The "food stamp fridge"

[browncoatslytherin]

I was on food stamps once. It wasn't bad and I never experienced any shame. Probably because everyone who shopped in my grocery store was also on assistance. I think there needs to be reform (not cuts), because I honestly received more money than I knew what to do with. I also think it's stupid that I can buy $250 of ice cream if I wanted, but couldn't pick up a precooked chicken.

i'm curious, what state are you in? some states do regulate what you can buy. in pa, i couldn't buy deli-type hot or cold items, but in ohio, my fiance could get whatever he wanted, even red bull. so i guess, in pa, it was easier to get the food stamps, you just couldn't get anything you wanted...while in ohio, i couldn't even get any assistance, but the assistance didn't limit what you could get.

and re $250 of ice cream...yeah, i mean, people aren't going to police what you can buy too much, as everyone is different when it comes to what we like to eat. it comes down to using the food stamps responsibly, which we tried to do at all costs, only splurging occassionally.

[utter solitude]

i'm curious, what state are you in? some states do regulate what you can buy. in pa, i couldn't buy deli-type hot or cold items, but in ohio, my fiance could get whatever he wanted, even red bull. so i guess, in pa, it was easier to get the food stamps, you just couldn't get anything you wanted...while in ohio, i couldn't even get any assistance, but the assistance didn't limit what you could get.

and re $250 of ice cream...yeah, i mean, people aren't going to police what you can buy too much, as everyone is different when it comes to what we like to eat. it comes down to using the food stamps responsibly, which we tried to do at all costs, only splurging occassionally.

In Ohio, you cannot buy pre-cooked "deli" items. So the chicken and potato salad at Walmart's deli are off limits (but not the sliced meat) You can indeed by energy drinks. And gum. The basic litmus test is anything with a "nutritional facts" label on the back. This is why I can buy some brands of protein powder, and not others.

Generally speaking, it's probably good that exactly what you can and can't get isn't heavily regulated. It sucks to be poor, especially suddenly poor, and being able to continue to buy the same food you were before foodstamps is very comforting. I have a friend who buys candy and pop on a weekly basis, because he is diabetic, and always carries some "junk" in case he actually needs it.

[lilwriter85]

I haven't seen the food stamp meme in awhile, but when I first saw it, I couldn't believe anyone would get angry over that. I wish every single person on food stamps could have a fridge that looked like that, chock-full of food, and mostly good stuff too...milk, juice, fresh meat, fresh fruit/veg. I can't believe anyone could call themselves a decent human being and be mad that some poor kids had access to food like that.

Meanwhile, the "hard working taxpayer" fridge looked like one belonging to someone who eats all their meals out. And there is nothing wrong with that if it suits you and you can afford it, but it's certainly not worth feeling angry/entitled over.

I have known a few people who eat out for most of their meals. They are people that travel a lot for their jobs and so when they are home they buy a small amount of groceries(usually breakfast foods) and they eat out for lunch or dinner or get takeout.

This is going off topic a bit, but the eating out for all meals reminds me of some incidents when I was in high school. I grew up in a small town and one of my classmates was the son of one of the high school teachers. The son's father was never married to the mother and the mother lived a nearby town. It was well known that the son and father used to eat out at the local restaurants for breakfast and dinner every day even though the local school district had free breakfast for all students. The father was always spending money fixing up older trucks and cars which he and the son used. When our senior year rolled around, my classmate was pissed when many kids in that town were getting new cars from their parents. I was one of those kids. Anyway, he wanting on and on about how his dad couldn't afford to get him a new car. Several classmates pointed out his father was always buying older cars and fixing them up and a couple of his close friends also mentioned how the father and son were always dining out. I have no idea, if my classmate's father could have afforded a new car if he had cut out eating out for most meals and not spending money fixing up several older cars. It came down to the fact that other parents had the money to get their kids new cars or at least help out with the expense of getting cars.

