| Wednesday, April 25, 2007 |
| The Food Stamp Challenge |
According to this NPR.org story: Oregon Issues 'Food Stamp' Challenge - people are being challenged to spend just $21.00 for a weeks worth of food. This is the typical amount someone on food stamps has to spend.
What is really amazing is Ted Kulongoski, the Governor of Oregon, is also participating. His grocery store shopping trip is detailed in this, The Register Guardian, article: Governor struggles on food stamp budget: Coffee and organic bananas weren't the only casualties: The governor pined wistfully for canned Progresso soups, but at $1.53 apiece, they were too dear. He settled instead for a collegiate staple, three packages of Cup O'Noodles for 33 cents apiece. Kulongoski also gave up his usual Adams natural, no-stir peanut butter in favor of a generic store brand, but drew the line at saving money by buying a 21st century innovation: peanut butter and jelly in the same jar.
``I don't much like the looks of that,'' said Kulongoski, 66, staring at the concoction. Should be interesting. One of the rules of the challenge is you have to start with an empty cupboard. So if you need to season something, you have to pay for the seasoning out of that $21.00 for the week. I am guessing lots of folks will be eating bland food and washing it down with plain water! |
| posted by Boston Gal @ 1:00 PM *
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| 9 Comments: |
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I worry that he's going to be hungry. He had to put back 2 bananas and a cup o' soup. Then again, he does have 10 pounds of potatoes, so I guess he won't be hungry, just bored. It'll be quite a shift from his usual routine.
This reminds me of the Emergency $45 menu - Feed a family of 4 for a week with only $45 in startup costs.
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What a fabulous idea! Not the healthiest food choices, but you do what you have to do on a tight budget.
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$21 per person? That doesn't sound so bad, actually. It would be difficult to do it with organics, but it seems that resorting to Ramen is a bit extreme.
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I am an Americorps VISTA. I get paid a stipend, but the "Income" line on my food stamps application reads $0. I get the maximum amount of food stamps benefits allowed for 1 person - $151 a month (in Massachusetts). This is practically double the amount in the article, so I am grateful. I eat mostly organics and end up putting in about $50 extra per month.
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Am I the only one that thinks $21/person/week is a bit much? My girlfriend and I spend $150 a month for 2 people and a cat, subtracting the cat food, this comes out to about $15/person/week. We eat well, including lots of convenience foods which are typically expensive. We eat mostly name brands, few generics. I find it absurd that MA allows up to $151/person/month.
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I have to agree with others, $21/person/wk doesn't sound that bad. I currently feed a family of three on $40/wk (total) and stockpile extras. We too eat mostly name brands, and have plenty of produce/natural foods. I think this is much more a matter of how much time/effort you want to put in, not an actual dollar number. Furthermore, compared to the rest of the world, $21/wk seems like a fortune. Kudos to everyone trying this, and good luck!
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I think that the $21/week amount is the base amount of food stamp allowance - when you add people, you don't increase by $21/person/week, do you?
I believe there is a scale - so 1 person = 21, 2 people = 35, etc.
I do agree that it is easier to feed more than one person on a tight budget. It can be difficult to cook inexpensively and healthfully for one.
Abigail
http://crayolaab.blogspot.com
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I have never been in line behind a food stamp person who doesn't also buy cigarettes and/or alcohol.
They are milking the system.
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Generic oatmeal: $2.20
Sunmaid raisins: 3.25
Minute Maid O.J. 3.30
that's breakfast for more than a week. pretty healthy, too, for $8.75.
Barilla "Plus" Spaghetti, 4 boxes,
enough for me for 8 days, $8.00
2 jars of Prego spaghetti sauce,
"Chunky Garden", 730 g. each, $5.00
$21.75 at Walmart....
(I always eat just 2 meals a day,
by choice)If I had extra, I'd get
some bananas....
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I worry that he's going to be hungry. He had to put back 2 bananas and a cup o' soup. Then again, he does have 10 pounds of potatoes, so I guess he won't be hungry, just bored. It'll be quite a shift from his usual routine.
This reminds me of the Emergency $45 menu - Feed a family of 4 for a week with only $45 in startup costs.