Several people have sent me copies of their shopping carts–you can see what their buying on Flickr.
What are people buying?
September 5th, 2007 | Uncategorized | by Chuck Warpehoski
September 5th, 2007 | Uncategorized | by Chuck Warpehoski
Several people have sent me copies of their shopping carts–you can see what their buying on Flickr.
21 comments ↓
I’m impressed. A lot of those assortments looked more colorful than mine. I’ve found that I’m eating a lot more white and brown colored foods and a lot less green, red, yellow, and orange foods.
Also, for those who are unaware, I’m in Kentucky taking the challenge. Although only two of us, to my knowledge, are taking the challenge here, it’s making a difference. Many people have asked about my Food Stamp Challenge button which has given me a chance to share what I’m doing and why. I’m sure that because so many of you are doing it there, it is having an even great influence.
A comment from one of the people who DO live on the $3 a day - I would say that some your folks priorities are just plain out of the question.
Snacks – you bring them with you in the car, keep them in your desk at work. You never go to a vending machine.
Buy cheap or in Bulk -you don’t buy things singular such as the apples at 35 cents. (You walk down the street this time of year and get one off your neighbors tree or similar and then bring them home and cut out the bad and maybe make a baked apple with some oatmeal and sugar as a dessert).
Seasonal foods or frozen vegetable (on sale) or dried foods like the pasta or beans.
Raisins at $1.99?? Go to the dollar store. That is about the only place for these LUXURIES.
You can’t buy cans of fruit/vegetable or canned beans they are expensive.
Don’t even think of a can of bouillon, gravy or any kinds of flavoring. You start from scratch.
You can’t spend three dollars on meat. You either eat eggs or find a meat on sale less than $1.50/lb.
You CAN buy cooked roasted chickens – some are much better than others IF they are on sale because they can last for days if stretched. Same for for frozen turkey IF it is on sale.
Haven’t even seen soup mentioned yet. Sandwiches or cheese or even old bread fried in olive oil and rosemary is better with a cup of soup to go with it – soup is leftovers recycled, but you can learn to make some great soups, try to get in the habit of making big pots of soup otherwise it isn’t worth the effort.
All those vegetable peelings sitting in your sink – look twice that is your flavoring for your next meal.
Try the Indian, Chinese, Thai stores for ideas of how you can stretch food in an interesting way.
Buy your rice and potatoes in bulk and they can be a limitless source of interesting foods.
Whole Foods and organic stores are you silly? – but you CAN go in to get free cups of coffee and take the food samples – never ignore free food when you are in compromised circumstances.
I didn’t hear you mention asking for the leftover from your friends and family. You have to do that when things are tough get over being to proud. The luncheons at work - you take the leftovers home for your kids as a TREAT - that is what poverty is about making the best of a bad situation.
What I am reading is that you aren’t understanding that when you are poor you have to spend a huge more amount of your day engaged procuring substance. Not having money is not about doing without expensive food – it means your whole life changes. You can’t be doing relaxing things after work, or fun things on the weekends because you have to be seeking out and preparing food as you plan for the upcoming weeks meals - especially if you have children in the picture. These ‘horror stories’ of peanut butter sandwiches is not what living the on $3/day challenge is about - it is recognizing that food becomes an actual survival activity that consumes a huge parts of your day.
SR,
While I agree with you in many ways (I was on food stamps for years), you are being quite harsh. Instead of chastising people maybe be thankful they are even trying to understand.
The reason they don’t take the free food at work is because that’s one of the “rules” of this challenge. I know I posted a few days ago about how when you are truly poor you take whatever food you can get from work, church potlucks etc.
I’m sorry you’ve been unemployed for 2 years and that you are feeling rather bitter. I do understand as I have been unemployed for the past five months…and unemployment plus temping doesn’t come close to the income level I am used to (have you tried temping instead of simply living off your savings?) I hope things get better for you soon.
For everyone else, when I looked at what you bought in your carts I thought of how much MORE I could have gotten for your $21/week at ALDI or Save-A-Lot (Save-A-Lot in Ypsilanti is a bus ride away, ALDI is located in Garden City and required planning and shopping buddies when I used to do that).