The topic of buying teens cars is a complicated subject and I don't think there is one answer that fits all situations. I have heard some people say that teens should get old beaters for their first cars. That suggestion doesn't sit well with people who are very concerned with safety and sometimes buying a used car and end up being a huge pain. I wouldn't buy a teenager a very expensive car. My parents gave cars to my older siblings and i mostly to help us get a head start in life. I helped with maintenance and insurance expenses. My older siblings didn't help with those expenses, but my parents wanted them to focus more on having extra money for college and living expenses. I can understand that not all parents are in the position to help their kids out with cars. But at the same time I don't think, parents who buy their kids cars should be made out to be bad people.

When it comes to people getting assistance from the government, family, or private charities, a lot of things need to be taken into account and nobody should automatically be labeled spoiled or entitled until their situations are explained. I mentioned my sister receiving help from my parents in a previous post. The issue I have with my sister is that she can't see that sometimes people don't have families to turn to help for. Some families will not help out with certain expenses as previous poster mentioned about her father refusing to pay for college. Situations just vary in life.

[lawfulevil]

I'm so pissed at people blaming poor people for buying comfort food instead of blaming price-gouging companies for the ridiculous COST of that comfort food. Why in the hell does a bag of corn chips (Doritos) cost so much? MSG and advertising and because they fucking can.

My roommate makes me CRAZY and I still make her lumpias.

I'm also vastly annoyed at people who act like take-out is a new invention when we have 100% solid evidence that takeout has existed as long as towns. Actually, it's older than home-cooking. An oven used to be a huge expense. Coproanalysis of preserved fecal remnants in the sewers of Pompeii/Brundisium indicate that diet was (overall) healthy and equitable in FAR more overtly stratified societies. In short, slaves ate about what rich people did, just with different spices/sauces.

Hmm.

[whoviana]

As a person who used to live alone for almost a decade and is now living with another person, takeouts are not necessarily a luxury, and it's time and energy consuming and the same amount of mess to cook for one or 2 (or I su** at cooking for one or two) and it is CHEAPER to eat takeouts than getting in the car, making grocery shopping at various places, make the kitchen a mess, wash the dishes used for the preparation and then the rest of the dishes after dinner. Or lunch. Not to mention, no time to cook lunch during weekdays.

[utter solitude]

Every argument I've ever heard it's about something not being "healthy", not really so much the cost of the item. I've seem some people take it to "we should regulate what food stamps should be spent on, just like WIC, so they don't waste my tax dollars on junk food!"

Because being poor means I should never have another two liter of Coke ($1) or Hershey bar ($0.68)

[louisa05]

Every argument I've ever heard it's about something not being "healthy", not really so much the cost of the item. I've seem some people take it to "we should regulate what food stamps should be spent on, just like WIC, so they don't waste my tax dollars on junk food!"

Because being poor means I should never have another two liter of Coke ($1) or Hershey bar ($0.68)

A two liter of soda, unfortunately, is cheaper than a half gallon of milk or an equivalent amount of 100% juice. So there is that.

[utter solitude]

A two liter of soda, unfortunately, is cheaper than a half gallon of milk or an equivalent amount of 100% juice. So there is that.

Very true.

I mean, I can understand some of the anger/frustration people have, but only to an extent. Yes, people should use their SNAP funds to buy nutritious food. But, so should people paying in cash. I don't think it's anyone's place to overtly jude another person. I get a dollar amount on my Ohio card. I buy the same shit I would otherwise, pretty much. Everyone should be allowed to continue buying the same shit they were buying before they got assistance. There's no need to punish me with further restrictions.

I can't imagine how awful it would be if we were restricted in what we could buy. Maybe it's my daughter's fucking birthday and I want to make her a cake. Maybe it's my turn to provide the snack at my son's play group, and that snack is supposed to have a bottle of soda. If I can't buy those things, my children might suffer, and that's not what the program is for.

[nausicaa]

As a person who used to live alone for almost a decade and is now living with another person, takeouts are not necessarily a luxury, and it's time and energy consuming and the same amount of mess to cook for one or 2 (or I su** at cooking for one or two) and it is CHEAPER to eat takeouts than getting in the car, making grocery shopping at various places, make the kitchen a mess, wash the dishes used for the preparation and then the rest of the dishes after dinner. Or lunch. Not to mention, no time to cook lunch during weekdays.

