Can you live on a food stamp budget of $28/week?

Excluding having to buy food for anyone else who may live with you (spouse, children), do you think you could keep yourself adequately and satisfactory feed for a week on a food stamp budget of just twenty-eight dollars?


http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/12/cory-bookers-food-stamp-challenge-starts-with-a-grocery-bill/

Dec 4, 2012 6:00am
Cory Booker’s Food Stamp Challenge Starts With a Grocery Bill





Social media-savvy Mayor Cory Booker posted a photo of a crumpled receipt Monday morning to Facebook and Twitter.

The Newark, N.J., mayor wasn’t filing expenses; he was showing supporters what he’ll be eating for the next week as he takes on the food stamp challenge. Starting today and going until Dec. 12, Booker will eat only what he can buy with $29.78, which is slightly more than the $28 individuals receiving food stamps tend to spend on average.

Beans, whole corn and a red delicious apple were a few of the items visible on the receipt. The list doesn’t include any meat products, as Booker is a vegetarian. He also doesn’t drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes, but those products aren’t covered under food stamps anyway.

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Booker, known for his charisma and tendency to respond to residents over Twitter, agreed to the challenge after sparring with other tweeters over the necessity of social programs such as the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, more commonly called food stamps.

A study released Tuesday said almost a third of American adults went hungry or worried about someone close to them going hungry this year.

Rucha Gadre, director of programs and member services at a New Jersey food bank, said the holidays are an especially busy time for food pantries.

In November, she said she often sees requests for Thanksgiving baskets, which include all the dry goods necessary – and sometimes a turkey – for a Thanksgiving meal.

“We used to do that, but obviously, due to lack of funds, we can’t do that anymore,” Gadre said.

News of Booker’s challenge has already spread throughout the food bank community in New Jersey.

“People will certainly pay attention to what he has to say,” Gadre said.

Booker pledged to document his experience living on the food budget of the average individual receiving SNAP benefits on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and the video-hosting site he co-founded, WayWire.

Throughout the day Monday, Booker retweeted tips from followers on how to survive the week, living without the luxuries Booker is accustomed to.

“Dont let yourself get dehydrated! Drink lots of water, you have no fluids on here,” tweeted @LilMama82310.

“ I read your receipt, and I think you are going to be hungry,” @AmyLofton warned.

“U may be right,” Booker tweeted back. “We will see.”

Being vegetarian helps - meat is really expensive. I would not have the luxury of the non-fat milk that I now drink in quantity - but could do without. I would have to cook more from scratch - using dried beans instead of canned and regular rice instead of instant. Frozen vegies are probably cheapest for cooking. Salad is a big part of my diet - every evening. Might have to ration that less than I eat now.

I might get hungry and filling up on beans & rice I might have a lot of gas.

It would be difficult, I don't think I could.

It helps if you get rid of unneeded luxuries like cable and cell phone plans. I've gone without those all my life.

I suppose if all 28 bucks is going straight to food just for me, I probably could manage. I know some good deals. Of course, I'd prefer to not have to live on food stamps for long ever so I'd like not to join in the growing fad.

It can be done.

I wouldn't be comfortable, but I think I could.

I know I could.

Sure. It's doable.

I narrowly could. I'd be eating a lot of cereal and frozen food.

I've done it before for two people so I'm sure one will be no problem.

Shop sales, shop generic, and buy food that can be cooked and stretched all week. For example, spaghetti costs about $7 to make and that's for ingredients that are a bit over the basic. If you eat right-sized portions, that's at least dinner, lunch the next day, and dinner the day after that.

Probably but I would lose a lot of weight.

me too

Probably

COUPONS! Seriously, my family doesnt go crazy like they do on the extreme couponing shows, but it CAN seriously help your budget. Write to companies that you love on their email addresses, facebook accounts, and other media they use. They will usually gladly give away coupons. Then align those items with sales in your area. You may have to go to numerous stores, but it is worth it. I think if I aligned coupons with sales my entire family could certainly eat off that much. We'd have to lessen the meat (I dont eat meat anyways) but the good thing about couponing is you can stock up on items so you are covered for the upcoming weeks and can use that money for non-sale items like meat and dairy, etc...

My Mom and I watch those couponing shows and decided to try the couponing things ourselves. We didnt get random crap we didnt need, and we actually ventured out trying new things that are good quality since it had a coupon. Like some pasta sauces that are quite pricey. But using a coupon, double coupon, and with a store sale it was good.

We must of done a 400$ haul for about 50 bucks. We broke it up over 3 stores, and one transaction we were actually owed money. Thats how my Mom got all the meat, even steaks.

We are on food stamps, and so while it's not "our" money we try to make it work so we dont run out of food stamps. More people should learn to coupon on food stamps so they have more money to live on and even stock up for rough times. We always have a good supply of pasta, and it's not store brand. Again... coupons and sales rock. Although I swear some things taste better with the store brand, so we arent brand snobs

I do hate the idea that if you are on food stamps you can't eat name brand or get things like steak. I think it's a shitty idea that if you are poor, you must eat food that is the bottom of the barrel, and must convert to being a vegetarian so other people dont have to pay for your meat. I really, REALLY HATE that mindset. When we coupon we only use food stamps for items you cant use coupons on, and can get our entire months food for less than 1/4 of what food stamps allots us.

That being said, couponing can take some time. If you take about an hour a week, 2 hours if you want to do the online couponing sites, you can stock up for next to nothing for about 2 weeks. And the catalina coupons... the ones that print out on your receipt, are good because a lot of those can be used for lunch meat and cheese. Sometimes produce. Packaged food isn't that great, but if you learn to coupon to get the essentials like juice, pasta, sauce, cheese, milk, etc... you can use the money you save for meats.

My family probably can't do 28 a week since the rest eats meat, but as for me... I actually probably could. As long as I coupon. I eat next to nothing now... I do eat some crap food (Im eating potato chips now) just because I need the damn fat, lol.