I wish I had a Save-A-Lot receipt to scan and send to Chuck but here are some examples of their prices…
Canned tomato sauce - 15 oz $0.35
Canned veggies - 14 oz $0.35
Peanut Butter - 18 oz $1.59
Grape Jelly - not sure of size but a big jar $0.99
Ramen Noodles 20 pk $2.00
Macaroni & Cheese $0.33
1/2 gal milk $1.59
Store brand Corn Flakes $1.79
Tuna in water $0.51
Those are some examples. I may price the exact contents of some of your carts (from the pictures) and see what it would cost at Save-A-Lot. A couple of downfalls at Save-A-Lot 1. You have to put a 25 cent deposit in the cart to get the cart and 2. you have to bag your own groceries with your own bags OR you have to spend 10 cents a bag to purchase them (or you simply use the boxes that the food comes in to pack your groceries up..SAL puts them on the grocery bagging counter for customers to use).
I am amazed at things like Gurnsey’s milk, expensive bread and a large bag of m&m’s. That takes a huge cut out of your food budget.
Honestly I think that it’s great that all of you are doing this so I am not really trying to be harsh, but I did have some thoughts in looking at your carts. I hope you don’t mind that I shared. (and I hope I don’t get flamed for sharing…)
SR,
That post didn’t come out as gentle as I intended. Please accept my apologies.
An
SR,
I really appreciate your anger. You have the *right* to be angry, even at people who are trying to understand the issue.
As someone who lived off $7/week food budget for two years (1986-88), I know I never bought M&Ms. Meat was a treat, usually gotten either right as it expired or just after. I got to eat a lot of pizzas that a roommate brought home after working all night at Domino’s. To this day I don’t care for pizza. And I never had the time to fix complicated food because I was working and taking transit (or biking or walking) to work.
So thank you for being ‘harsh’. The reality of poverty in this country is far harsher than not having jelly on your peanut butter sandwiches.
I appreciate the folks who are willing to do this to raise their own awarenesses. And the folks who are organizing this website to bring awareness to folks beyond the people willing to try to eat off $21/week.
And I would like to ask the people *choosing* to participate to work for justice. Yes, the immediate problem is that food stamps are getting cut. But that people need food stamps, this thing called poverty, is the problem.
Our economy is organized to have a layer of poverty underneath it. For without poverty, wages rise. And that means corporations (and stockholders and ceo’s) get less money in their pockets.
Everything in our society supports this layer of poverty. Education is getting more and more inaccessible. For instance, public universities are beginning to charge more for more lucrative degrees. More for engineering, less for history.(http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/29/education/29tuition.html?ex=1343448000&en=c5032bf48c8ae8d7&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink”
So you want to do something about poverty? Go ahead, eat off $21/week. But also talk to your school’s alumni office and tell them you’ll stop giving them money if they charge more tuition for ‘elite’ majors. If you don’t have a college degree, talk to your state senators or representatives about this practice and tell them that you believe that inexpensive education for everyone is for the public good.
Because charity has never abolished poverty. Only justice works.
I HATE it when someone edits THEIR post and makes my post look out of place.
I do live off of 239.00 a month to feed a family of four, and I must say that it is very hard. I work two jobs to support my family, yet I also have to pay for water, electric, phone (used for emergencies, rent. And yet according to the others in this blog, i am still expected to stay up after a running a double shift to “shop around” for groceries? who in their right mind has the time. I like to spend time with my kids when i am not cranky and short tempered with them, which means that grocery time is spent sleeping. They may not mean that we always eat healthy, but while I may not have food in my belly, my kids never go without.
