How To Spend 30 Dollars Or Less In Groceries A Month!

[SOMEPARTS]

You could eat 30 cans of Beefaroni for $30 a week but you would like it.

[Al Doggity]

Lot of inaccuracies and generalities in your comment.  Out of the 40 million people on snap, what % don't have a kitchen or access to a kitchen?  Do you have those numbers? 

The premise of this thread is built on generalizations. The majority of recipients aren't buying mcdonalds and kfc. That's not even possible to do in most areas. The majority cycle off of these programs after relatively short periods. A large portion are working. Food insecurity programs are meant to support the worst off in society, so it's perfectly reasonable and realistic to include consideration for the worst off because that is who the program is meant to benefit.  Homelessness and poverty are not small problems and SNAP targets people experiencing those issues, so in the context of the rest of what's been posted, it's really a strawman to say "what are the statistics" on that particular point.

I've talked about the volunteer work I do on here before and most of it has been with lower income/homeless services. A large portion of the homeless clients are on SNAP and almost none of them utilize pantry services. When they do, you can sit their watching them unpack the boxes, taking out anything that didn't fit in their bag easily or needed to be refigerated, and just leaving the majority of the stuff behind on the table. Most of their diet is soup kitchens and stuff they can get at delis with SNAP. At points in the past, I've helped individuals and families transition off of the streets or tried to keep them from moving into homelessness, which frequently involved securing them sros where they didn't have access to full kitchens. In many situations, families were renting out single rooms in apartments where they had a single shelf in a shared fridge and a single shelf in a cupboard to store food items. In those cases, buying fresh and buying in bulk are not realistic options.

You also talk about the "insane" subsidies that keep fast food/junk food cheap.  While I'm 100% against subsidies, these subsidies do little to keep prices low.  The wheat subsides give farmers around 50 cents per bushel of wheat.  1 bu. of what could make 60-70 loaves of bread.  Same thing with sugar.  Sugar would be cheaper if the government wasn't involved by using quotas and subsidies.

I meant "available" where I wrote "affordable".  That sentence immediately followed a sentence where I was talking about food availability.

[Al Doggity]

Peanut butter is calorie dense and shelf stable.   Stop making excuses for people who waste their SNAP benefits because it hurts children the most in serious health problems.   Kids shouldn't be eating Kentucky Fried Chicken every day but they are.

No one is living on a diet of peanut butter. 
Just because something is information you don't like, doesn't make it an excuse.  I actually do support SNAP reform, but I don't think making it the most austere program possible is the answer.

[residue]

Yes you can...you can use an EBT card to buy fast food....you didnt know that???  And it's not just 2 states...its practically everywhere.

no you cant, you fucking g.e.d hopeful.

here is the bill that failed this year

https://panetta.house.gov/sites/panetta.house.gov/files/documents/2020.April_CongressmanPanetta_Legislation_SNAPCARRYAct.pdf

https://ask.usda.gov/s/article/Can-I-buy-food-at-restaurants-with-Supplemental-Nutrition-Assistance-Program-benefits-For-SNAP-Clien

here's direct intro from the usda

\You cannot use your Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card at restaurants to purchase hot food or food intended for immediate consumption unless your State participates in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Restaurant Meals Program (RMP) that serves the elderly, disabled, and/or homeless, and you are part of this target population. Generally restaurants are ineligible for authorization to accept SNAP benefits as a form of payment.

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2011/09/using-snap-benefits-for-fast-food-restaurants-is-a-state-decision/245085/


Since 1977 the decision to establish a restaurant meal program has been made by only a handful of states and because of this participation is very low.

As noted in your article, California, Arizona, and Michigan are operating State-administered restaurant programs serving their elderly, homeless, and disabled populations. Rhode Island began a limited pilot restaurant program on August 1, 2011. However, you also mention Florida without providing the facts to your readers. In 2009, Florida began operating a pilot program in one county and has a total of only 14 restaurants participating. Furthermore in Florida this option is ONLY available to the homeless. To date, Florida has not expanded that pilot.

[bigkid]

The premise of this thread is built on generalizations. The majority of recipients aren't buying mcdonalds and kfc. That's not even possible to do in most areas. The majority cycle off of these programs after relatively short periods. A large portion are working. Food insecurity programs are meant to support the worst off in society, so it's perfectly reasonable and realistic to include consideration for the worst off because that is who the program is meant to benefit.  Homelessness and poverty are not small problems and SNAP targets people experiencing those issues, so in the context of the rest of what's been posted, it's really a strawman to say "what are the statistics" on that particular point.

