Food Stamps

wow, you guys make me feel rich, I get $6.58 a day

Approx. 100. grocery list w/minimal cooking and a few meal ideas. Save the other 67.for things you may add... fruits, fresh veggies, popcorn, etc. Save more money by making bread, tortillas, noodles, etc.

2 doz. eggs 4.00 1 box oatmeal 2.00
OJ 3.00
PB 2.00
2 tuna 2.00
10 lb. potatoes 4.00
3 boxes pasta 3.00
2 pasta sauce 2.00
2 boxes cornbread1.00
muffin mix
1 bag navy beans 1.00
2 lb. bacon 7.00
2 rotisserie 10.00
chickens
2 lb. gr. beef 7.00
3 cantelope 3.00
1 bag apples 3.00
1 lb butter 4.00
container oil 3.00
10 froz.veggies 10.00
4 loaves bread 8.00
1 jar mayo 3.00
1 pack cheese 3.00
1 cottage cheese 2.00
1 lb. br. sugar 1.50
1 pack tortillas 1.00
5 lb.sugar 3.50
1 box tea 2.00
2 lb. coffee 4.00
1 gal milk 3.00
1 pancake mix 1.50

Meal Ideas

bacon, eggs, toast w OJ
french toast w/syrup
oatmeal
pancakes/eggs/bacon
eggs w/fried potatoes

PB sandwich
Tuna w/boiled egg sandwich
Egg salad sandwich
Grilled cheese sandwich
Chicken salad sandwich
leftovers
Potato soup

chicken, mashed potatoes, froz. veggie
chicken w/dressing
chicken noodle soup
chicken sandwich
spaghetti w/froz. veggie cottage cheese
gr. beef w/froz peas, boiled potatoes w/butter
macaroni salad w/chicken/apples
bean soup w/cornbread
tortilla wraps w/mashed beans leftover from soup, chicken, scrambled eggs, or other filling
fry tortilla spread with mashed beans, cheese, or other topping or dip

Beverages Iced tea, coffee, milk, juice, water.

it IS possible - we have a family of 6 we get 856 dollars a month - when possible we take the first week and go to walmart where we BUY IN BULK - condiments and meats / cheeses / pastas and sauce / breads . weeks 2 and 3 we go to HEB and do fill ins mostly vegetables and fresh fruit and stuff we werent able to get on week 1. the last week we fend for ourselves - usually CHEAP FOODS like top ramen and pb&j but overall it is possible.

All of the above.

I don't know about your store, but here potatoes are cheap. They are nutritious and filling and versatile. A five pound bag should give you one potato a day for thirty days. I have seen those bags for around $1. A dozen eggs will give you protein for almost 2 weeks for generally around $1 a week. You don't need to eat meat every day. Beans and corn in the same meal will give you protein.

Bags of juicer carrots are cheap, and will give you more nutrition for your buck than most anything. Look for bags where most of the carrots are not black and dead on top. Use up those first and expose the rest to some sunlight for a day or too, keep them moist though, and then refrigerate them..

Grow leaf lettuce in a bucket on your balcony or in front of a window if you can't grow it outside. Plant some of those carrots in the bucket too.

A batch of green onions planted in a little soil will give you seasoning for months. Just trim a little leaf off the top and put that in soup and stew instead of using big onions. They will keep growing and replenishing for you. You could put them in with the lettuce and carrots.

Take the leftover bones from those cheap chicken cuts and boil them up with some of those green onion tops for a good soup base. Add potato, carrot and a bit of chicken for a soup that will last for two or three lunches.

A 5 pound bag of flour and some baking powder will give you the base for breads for at least a couple of weeks. Buy one package of yeast, learn to culture it and use it for raised sour or sweet dough bread for the rest of your life. When you boil up those potatoes, don't salt them sometimes and use the potato water to feed the yeast. Other times, use the salted water for soup base.

Find a way to get to your local dollar store and buy spaghetti sauce and pasta there. Plus other things. Pasta is another cheap staple that will go a long long way.

Go to the Food Bank.

Soups, breads, potatoes and a tiny place to grow a few fresh veggies will make it possible to spend the bulk of your food allowance on meat and other foods.

You can do it. Good luck.

I couldn't believe a news story I read in the Bangor Newspaper (online) about a 26 year old able bodied man that is on public assistance with a disability of anxiety. He sits around smoking pot, uses wi-fi at the library, I guess he has a device that uses it, and works under the table doing labor work when he is offered it. He have NEVER had a real job, and is disabled, so he won't be looking either.

He was one of the young men interviewed all doing the same thing.

How does one eat healthy on food stamps?
I get $167 a month. 30/31 days/month = ~$5.40 a day.

www.heb.com is my grocery store.

Sure you are. Everyone is disabled these days.

Buy one $5 foot long subway sub every day and get all the vegetables. You can live on that. Use the other 40 cents to buy some rice or beans.

Having been there for many years, you need to concentrate on the basics.

Milk, butter, bread, eggs & juice. Watch for sales, do you have a day old bread store nearby? How an Aldi? Coupon clipping will become a necessity.

Chicken has been on sale lately for 49 cents a pound. Visit your local food pantries as they let you to supplement your assistance.

I wish you the best of luck.

There's no doubt the system is fucked. Sadly, the people who really need assistance, just a leg up when fallen on hard times, the real reason it was created, are usually turned away for asset reasons. If you've worked hard all your life and "own" anything then find yourself in a hard place, you're screwed.

There's a reason you see welfare recipients driving new cars.

I know this because I worked as a caseworker for 6 years until I couldn't take it anymore.

How does one eat healthy on food stamps?
I get $167 a month. 30/31 days/month = ~$5.40 a day.

www.heb.com is my grocery store.