Food Stamps… Resolved?
By Milehimama on Dec 10, 2009 in Food Stamp Challenge
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I received a phone call from the admin assist at the food stamp office today, the local branch who messed everything up. I was assured that our benefits will be put on our card within 24-48 hours and to make sure to call back if they do not get credited by Friday. I don’t know what that ombudsman in Austin said to them, but it sure did work!
Our benefits are astounding, if and when we get them. Our monthly benefit is more than twice as much as I usually spend; we get back benefits for October, November, and December put on our card all at once.
I don’t know if I can spend that much money!
I’ll help stock up local pantries that are hurting from the recession, though perhaps not the one that serves my ZIP code. Isn’t that ironic? But they are helping people who are waiting for their benefits to finally show up, too. And God has provided so wonderfully through us through other people – turkeys and hams showing up, people bringing us dinner, and faithful readers who stun and humble me by sharing what they have with my family. It is truly astonishing. Thank you all so, so much, from the bottom of my heart. And husband dear’s stomach.
Although I do have some stocking up to do! We ran out of garlic powder about 6 weeks ago, and I’m getting low on cumin, onion, and a few other spices. I’m going to buy some cardamom. We’ve eaten down our pantry – I have about two meals worth of brown rice left, and one meal’s worth of pasta.
Can you imagine buying 90# of dried beans all at once, in one pound packages? Cuz even though husband dear might turn INTO a bean, they can’t be beat for long term, easy protein storage! And they are good.
I had a 30 day stock of dry goods and that came in handy. I’m going to replenish that, of course. I encourage everyone to have several weeks worth of food on hand, as much as you can store without it spoiling, and rotate your food. You never know when a natural or economic disaster will strike and it’s a lot easier to bear if you know where your next meal is coming from!
Meanwhile, I’m shallow. I’m dreaming of peppermint ice cream, my favorite flavor that only comes out this time of year, and raisin bread. The kind I didn’t bake with streusel on the crust. Vanilla yogurt and berries. The kids are trying to convince me to get them frozen waffles, but we don’t have a toaster so they’re out of luck, ha! But I told them they could pick out their own kind of jelly, any kind. We’ll buy lunchmeat again. And I’m definitely getting some salmon – we haven’t had it for months but we all love it!
What would your monthly menu look like, if you had an unlimited budget?
(Husband says buy lobster. But I actually don’t care for lobster, and there is NO WAY I’m buying lobster for 10 people with a food stamp card. The other shoppers and the clerk would run me out on a rail!)
mary alice (1)
Trista (1)
I’m so happy for you! I hope and pray that everything gets straightened out once and for all.
Peppermint is my favorite ice cream flavor as well!
I would stock up on cheese. I know it’s perishable but I think you can freeze the shredded kind. In my opinion, cheese makes anything better!
Lindy | Dec 10, 2009 | Reply
Finally! It’s about time they got their act together.
As for all that purchasing power – I would go to extremes with stocking up on non-perishables. Any and everything that will keep. As well as whatever your freezer can hold. But, duh, you already said that.
Get things that you can make into baskets/gifts to take to Denver with you for your hosts and friends and family.
Treat everyone in the house to something very, very special – even husband dear’s lobster…maybe just for him while everyone else gets a night of their special thing on another night.
Buy your ice cream.
After you’re back from Denver, have the biggest, best, most mouth watering family Christmas dinner you could imagine. Everyone pics a favorite thing to include in that dinner!
Indulge a little. No, a lot. If it’s a matter of use it or lose it, then use it up and have fun doing it.
Tia | Dec 10, 2009 | Reply
Unlimited food budget but for just my family?