I've talked about the volunteer work I do on here before and most of it has been with lower income/homeless services. A large portion of the homeless clients are on SNAP and almost none of them utilize pantry services. When they do, you can sit their watching them unpack the boxes, taking out anything that didn't fit in their bag easily or needed to be refigerated, and just leaving the majority of the stuff behind on the table. Most of their diet is soup kitchens and stuff they can get at delis with SNAP. At points in the past, I've helped individuals and families transition off of the streets or tried to keep them from moving into homelessness, which frequently involved securing them sros where they didn't have access to full kitchens. In many situations, families were renting out single rooms in apartments where they had a single shelf in a shared fridge and a single shelf in a cupboard to store food items. In those cases, buying fresh and buying in bulk are not realistic options.

I meant "available" where I wrote "affordable".  That sentence immediately followed a sentence where I was talking about food availability.

So you respond with more generalizations?  Do you know the average length people stay on food stamps?  How often are the cycling on and off? You say a large portion are working.  That's not true.  I'm in the food business.  I setup a program at my company that has donated over 25 million pounds of food to feeding Florida and Feeding America over the last 8 years.  I've got the awards to prove it.  Subsidies do nothing for food availability. Your post sounds like your sanctimoniously summarizing a Vice article.

[Body-Buildah]

[pellius]

Yes you can...you can use an EBT card to buy fast food....you didnt know that???  And it's not just 2 states...its practically everywhere.

Not in Hawaii, which is a pretty generous welfare state. The only fast food place here in Hawaii that you can use an EBT is the pizza place Papa Murphy, but that's only because they don't cook the pizza. They make it for you but you have to take it home and cook it yourself. I never got that business plan as what's the point of eating out if you still have to cook but it's pretty popular.

[Al Doggity]

So you respond with more generalizations?  Do you know the average length people stay on food stamps?  How often are the cycling on and off? You say a large portion are working.  That's not true.  I'm in the food business.  I setup a program at my company that has donated over 25 million pounds of food to feeding Florida and Feeding America over the last 8 years.  I've got the awards to prove it.  Subsidies do nothing for food availability. Your post sounds like your sanctimoniously summarizing a Vice article.

They weren't generalizations. It was an acknowledgement that stuff that's being treated as conventional wisdom in this thread is not accurate. It's not a generalization to say most aren't buying McDonald's and KFC because that's not even possible for most.  As certain as you are that no one on SNAP works, you can easily find evidence to the contrary with a few quick google searches:

https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2020/07/most-families-that-received-snap-benefits-in-2018-had-at-least-one-person-working.html#:~:text=About%20a%20Third%20of%20Families,Two%20or%20More%20People%20Working&text=In%202018%2C%2012%25%20of%20the,in%20the%20previous%2012%20months.

More than three-quarters of those families had at least one person working and about one-third included two or more workers, a clear indication that many families that rely on nutritional assistance worked.   

A more thorough breakdown here:
https://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/most-working-age-snap-participants-work-but-often-in-unstable-jobs

Everything I posted can easily be googled.

[Primemuscle]

I blew my monthly budget in about 1 meal 

.7oz new York strip, sweet potato, asparagus and 1 piece of cake

I had the steak cut in the middle since I cooked it in a cast iron skillet

life is too short to not eat quality food

You can also cook a thick steak in a cast iron skillet. After you sear the meat on all sides leave the steak in the skillet and put it in a 'hot' 400 degree oven for a given time depending on how done you like it. My preference is rare to medium rare. 5 minutes does the trick.

[Primemuscle]

I eat very well using my methods of buying in bulk....and I have plenty of variety.   You can apply the same technique to other meats such as beef and pork.   Don't want beans???  Get a sack of potatoes.  Buy bananas one week and dehydrate them...next week get kale or asparagus.   Mixing it up doesn't change the cost that much and you're still saving tons of money.

The first meal pictured shows what looks like about 6-8 oz of large shrimp which currently runs over $9.00 a pound frozen, more if fresh. Because of Covid-19 shrimp right now is not very available.

Is it even possible to buy asparagus in bulk? If you can, how do you keep it fresh (retain its nutrients) for 30 days?