I will say it is quantifiably way cheaper to cook for yourself than get takeout. I'm surprised you say you've lived on your own for nearly a decade, when I skimmed your comment I thought you would be a college kid or just out of college still learning the ropes of budgeting/scheduling.

I live alone and cook nearly all of my meals (not necessarily anything fancy but spaghetti, wraps, pasta salads, stuff like that). It is significantly cheaper than going out to eat, and the months when I don't buy enough groceries to cover me or I am on travel in a hotel room, I am shocked at how much I spend on food by having to eat out even two meals a day.

Yeah, if I stopped at the grocery store every day to pick up the ingredients for the meal that night it would be incredibly time consuming, but I make a shopping list and only go to the store every two weeks for a big order. The off weeks I might make one short stop for bananas and some lettuce before an appointment or on the way home from work. The sort of meals I make are fairly simple and I put them in the pot and start cooking them while I'm showering or checking emails. It normally takes about twenty minutes. Last night I had chicken orzo, a small salad, and a banana for example. I make enough for four people, and the leftovers are my lunches for the next few days (I honestly don't know anyone who cooks a separate lunch just to brown bag into work. Everyone I know just brings in leftovers). I agree cleaning up can be a pain, but it's not as if my whole kitchen is a mess, and I will put the two or three dishes I made from the meal sometimes in the sink and wash them the next night if I'm tired or something good is on TV.

[BrownieMomma]

In TX it is a card, which is fantastic, because checks will have odd combinations that HAVE to be purchased at the same time. The state we're in now still does the checks. They were going to switch recently and decided not to, because it would mean laying off quite a few of the staff. So they decided to keep going with the system as it is.

I was recently in a TX Walmart and got stuck behind someone with the WIC printout thing. Takes for-freaking-ever then the inevitable argument over one of the items is not exactly the correct one.

When my husband left me with two kids under two, I ended up on WIC for a while, breastfeeding so I got tuna and carrots. I shopped with that thing at odd hours and made darn sure everything was exactly right before going to the register. Very humiliating and it felt like every cashier heaved a sigh of annoyance once he/she realized it was a WIC transaction.

It annoys me now because it just takes so darn long to process those things and I hate waiting in line.

[utter solitude]

I was recently in a TX Walmart and got stuck behind someone with the WIC printout thing. Takes for-freaking-ever then the inevitable argument over one of the items is not exactly the correct one.

When my husband left me with two kids under two, I ended up on WIC for a while, breastfeeding so I got tuna and carrots. I shopped with that thing at odd hours and made darn sure everything was exactly right before going to the register. Very humiliating and it felt like every cashier heaved a sigh of annoyance once he/she realized it was a WIC transaction.

It annoys me now because it just takes so darn long to process those things and I hate waiting in line.

Those WIC tickets were the bane of my existence when I worked at Walmart. They inconvenience everyone involved, especially the people using them. Not only are they a huge pain as a cashier, but (in Ohio, at least) they often specify a specific type of formula, and that type is the ONLY one you can get. They'll also randomly change what type is the acceptable one.

I was the department manager of the infants department and I can't tell you how many hours I spent at the beginning of the month explaining to women of all walks of like which cans of formula their tickets were for. Not just people in the department, but exasperated cashiers calling me up front and women coming back to aisle after grabbing the "wrong" kind. I took five years of Spanish in school and almost all of what I've retained relates to colors and can sizes.

There's also the fun fact that they print an actual ticket for breast feeding. Seriously. I had dozens of ladies showing me their ticket asking "¿De qué color?" or "What color do I get?" only for me to have to explain that they don't get formula.

It's fucking ridiculous.

[FiddleDD]

I went with a friend several times when she was getting WIC because it's so insanely confusing and humiliating. It never failed, no matter what cheese we brought to the register, it was wrong. Even if it was what the girl went and got us the previous trip. We once had the cashier ring for help with the bread, they brought us two loaves of the 'right' kind, and when she had to ring for help with the second WIC check a different girl came and insisted on getting a different kind. It was insane.

It did take forever. We used to warn anyone who got into line behind us that it would take a long time and they should pick another line, but sometimes people ignored us and then seethed while I bounced one crying toddler and my friend struggled to fill out the stupid checks.