I would buy duck breasts. I adore duck. Some of my favorite fruits, like fresh berries—when they are out of season. Organic ones! Way to live dangerously! Fresh fish (salmon, mahi, red snapper, whatever is fresh and delicious) at least once a week. The expensive trail mix, with little dark chocolates in it. Expensive cheese and free-range, organic chicken broth. Canned tuna in pouches instead of cans! (It costs twice as much!) All-natural, grass-fed (if possible) steak at least every week or two (that’s $20/lb.)—and I would start eating ground beef again, by buying an all-natural roast and having them grind it for me. I like hamburgers and other ground beef meals, but unfortunately I know too much about how commercial ground beef is sourced and processed. Honestly… I’m still picturing, above all, a bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Drool. I love meat, but if I had to choose between going “meat-arian” or vegetarian, I would have no choice: I think I cannot live without fruits and vegetables—a craving I consider a gift from God (not that I don’t crave junk food too). Mmmmm…. leeks and oyster mushrooms…. asparagus and artichokes…. and mountains of fresh raspberries….
LOL, I think my idea of “food porn” (grocery store version) must be stultifyingly boring to other people! Now, if all foods could also be made miraculously healthy, I’d be adding lots of bacon, gourmet ham, pricey ice cream, and baked goods to the list!
Ginkgo100 | Dec 10, 2009 | Reply
I’m so glad your benefits are coming through. It’s really about time. They should be ashamed that they put you through all that.
I’m really glad they saw fit to give you your past benefits too.
Enjoy your stocking up!
Laura | Dec 10, 2009 | Reply
Yea! I am SO glad that your benefits problems may finally be at an end! What a wonderful answer to prayer.
What would I buy on an unlimited budget? More fruit and veggies than I already do! I would get the stuff we love, not just what is the best deal at the moment for a change! Hormone-free beef would also be might nice…
Birdie | Dec 10, 2009 | Reply
Duck? Really? I’ve only tried it once, long ago at P.F. Changs and I was not impressed.
Milehimama | Dec 10, 2009 | Reply
I wanted to get “good meat” too, but in Houston they don’t take food stamps at the farmer’s markets! Something else for me to work on, I suppose!
Milehimama | Dec 10, 2009 | Reply
I am curious. Do you only have a certain amount of time to use your foodstamps in Texas? Here is PA whatever you don’t use gets rolled over to the next month. As for indulging, I say go for it! Everyone gets a special dinner. And get your husband his lobster! You could use it for a biology lesson first
Butterflygirl | Dec 10, 2009 | Reply
Yes, our stamps will roll over to the next month. But, we are getting over $1k per month! Plus a three month “back benefits”.
To put it in perspective, I spend about $5800 PER YEAR on food.
Milehimama | Dec 10, 2009 | Reply
unlimited food budget – Oh , not too much different – but I would stock up on apple soda and peanut butter rosewater wafers !! They melt in your mouth , maybe some more tamarinds , and I would bug out on wild rice. *sighs* I miss wild rice.
HappyHermit | Dec 10, 2009 | Reply
I haven’t had wild rice in such a long time! Maybe I’ll get some of that, too!
Milehimama | Dec 10, 2009 | Reply
I’m so glad that this food stamp debacle is coming to an end for you. The lobster comment made me laugh.
It actually reminded me of when I was a teen, my newly single mom with her 4 kids were living in a very small basement apartment. She hadn’t secured a job yet and we were living on a prayer and food stamps. We were also in a new school system. My sister had been assigned to bring candy for the whole class for a holiday party. My mom bought the candy with food stamps. I remember the scowling, judgemental looks and comments she got from the store clerk for doing that. But she chose to use the some of the valuable food stamps for that purpose to keep her 11 year old from being more embarrassed or humilated than she already was for being the new “poor” kid in school.
Tara | Dec 10, 2009 | Reply
I am glad they stopped the paper pushing shuffle- a most annoying dance, and I am happy you’ll be able to refill your pantry and eat well.
As you know, my husband works at a grocery store and he gets to know his customers. He does see regular customers coming in every month and buying things like steak and lobster with their food stamps, as well as cokes, chips, and all kinds of convenience foods- things we cannot afford to buy for our family. He doesn’t run them out on a rail, but he does come home and tell me about it, and it makes it into a blog post from time to time.=)
deputyheadmistress | Dec 10, 2009 | Reply
Oh Tara, your comment brought tears to my eyes. Everybody deserves a treat.
catholicmom | Dec 10, 2009 | Reply
Yahoo! I’m so thankful your benefits are coming Friday! Oh, do enjoy a treat and enjoy the ability to share with others too. What a grand blessing you will have in both regards.