I am totally angered by the comments of “AN”. Try being a dibetic and living on food stamps. The bulk of your diet ends up being bread, rice, and beans. Things which are not healthy for you, but fit your budget. Don’t even think about getting FRESH fruit and veggies either. Costs too much! And the government feels they spend too much on health care also but look at the diet that we are stuck with. There is no way out. We try to grow a garden and buy when things are on sale and buy in bulk to save but you always come up short from month to month in more than 1 area of your “balanced meals”. You cannot eat healthy on what you are allowed each month! Those that think they can …they are the ones that are “playing” at living below the poverty level, not the ones that live in it every day of the year. And something else also…it makes a difference when you HAVE to eat the same thing every month because to go outside the “menu” would make you come up short at the end of the month. You can call me bitter if you want and you wouldn’t be far from mark. I worked many hours and did manual labor all my life until I was hurt so badly on one job that I could never work again. I worked to get the American dream only to lose it all when I could no longer work. I don’t like taking a hand out from the government but I also feel that I paid alot of money in when I did work. I don’t deserve to have to beg the government for a balanced meal.
I agree with Jeanne that the response to poverty needs to be justice (hey, that’s why it’s being sponsored by the Interfaith Council for Peace and JUSTICE).
And that’s why this issue is so important RIGHT NOW, because the future of the food stamp program for the next five years is being debated in the Senate this month.
ICPJ launched this program as an experiential learning component to raise awareness and put pressure on Congress to strengthen food stamps–that’s a matter of justice.
(I’ll be posting a top-level post on this soon, complete with action alerts and everything.)
[...] the ICPJ Michigan Food Stamp Challenge Blog, Jeanne recently wrote “I would like to ask the people choosing to participate to work for [...]
Food stamps should be used to supplement a family, not as a sole source of support. People have forgotten that our welfare system was created as a means for people to GET BY, not LIVE BY, until they find a job. I don’t disagree that some people (elderly, truly disabled) need this support for daily existence - however they are the exception.
I was a single mother and I managed to support myself and my child on a $10/hr job without any assistance, which included having to pay rent & daycare. It CAN be done if you are willing to try and rely on yourself instead of the government!!! Recently, when my husband & I were both out of work, our family of three ate better with the food stamps we received than we do now. It is just easier to buy a lot (in bulk) at once then to spend a little (about $100/wk now) at a time.
I understand the economy is bad right now and there aren’t a ton of jobs out there, but there are jobs if you are willing to do them. I see lots of jobs in the trucking industry in the paper each week - maybe some should change careers and do what they have to do to take care of their family instead of relying on the government.
Also… there are other food programs, all over the State, where families can get help. This is one we used: http://www.angelfoodministries.com They offer a $25 food basket that will feed a family of four quite well for a week, order once a month and as many of the $25 baskets as you like.
It is hard to feel sorry to most of the food stamp recipients - most of the ones I see are driving nice cars (nicer than my 1999 compact) and have designer clothes and their grocery carts are much fuller than mine and with a lot more junk food. Maybe the assistance program should limit the food to “healthy” food and take the doritos, prepacked yogurts and sodas and such off the acceptable list. My working family can’t afford a t-bone or shrimp, so maybe those should be eliminated as well. I guess we are the “working poor”, we have too much income and “assets” to qualify for assistance, but not enough income to stay afloat.
Food for Thought: The able-bodied people who complain about the welfare program should maybe just move to another State/Country if it is so awful here, seems to me it must not be THAT bad if there are more people trying to move here (to the USA) than are leaving.
Debby,
I respectively have decided to leave this board. YOU need to go read ALL of my posts DA (and yes that stands for what you think it does.) *I* am diabetic and I posted that.
Chuck, sorry I ruined your nice little board.
An
Oh and I guess I IGNORE and NEGLECT my children? Debby I am totally angered by YOUR comments.
WAIT a minute, when did I ever say that it was easy to eat healthy on food stamps? WTH?
Debby, feel free to email me off the board. distressingdamsel07@yahoo.com I think you misunderstand me and I can tell you I feed SEVEN people on 250-300 a month. EVERY month. And I am diabetic. I am so confused.
For the record:
From 1988 - 2003 my children and I were on food stamps (full grant until about 1998 and then a partial gant).
*I* am a diabetic.