Many fresh vegetables only stay fresh for a day or two. Many vegetables are available frozen. Did you know that in many cases, frozen vegetables are actually fresher than what you get in the produce section of your store.

Most so-called fresh vegetables and fruits are harvested before they've completely ripened to allow for the time it takes to ship them to the retailer. Unripe fruit and even vegetables don't bruise as easily during transport. Unfortunately flavor is sacrificed even though they continue to ripen after being picked. Anyone who has eaten home grown fruits and vegetables knows this.

Let's say you have 6 oz of meat once a day at the average cost of $2.00 per pound, you would spend $22.50 a month on one part of one meal. That doesn't leave much money for other products and other meals.

[tres_taco_combo]

How much did all that cost? Monthly budget?

it was from whole foods so guessing:
$15 for the steak
$4 asparagus
$2 potato
$5 cake

$25 bucks? but way better than what I would get a restaurant and I love to prepare food 

my monthly food bill is not that expensive... but I do not eat garage food or low end calories. the most important thing you can do for your body; is the food you consume. I wish I would have said that when I was 24 years old!

[King Shizzo]

Not in Hawaii, which is a pretty generous welfare state. The only fast food place here in Hawaii that you can use an EBT is the pizza place Papa Murphy, but that's only because they don't cook the pizza. They make it for you but you have to take it home and cook it yourself. I never got that business plan as what's the point of eating out if you still have to cook but it's pretty popular.

Do you speak for all of Hawaii?

[tres_taco_combo]

if you enjoy cooking.... spending money on food is a semi hobby in a way I look at it.   

[Flexacon]

I know welfare is different everywhere, but it's bordering on the ridiculous in some cases.

I know of several people living very comfortable lives on welfare. One guy I know is a registered carer for his "disabled" mother. They both have their own welfare paid for rented accommodation and he receives around $25k per year in welfare to spend on whatever he wants. To live as well as he does you'd need a job that pays $50k per year. He however only spends like an hour a day caring for her and the rest of the day he's free to do whatever. He is basically earning $135/hr

They need to drain the swamp and send everyone to the fucking soup kitchens.

[Primemuscle]

Not in Hawaii, which is a pretty generous welfare state. The only fast food place here in Hawaii that you can use an EBT is the pizza place Papa Murphy, but that's only because they don't cook the pizza. They make it for you but you have to take it home and cook it yourself. I never got that business plan as what's the point of eating out if you still have to cook but it's pretty popular.

Papa Murphy's pizza is passable in terms of quality. The customer pretty much picks out the toppings and type of crust. Pizzas from the market are okay, but the selections are limited and they aren't much less expensive than those from Papa Murphy's. Cooking it at home has some benefits, mainly that the pizza is fresh baked and hot if you eat it right after it comes out of the oven. Take out cooked pizzas leave a lot to be desired IMO, even when you have them delivered.

Eating pizza out at a place that knows how to fix a delicious pizza, is ideal. It isn't always convenient to go out to eat. Of course right now with Covid-19 restrictions in Oregon, eating out is not an option.

[joswift]

I eat very well using my methods of buying in bulk....and I have plenty of variety.   You can apply the same technique to other meats such as beef and pork.   Don't want beans???  Get a sack of potatoes.  Buy bananas one week and dehydrate them...next week get kale or asparagus.   Mixing it up doesn't change the cost that much and you're still saving tons of money

pretends to eat like that, actually eats like

[Primemuscle]

I know welfare is different everywhere, but it's bordering on the ridiculous in some cases.

I know of several people living very comfortable lives on welfare. One guy I know is a registered carer for his "disabled" mother. They both have their own welfare paid for rented accommodation and he receives around $25k per year in welfare to spend on whatever he wants. To live as well as he does you'd need a job that pays $50k per year. He however only spends like an hour a day caring for her and the rest of the day he's free to do whatever. He is basically earning $135/hr

They need to drain the swamp and send everyone to the fucking soup kitchens.

If the state paid a caregiver to come in to assist his mother, would it cost more, the same or less? Is the son also disabled and on social security disability? If not, does he work outside the home? In most, if not all, states subsidized rent is not easy to get for a couple of reasons, there is a shortage subsidized rentals and your income must be pretty low to qualify for it. My disabled sister's income is less than $25,000 a year and she doesn't qualify. Moreover, there is an enormous shortage of subsidized units available.