Denise | Dec 10, 2009 | Reply
I so hope it’s resolved for you and I’m praying that a great job comes along soon for your husband too.
Things I would buy: GOOD CHOCOLATE private mommy stash of it olive oil vanilla cocoa spices all those expensive baking things lots of nuts too Even powdered milk stores well and if you don’t like to drink it can be used for cooking. I KNOW REAL MAPLE SYRUP YUMMY
I would focus on stuff that I could store for a long time like the beans, rice, pasta, you mentioned. That way while you have the food stamps you can get stocked for several months.
I would stock up on meats and cheeses too but you probably have limited freezer space for that.
I know that when I was cashiering it was the convenience foods and POP(or soda down south) that irked me. I know I would sometimes check out hundreds of dollars of stuff and not a vegetable or fruit in sight unless you counted the sauce on the canned ravioli. I would look at lobster and know that was a special dinner. Not that we should judge anyways and you should buy what you want. I know I started sticking up for some of the regular families when other cashiers were ragging about WIC or food stamps. My mom and I got food stamps a long time ago right after my parents first divorced. I know we bought steaks etc with stamps just to use them up. I was in school all day and she worked as a waitress and got fed there. Basically the caseworker wouldn’t give us the rent assistance unless we got food stamps too.
Becky | Dec 11, 2009 | Reply
It sure is easy to criticize others who are in a pinch.
Food stamps cannot be exchanged for cash, rent, utility bill payments, or anything else. You can only buy food with them. So if (like MHM) you have more food stamp money than you need, why not use it? When a family can barely afford to keep the lights on, should be begrudge them a nice dinner or two?
As for the convenience foods, consider that the reason some families are on food stamps may be due to disabilities—disabilities that preclude spending a lot of time cooking. For that matter, cooking vessels themselves are expensive. What if you can’t afford a big pot for beans (let alone a slow-cooker)? For canned ravioli you only need a can opener, if you don’t mind eating it cold.
Education about nutrition is another reason for some of the food choices that people make. Okay, everyone knows bacon’s not really good for you, but canned ravioli? If you don’t know how to read nutrition labels, or what the daily recommendations for nutrients are, that might look like healthy food to you! (And actually, it’s not completely terrible.) People in poverty might have heard, at some point, about the food pyramid, and that you should eat 5 fruits or vegetables a day, but if you don’t know why they are important, it’s pretty easy to dismiss that. If you don’t know why whole wheat bread is better than white bread, you might not want to fight that battle with your kids.
We reinforce each other daily about nutrition issues by blogging and commenting about it. It’s easy to take that knowledge for granted. I hate seeing shopping carts full of junk, too, but always try to remind myself not to judge the shopper.
Ginkgo100 | Dec 11, 2009 | Reply
Just checked the nutrition label on a can of Spaghetti-Os with Meatballs. In a single 25 gram serving, there are 11 grams of protein vs. only 8 grams of fat. Unfortunately almost half that fat is saturated. There is quite a bit of sodium, 600 mg. Out of 32 grams of carbs, 4 grams are dietary fiber (not bad at all) with 8 grams of sugar. Because of the tomatoes and added enrichment, it has significant amounts of many nutrients.
Not the basis of a diet I would recommend to anybody, but not too terrible either.
Ginkgo100 | Dec 11, 2009 | Reply
Some people on food stamps do not have access to a kitchen. If you’re living in a weekly motel rental, you may be lucky to have a mini fridge and a microwave.
What would you buy if you had no stove or oven?
Milehimama | Dec 11, 2009 | Reply
Ah, the squeaky wheel. Glad to hear the situation was finally resolved.
Congrats on the new job as well. God is good!