Eventually she gave up and stopped going to her WIC appointments, because it was too difficult for her, emotionally. (plus her kids were allergic to half the foods they provide, so she was doing all this for a loaf of bread and a jug of juice)

[Coco]

We'll agree to the disagree. Additionally, I don't think people on assistance are on it due to 'bad choices.' It is true for some, but that's not true for all. And while it may sound like I want people 'punished' (whatever that means), that certainly wasn't my thought process. I don't wish 'punishment' or starvation for anyone and it's a bit unsettling that you think that. If people make a bad judgment, that doesn't necessarily make them monsters. I'm not out there actively seeking cuts to welfare programs, or asking my congress people to implement mandatory drug testing, or requesting that the food stamp program have a cut off time. Yes, what I thought that day was pretty disgusting, but your generalization that everyone thinks that way ALL that time and wants ALL people on assistance to starve or live in a dump or whatever is not warranted.

ITA, so often people find themselves in bad situations because of other people's bad choices. :| For example little kids shouldn't have to suffer just because their parents aren't able to function very well.

[Coco]

Those WIC tickets were the bane of my existence when I worked at Walmart. They inconvenience everyone involved, especially the people using them. Not only are they a huge pain as a cashier, but (in Ohio, at least) they often specify a specific type of formula, and that type is the ONLY one you can get. They'll also randomly change what type is the acceptable one.

I was the department manager of the infants department and I can't tell you how many hours I spent at the beginning of the month explaining to women of all walks of like which cans of formula their tickets were for. Not just people in the department, but exasperated cashiers calling me up front and women coming back to aisle after grabbing the "wrong" kind. I took five years of Spanish in school and almost all of what I've retained relates to colors and can sizes.

There's also the fun fact that they print an actual ticket for breast feeding. Seriously. I had dozens of ladies showing me their ticket asking "¿De qué color?" or "What color do I get?" only for me to have to explain that they don't get formula.

It's fucking ridiculous.

I went with a friend several times when she was getting WIC because it's so insanely confusing and humiliating. It never failed, no matter what cheese we brought to the register, it was wrong. Even if it was what the girl went and got us the previous trip. We once had the cashier ring for help with the bread, they brought us two loaves of the 'right' kind, and when she had to ring for help with the second WIC check a different girl came and insisted on getting a different kind. It was insane.

It did take forever. We used to warn anyone who got into line behind us that it would take a long time and they should pick another line, but sometimes people ignored us and then seethed while I bounced one crying toddler and my friend struggled to fill out the stupid checks.

Eventually she gave up and stopped going to her WIC appointments, because it was too difficult for her, emotionally. (plus her kids were allergic to half the foods they provide, so she was doing all this for a loaf of bread and a jug of juice)

It's so complicated, and i almost cried once when our store was out of the only kind of bread allowed that they carried.

[BrownieMomma]

I will say, there was a small grocery store near the WIC office. Everything available on WIC was in that store. Everything was also food-stamp eligible. No toilet paper, no alcohol. I could go there right after a WIC appointment and it was a relief. However the WIC office was a considerable distance from my home and not affordable to drive just to go to that small store.

This is one of the things I'd love to do if I could win the lottery. I'd set up a small grocery store near the WIC office with all WIC food in it.

[Rescinded and Mended]

I'm so pissed at people blaming poor people for buying comfort food instead of blaming price-gouging companies for the ridiculous COST of that comfort food. Why in the hell does a bag of corn chips (Doritos) cost so much? MSG and advertising and because they fucking can.

My roommate makes me CRAZY and I still make her lumpias.

I'm also vastly annoyed at people who act like take-out is a new invention when we have 100% solid evidence that takeout has existed as long as towns. Actually, it's older than home-cooking. An oven used to be a huge expense. Coproanalysis of preserved fecal remnants in the sewers of Pompeii/Brundisium indicate that diet was (overall) healthy and equitable in FAR more overtly stratified societies. In short, slaves ate about what rich people did, just with different spices/sauces.

Hmm.

Especially this to the bolded. I sometimes crave a certain kind of snack food dip and the chips to go with it. I also enjoy making soups and stews and freezing them for rainy days where I want a good meal but don't feel like cooking.