Of course, there are a few people who scam the system and get more than they are entitled to. If they get caught they are subject to fines, restitution and even incarceration.

[Henda]

pretends to eat like that, actually eats like

Hahaha yes

If he genuinely does eat like shown in them photos then it’s got to be some form of record being so bastard fat on such healthy food, like those fat as fuck ‘vegetarians’ that must eat an entire allotment worth of veg a day

[Skeletor]

pretends to eat like that, actually eats like

LMAO!

[Primemuscle]

Hahaha yes

If he genuinely does eat like shown in them photos then it’s got to be some form of record being so bastard fat on such healthy food, like those fat as fuck ‘vegetarians’ that must eat an entire allotment worth of veg a day

I also noticed the portions looked small. If I ate that little, I'd waste away in no time. Different people have different metabolisms.

[Flexacon]

If the state paid a caregiver to come in to assist his mother, would it cost more, the same or less? Is the son also disabled and on social security disability? If not, does he work outside the home? In most, if not all, states subsidized rent is not easy to get for a couple of reasons, there is a shortage subsidized rentals and your income must be pretty low to qualify for it. My disabled sister's income is less than $25,000 a year and she doesn't qualify. Moreover, there is an enormous shortage of subsidized units available.

Of course, there are a few people who scam the system and get more than they are entitled to. If they get caught they are subject to fines, restitution and even incarceration.

Different country, different welfare rules. They rent privately, but it's fully covered by additional housing welfare payments. Going by the area they live in, I'd guess the amounts are around $300-$350 each per week. He has power of attorney so gets his mums welfare (disability) payments coming to him, plus whatever payments he gets. Point is he does nothing but spend an hour a day helping his mum, lives an extremely comfortable life and is flush with cash. All paid for by the tax payer.

Even if he had some kinda scam going on and got caught, I doubt he'd get more than a slap on the wrist. No jail time because his mum would be left without a "carer".

[loco]

Should I also be obese like you sir ?

Should I also ..

Forget it

You giving advice is funny as hell

Other than eggs, his grocery list is nothing but carbs, carbs, and then more carbs.

[Primemuscle]

Different country, different welfare rules. They rent privately, but it's fully covered by additional housing welfare payments. Going by the area they live in, I'd guess the amounts are around $300-$350 each per week. He has power of attorney so gets his mums welfare (disability) payments coming to him, plus whatever payments he gets. Point is he does nothing but spend an hour a day helping his mum, lives an extremely comfortable life and is flush with cash. All paid for by the tax payer.

Even if he had some kinda scam going on and got caught, I doubt he'd get more than a slap on the wrist. No jail time because his mum would be left without a "carer".

Makes sense. I didn't realize you were talking about a situation in a different country. Having said that, I've heard and read the same complaints from people unhappy with what they believe is a too generous welfare system in the U.S.

What would be amusing if it wasn't so maddening is that sometimes the people doing the complaining are actually on welfare themselves, scamming the system and then they have the gall to point the finger elsewhere.

I actually know a mother and daughter who've been doing this for years. I keep thinking that the jig will be up when something goes array, like when the bank was going to foreclose on the townhouse the mother inherited from her mother free and clear and then borrowed against the equity. Last I heard, they were years behind in their HOA fees and facing a civil suit from the homeowner's association because of it.

[Body-Buildah]

30.00 a month, wow. Pretty much ruin that budget in one sitting.
Food shopping for family of 4 - 150.00 a week. (600.00 a month)
Going out 2-3 times a week - 100.00 - 150.00 a week. (400.00 - 600.00 a month)

Protein, Creatine, EAA's, PWO - 100.00 - 200.00 a month

Wasteful 

[Bevo]

If the state paid a caregiver to come in to assist his mother, would it cost more, the same or less? Is the son also disabled and on social security disability? If not, does he work outside the home? In most, if not all, states subsidized rent is not easy to get for a couple of reasons, there is a shortage subsidized rentals and your income must be pretty low to qualify for it. My disabled sister's income is less than $25,000 a year and she doesn't qualify. Moreover, there is an enormous shortage of subsidized units available.

Of course, there are a few people who scam the system and get more than they are entitled to. If they get caught they are subject to fines, restitution and even incarceration.

Don’t you have 6-8 people living together? Why in the world do you have your son, and wife, or whatever family members all living together? Are y’all bumming off each other? Welfare

Jeez