I have 3 kids and we made shopping and meal planning into a family activity and I didn’t really comparison shop much. I went to ALDI or Save-A-Lot for the bulk of my groceries and Randazzo’s in Westland for produce. (My children’s grandmother lives out that way as do some of my friends, so we would visit those people when we were out there, almost always on a Saturday or Sunday).
I KNOW how hard it is. My food budget is very similar to the one I had on food stamps. It is STILL hard.
I don’t know why my saying that someone was being harsh at those who are trying to understand how hard it is for those of us who are or have been on food stamps in the past makes people angry but I am truly sorry you feel that way.
Once again, if anyone wants to discuss off this board, email me at distressingdamsel07@yahoo.com. I can also email you a copy of the article I wrote for Habitat for Humanity on feeding a family of 5 on $200 a month. The article is 3 years old and now I have 7 instead of 5 in my household and we spend a little more but the concepts and meal plans are still the same. And yes, we eat the same things over and over and over again and yes, if there isn’t enough to go around, I go hungry and my children come first. ALWAYS.
Michigangirl, for the average time that most people are on food stamps is just 9 months–it is a system to help people get by.
During the Challenge, I’ve been surprised how many former food stamp recipients I’ve talked to. They usually say “Thank you for doing this,” and “I’m not taking the Challenge. I’m not doing that again.”
Recently I was talking to a grad student who used to be on food stamps–that was how she finished college as a single mom. If we’re going to turn the Michigan economy around, we need to have people educated for 21st century jobs–we need more people to finish college like she did. If food stamps help her get by and finish her degree, I think that’s a good investment.
And, if they make her baby’s early years healthier so the baby can perform better in school and be more successful later in life, I think that’s worth investing in too.
SE’s comment brings up a thought: “And yet according to the others in this blog, i am still expected to stay up after a running a double shift to “shop around” for groceries?”
Chuck, do you know if any of the Challenge participants have chosen to do their shopping without using a car? Plenty of people who eat on this budget “for real” don’t have access to a car, and have to make do with walking, biking, riding the bus, or arranging rides with other people - making it that much harder to shop for food.
Nancy and I live just 1/2 mile from a Kroger, so we walked there. I talked to someone else who decided to shop at stores that were easy to get to on the bus.
You’re right though, transportation is a huge issue here. If you live on the east side of Ypsi and your car breaks down (or you don’t have a car), it’s going to make it much harder to shop.
Thank you for drawing my attention to the use of my vehicle when shopping/gathering food. The tomatoes and okra were grown on a friend’s farm in Sylvan Twnshp. - accessible only by car. I would not have been able to plant there without transportation. The Kroger (seems to be a theme here) is only an easy mile away.
One way I manage to eat and work at the same time is to try to cook for the week on one day. That way I only need to heat things (which is fine unless the power goes out like it did last month in my house for 3 days. Imagine the food spoilage when that’s your entire food budget for the week…).
I have lost my job and have a daughter that I raise. Never in my life have I been in this position. I always thought that I was smart enough to get work if I became unemployed…guess what…its pretty bad out ther right now. The goal for me is to not allow my daughter to realise that things are not good. I signed up for every possible thing that I could this past week. And you know what? When my case worker told me that I would get food assistance and my daughter was going to be covered medically, I thought I was going to cry. Then He gave me a list of food pantries to help subsidize my assistance, paid a overdue utility bill, had my doctor submit an over due medical bill to medicaide and gave me a voucher for some gas for my car. After that day I was able to sleep better than I ever have, and am able to actually have some fun with my daughter knowing that things will be okay for now. For this I am truely grateful. I don’t want to be in the system for long but right now I am far more ahead than the (-107.00 )in checking, empty cuboards, no gas for car, facing utility shut offs, and a wonderful daughter that couldn’t figure out why her Dad wasn’t any longer having fun like we used to. My internet may get cut off here pretty quick but thats okay, I actually ate three meals today and didn’t have to tell my daughter “daddy’s not hungry” or “I had a big lunch while you were at school”
Today I have no complaints.
Roger,
Thanks for sharing your story and I am glad you got to eat today.
Andrea
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