Foodstamps- What you can purchase vs what you Should purchase

Budget101 Discussion List Archives Budget101 Discussion List Foodstamps- What you can purchase vs what you Should purchase

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    • #362863
      Melissa Burnell

      So, yesterday I shared a receipt on our facebook page that popped up in my timeline, because I figured it would be interesting to see how the majority of our members/fans felt about it…

      Here was the question that was posed,

      “do you find it unfair or fair game for those on food stamps to purchase items that some families consider to be “luxury” such as lobster or porterhouse steak? (or even 5 cases of soda)”

      The point of the question was to determine whether people felt that is should be to left it up to the person(s) using the stamps to purchase whatever they need/wanted with them (fair) or felt that foodstamps should have restrictions (much like wic) where people could purchase fresh fruits, vegetables, fresh meats & seafood, etc (aka unfair)

      obviously, this isn’t a “daily” receipt for those with foodstamps (in fact this fellow served jailtime for borrowing his gf’s card & using it) but that’s not the point of the post.

      so, we’re trying again and have added a poll –

      again, we understand this is a hot topic but accusations that we are poor shaming are utterly ridiculous. this page was built by a poor person who lived on under $20k a year for the better part of her life.

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    • #462280
      Melissa Burnell

      I have mixed feelings on this one. The receipt initially made me cringe, 5 cases of Soda. **Shudder** I know for many families foodstamps are a blessing, but I don’t see how 5 cases of soda would fit in to any family grocery budget. However, who’s to say what a normal “Food” item is.

      Are boxes of brownie mix or cake mix, or spices and seasonings, or baking supplies considered basic necessities- do we really want the gooberment choosing that (after all I remember the giant tins of government peanut butter or blocks of government cheese as a small child). I’m not so confident they can choose what is healthy (& tasty) and it obviously does help to give someone food stamps if the foods are unpalatable to them. There are so many variables to this, but one thing is for sure, lots and lots of people that truly need foodstamps are turned away.

      Many of you are aware that Foodstamps are the reason this site was started to begin with. We working 50+ hours a week with 2 little ones, barely making ends meet and a friend of mine suggested we apply. When we did, the woman was an atrocious monster of a bitch and told me to tell my husband to close his business and get a better job. Mmm Kay then. From that second on I worked tirelessly to find and create dirt cheap recipes to dig us out of debt, because let’s face it, at the time, the grocery bill was the only one that was variable. (You can read more about this in our Free Ebook, How to Feed a Family of 4 under $200 a Month)

      I think that all applicants of the food stamp program ought to be given a booklet with tips that show how ( & possibly where!) to get the best deals on groceries (in their area!), how to extend the money to make it last throughout the month, to help budget for the entire month. We’ve had many members over the years who struggled the last week of the month due to running out of both groceries and money. Seriously, how difficult would it be for the staff to put together a book of local resources listing farmers markets, dent discount stores, etc. It should be readily available information.

    • #462281
      Deweese

      I’m also sort of undecided. I don’t think people should buy junk food but at the same time I don’t think the government knows the difference between real food and junk food. look at how much obama has protected monsanto and gmo foods, it’s a no win situation.

    • #462282
      infoscout

      If you block soda then you have to block juice (which is mostly sugar too) and then kool aid and the like. It’s a very twisty road and no one really wins. I would hope that someone who is struggling to get ahead would purchase groceries to help them get through the entire month and not spend them all on a just 2 or 3 meals like the receipt seems to depict here.

      I get that the guy fraudulently used his girlfriends card here but I have also been in line behind people who purchased very similar items so this is not news to me.

      I don’t think that Energy Drinks should be permitted at all. I did see someone buy several cases of those a few weeks ago and use ebt to pay. I also don’t think that the bottle/can deposit should be paid with the money.

      On this receipt it shows that $12 went to deposit! You can eat or drink a deposit!

    • #462283
      RicePicker

      @Liss 921324 wrote:

      Many of you are aware that Foodstamps are the reason this site was started to begin with. We working 50+ hours a week with 2 little ones, barely making ends meet and a friend of mine suggested we apply. When we did, the woman was an atrocious monster of a bitch and told me to tell my husband to close his business and get a better job.

      Mmm Kay then. From that second on I worked tirelessly to find and create dirt cheap recipes to dig us out of debt, because let’s face it, at the time, the grocery bill was the only one that was variable. (You can read more about this in our Free Ebook, How to Feed a Family of 4 under $200 a Month)

      thank you for this, no i did not know that you went through that with your family. i went through a similar situation and left the foodstamp office crying my eyes out! i completely agree with your sentiments that if it weren’t for people like us that needed help that she wouldn’t have had a job at all.

      thank you for sharing your story and your free ebook its helped allot.

    • #462284
      brokemom1

      I have gotten foodstamps and there are some restrictions already like you cant buy prepared food like the stuff in the deli, chicken and stuff. This is old news in our state because they made this proposal Bill 177- where you couldn’t buy crab, lobster or shellfish and you must spend 2/3rds of the benefits on produce, beef, pork, poultry, potatoes, dairy or foods under wic.

      Assembly passes food stamp restrictions, drug testing

      I don’t think that’s a bad thing, they’re trying to help people eat healthier.

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Budget101 Discussion List Archives Budget101 Discussion List Foodstamps- What you can purchase vs what you Should purchase