For the same price as my chips and dip (about $12!), I can buy every vegetable needed for several pots of soup and stew that will feed me for a month, and sometimes I'll have a bit left over for fruit or bread if my items were on sale. The junk food has seriously gotten that expensive.

But even with no sales, one reason I try to avoid the junk food in my area is because it's way more expensive than the healthy fruits and veggies. The only exception is the drinks - milk and juice are a lot more expensive than sodas and other corn-syrup based drinks.

[browncoatslytherin]

I will say, there was a small grocery store near the WIC office. Everything available on WIC was in that store. Everything was also food-stamp eligible. No toilet paper, no alcohol. I could go there right after a WIC appointment and it was a relief. However the WIC office was a considerable distance from my home and not affordable to drive just to go to that small store.

This is one of the things I'd love to do if I could win the lottery. I'd set up a small grocery store near the WIC office with all WIC food in it.

now THAT sounds like somebody had a good idea at some point!

[whoviana]

Still re: cooking vs takeouts: I still prefer paying a reasonable amount of money for ready to eat, freshly cooked food, to burning gas and spending time grocery shopping, then peeling, chopping, precooking, prepping, soaking, marinading, slicing, dicing, icing, burning electricity, using tons of water and was a dozen of dishes. No. I buy the food, I eat the food. That's the whole story.

[Arete]

Still re: cooking vs takeouts: I still prefer paying a reasonable amount of money for ready to eat, freshly cooked food, to burning gas and spending time grocery shopping, then peeling, chopping, precooking, prepping, soaking, marinading, slicing, dicing, icing, burning electricity, using tons of water and was a dozen of dishes. No. I buy the food, I eat the food. That's the whole story.

That's fine, but don't try and sell it as a cheaper alternative to prepping food at home, because it is not. Even factoring in energy costs.

[Coco]

That's fine, but don't try and sell it as a cheaper alternative to prepping food at home, because it is not. Even factoring in energy costs.

it does even it out a little bit :lol: brings to mind people who believe cloth diapers are almost free without thinking about all the additional resources and work required. Sometimes it can be such a headache to try to pinch every penny, weighing out all the pros and cons of all the options. My hubby hates to go shopping with me because i take so long trying to think what would be the best options. :D

[utter solitude]

Still re: cooking vs takeouts: I still prefer paying a reasonable amount of money for ready to eat, freshly cooked food, to burning gas and spending time grocery shopping, then peeling, chopping, precooking, prepping, soaking, marinading, slicing, dicing, icing, burning electricity, using tons of water and was a dozen of dishes. No. I buy the food, I eat the food. That's the whole story.

Might I suggest less complicated meals? :lol:

[whoviana]

Might I suggest less complicated meals? :lol:

Nnnnnope, we just LURV our complicated meals. But if I have any other doubts about this otherwise well-functioning household, I'll pm you.

[browncoatslytherin]

Might I suggest less complicated meals? :lol:

for real lol. i rarely go into that whole process when i do cook. one of my favourite meals is one of the small "no name" brand steaks, pan-fried in butter and pre-minced garlic (which is a godsend, because i love garlic but hate dealing with it), with something easy (like a baked potato) on the side. another good summer meal is my bbq chicken...just canned chicken that i shread up (super easy with a fork) and put in a cast iron skillet with bbq sauce and some other spices and let it simmer for 30 minutes. so tasty, you'd never believe i didn't slave over it all day ;)

[utter solitude]

I made tuna noodle casserole earlier this week and it took a (shock!) whooping 15 minutes to assemble to put in the oven. This includes chopping onions/garlic/celery and making bechamel sauce (I can't stand cream of ___ soups in my food)

It took about 10 minutes to clean up afterward, including the dishes.

Either I'm some kind of genie, people grossly overestimate how long it takes to cook from scratch, or they're making some horrifically complicated food.

[utter solitude]

Nnnnnope, we just LURV our complicated meals. But if I have any other doubts about this otherwise well-functioning household, I'll pm you.

Clearly you don't, if you can't be bothered to make food yourself. :wink-kitty:

Nothing wrong with buying premade food, of course. I just don't think I could do all that extra sodium that tends to come in prepackaged/precooked food.