Alexandra | Dec 11, 2009 | Reply
No stove or oven? I’ll assume no microwave either…
Cereal and milk (if I had a fridge), trail mix, canned tuna and chicken, Miracle Whip, bread, produce, cold cuts, cheese, yogurt, salad dressing, granola bars, crackers, pickles.
Ginkgo100 | Dec 12, 2009 | Reply
Coming in late here, but I would like to say that the dilemma of too many food stamps is an interesting one. I too would have some challenges there, and not want to be seen with too many “luxury foods” in my basket. But really, like the story about the candy for the classroom, who is to judge anyone about what a “luxury” is?
I just wanted to share the story of a woman ahead of me in line in the only supermarket accessible to the small “inner city” of our nearest town. She had with her two children, one a baby in a stroller, and the other a little boy about 5 years old. And she pushed two shopping carts, while the little boy did the honors with the stroller. I came along just as they were finishing, and it was pretty clear they were buying staples. Lots of rice, beans, and cheap meats.
She left a very small bottle of dish detergent in her discarded second shopping cart, which she just couldn’t handle, and no, she didn’t need it she said. When it came time to pay, she paid for $1.07 for non food items, and the rest on the food stamp card. Why didn’t she take the detergent? I wondered, since I could see that she had a few dollars left.
As I passed her on the way out, it came to me – cab fare. Poor people often don’t have cars in this town, but you really do need one to get around. She must have walked to the store, pushing the stroller to save the fare going, but needed a cab to get home with $200.00 in groceries. I hope they lasted the month…
So there is another problem with making few resources last – transportation. Until this store opened folks with no cars had to take cabs both ways to the nearest supermarket, or shop in small stores with really high prices for many things.
Sorry for rambling, but you got me thinking….
Sandwichmom | Dec 13, 2009 | Reply
To ad to Ginkgo100′s comments:
I am a luchlady for Denver Public Schools. This year DPS started the “Superfoods” program, where they take nutritional info into the classroom and teach kids about the food pyramid in the curriculum. The ideas are reinforced at lunchtime when we have the superfood of the month available. i.e. peaches in august, melon in september, apples in Octoer, etc. We also offer free breakfast to all our 72,000 students regardless of income. Our goal is to educate this generation to make proper food choices throughout their lives.
And btw, I would go hog wild with organic food if I had it. I would always have parmeggiano reggiano and real balsamic vinegar, and the best olive oil. I would splurge on gourmet convenience foods, like organic frozen pizza and frozen burritos. I could also have fresh herbs on hand even when its too cold for them to grow in mygarden, and string cheese-bc it’s a healthy easy snack that’s just a little too expensive for my budget. And I could also buy natural, low sodium lunchmeat, because I love me some sandwiches.
Mary Alice | Dec 13, 2009 | Reply
Heh, I bought string cheese today! And agave nectar and real maple syrup.’
I need to go to Whole Foods and see about getting pickles. I can’t find any that don’t have Yellow #5 in it. I’m thinking I’ll have to make my own! If I can figure it out, but pickling cucumbers aren’t exactly in season right now.
Milehimama | Dec 13, 2009 | Reply
We had the same “dilemma” when I first got our card. I’d been spending about $250 a month and suddenly had $395 a month, plus WIC for my two kids.
I really stocked our pantry that first month, laying in spices, condiments (oils and vinegars, real maple syrup, soy sauce, etc.), canned goods we routinely use (tomatoes, tomato paste, corn, coconut milk, tuna, salmon, etc.), dry beans and rice, whole wheat pasta and the like. I bought good quality meat and lots of frozen veggies for the freezer. I bought LOTS of baking supplies.
I spent almost all of that first month’s money in two trips, and my pantry and freezer were so well stocked that I’ve been able to breathe easy ever since. That food security really makes a difference in my anxiety level!
Now, I get a lot of fresh produce, organic dairy, and whole grains, but still rarely use my whole check amount and almost always have a roll-over amount at the end of the month.
The Saved Quarter | Jan 24, 2010 | Reply