I know in NY you can buy any food product as long as it's not prepared foods. The one thing that bothered me was you could not get TP or hand soap. Two things that I think are needed.

There are two different kinds of foods stamps. One is just food, and the other you can buy anything (i.e. toilet paper). I don't know what makes you eligible for one or the other, but some people can get them. And at least in Utah you can't buy alcohol or cigarettes withe the food-only part.

 

[deelady]

When I was pregnant in California my fiance suddenly got layed off so once our dd was born things got very tight. I got onto WIC and was given a certain amount of vouchers for dairy, juice, formula, andvery few other Nutrtional items. They had to be certain brands and certain sizes. It was a pain to shop with them, (esp when you got to the checkout, you have to sign each coupon and the had to verify your signature...long process!) but they did help! One thing that frustrated me though was you had to pick from only certain brands and types of baby formulas and the stores NEVER had the kind I needed and qualified for, I had to switch weekly smetimes back and forth between soy and whole milk formulas which is not the best hing for your babies system! Also you had to get 2 gallons of milk per coupon of which I got about 3 coupns a month thats 6 gallons of milk (we didn't drink THAT much milk!) but I never had enough formula coupons at the end of the month. Like was said before, its not meant to pay for everything and it did help alot, but I always felt they could have organized it a little better...I guess it gives people incentive to get off WIC the soonest chance possible, which we did!