Did you see the guy on CNN who is trying to live on food stamps for a month?Do you have any pointers?

I will 'edit' and add his name the next time it comes on.

It is maddening to see him choose a box of Zattaran's one meal rice serving, instead of a bag of rice which would last him through 20 meals!!



Yeah, boring, but it beats the * out of STARVING!!



Then he is getting other things that don't make sense...like a box of cereal which will last only a FEW meals instead of a box of oats which would last mega meals.



What is he really trying to prove ?? WHO will be HELPED by his endeavor?



He even has some woman with him who is supposed to 'know' how to shop to keep him from starving by the time the end of the month gets here.



What is my QUESTION? Do you have any pointers to make food purchases that will go a long way?



(This guy sure doesn't!!) and too bad, cause I guess he will be on all month!Did you see the guy on CNN who is trying to live on food stamps for a month?Do you have any pointers?
I was on food stamps for a month or so and it was plenty. However, I also know how to shop and how to cook. This guy is trying to prove that it is impossible and isn't trying very hard.



Some of the things I got:



Chicken thighs in bulk

Buttermilk and bread crumbs to make oven fried chicken.

Carrots, Celery and Onions for Soups

Fixings for Quiche: Premade pie crusts, eggs, bacon, frozen spinach, mushrooms,onions, Swiss cheese.

Bulk Sausage

Green chiles

Cheddar Cheese

Dry Split peas and Kielbasa for soup.

Liverwurst and saltine crackers

Frozen burritos

Raisin Bran

Old Fashioned Oatmeal

Milk

Flour Tortillas

Salsa

Refried Beans

Frozen OJ

Potatoes for scalloped potatoes with Kielbasa

Spaghetti and sauce

Generic Mac and Cheese

Ground Beef for sauce

Jimmy Dean Breakfast skillets

Coffee

Sugar

Frozen mixed Veg

Medium grain rice

Canned Caneli beans, Chicken Stock, Collard Greens

Butter

PB %26amp; J, bread



Typical Diet

Breakfast options

Raisin Bran, Oatmeal, Quiche, Breakfast Burritos, Jimmy dean skillets with eggs(about 1$ per serve, weekends)

Toast w/ butter

OJ

Coffee



Lunch

Usually at work so Frozen Burrito or left over dinner from night before taken to work

or homemade soup with crackers

Sometimes breakfast burritos made with sausage, chiles, cheese and eggs.

PB and J sandwiches for snacks also Liverwurst and Crackers



Dinner

Burritos, Scalloped potatoes with Kielbasa, Pasta w/ meat, Quiche, Homemade Soup, Oven fried chicken, veg over rice.



Items like Potatoes, Raisin Bran, and Oats are good staple foods along with the pasta.



I also shopped sometimes late to get in store baked goods that were marked down. I could get donuts and some other stuff like that half price. One of the tricks is to be able to make enough of something to last four ot more meals. The quiche I made two at a time and that was about eight servings.
most likely it is to prove you can not live on food stampsDid you see the guy on CNN who is trying to live on food stamps for a month?Do you have any pointers?
Totally with you. I don't consider myself poor (although I am a college student) but I eat more frugally than most people who are one food stamps and other forms of welfare. I can't stand seeing them in the line in front of me buying boxes of Tropicana and name-brand Lucky Charms, while I stick with the cheaper, healthier food. And then they start complaining that you can't eat healthily on a budget. That somehow fresh vegetables (or even canned) are too expensive, but TV dinners are still affordable.



I just don't get these people. I know that there are some that really do do their best to stretch their money as far as possible, but there are so many that just don't seem to have a clue.



Pointers - that's easy. Don't buy ANYTHING prepackaged that just has to be stuck in the microwave. Buy the largest available packages of rice, potatoes, pasta, beans, vegetables... sure, meat is expensive, but beans go a long way toward getting protein. And buying bone-in chicken in the family packs can be really cheap. Milk, cheese, and fruit will probably be the most expensive purchases, but you should have saved enough elsewhere to still be able to afford milk.Did you see the guy on CNN who is trying to live on food stamps for a month?Do you have any pointers?
If people only learned to cook they could save SO much money.



Some tips to living on a small food budget are:



NEVER buy pre-packaged, conveience meals or single serve portion sizes. It's almost always cheaper to buy the ingredients in bulk and put them together yourself then portion them out to freeze, refrigerate, or store.



Avoid canned foods like pastas, soups, etc. Pasta is cheap in bulk and you can do so much. Soup is a very cheap meal if you make it from leftovers.



Buy dry beans/peas/rices in bulk as opposed to single serve, prepared or canned.



Buy fresh fruits and veggies in season when they're cheaper and fresher.



ONLY buy meats on when they're on sale or go fishing/hunting to secure you're own.



Buy the store brand when you can.



Learn to cook!
Yeah that kind of pisses me off, sad to say!



I don't get food stamps and I stay having to eat ramen noodles...



while people WITH food stamps eat up the fancy stuff!



Either way - they did a special on the news where I am it was all "how to eat on 10 dollars a week"



the man bought a few packs of ramen noodles, a large bag of beans, a large bag of rice, some bullion cubes and a thing of eggs.



Free money doesn't = savvy shoppers, they spend it how they want to because it's FREE to them... however I help them eat fancy zattarans while I'm eating my hard beans and ramen noodles...



nice.
You actually can live on food stamps. They average person need to spend about at least 300-400 a month if they have kids, and about 75-150 alone. That's the average amount a person will get for food stamps. unless ur a greedy ****, who needs 1000 worth of food every month. And you can buy whatever, just make sure you do it wisely, catch sales, buy canned goods, frozen meats, other great items. Ur also welcomed to Tropicana, or whatever you choose, just make sure you do it wisely, and get enough.
I sure wish I had room for a deep freezer. The money I could save! Depends on how many you shop for. For me, it's two. See if a friend will go in on large family packs of meat when a special is on. Buy more than 1 Sunday paper. That means more coupons. This is usually worth the price of the paper many times over. Personally the little store cooked chickens are worth the price. I can't really make them cheaper. I use that for 1 meal. Then use leftover meat for an add in to noodles, salad whatever. I freeze the bones and then make soup. I get my $ 4.99 worth.
If you're on food stamps, then you should sell your computer and stop paying monthly fees for cable or internet connections