I have read with great amusement about the "snap challenge" lately. My friends have posted about it on my Facebook. I have read numerous articles about politicians taking the snap challenge and having to suffer through on peanut butter sandwiches. I have read about CEO's taking the snap challenge and getting constipated because they ate too much pasta.
http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2013/09/26/panera-food-stamps
I am sure that all of this is supposed to make me feel bad about being successful and make me want to pay even higher taxes to help the "po' folks". Well, I am sorry, it does not and I will tell you why: there have been times in my life when I had to live on less than $4.50 per day (the snap challenge daily food budget) and I never took a nickel from my fellow citizens and I was happy and thankful that I was able to provide for myself. It actually makes me laugh and disgusts me a bit to see these politicians and CEO's in their mock sacrifice to show the plight of the "pooooor" in our country. I have lived it so I can see right through the bullshit.
All of this being said, I have decided to take the snap challenge to show that it really isn't that difficult to feed yourself on $4.50 per day and have satisfying and nutritious food. Granted, I will not be eating steak every day. It is my opinion that if you like steak then you should make the life choices that will lead to you eating steak and not being on SNAP.
A few stipulations about this before we get going. There are two things that I will not be giving up and that will not be included in the snap challenge that I am going to do. I will not be giving up my expensive coffee or my expensive orange juice. Other than these two things everything I consume over the next several weeks will be on the snap challenge.
I feel it is necessary to go longer than one week. The reason is that some food items that I buy can carry over to the next week. This allows you to have some variety in what you eat. It also makes the week to week expenses not as bad as the politicians would have you believe.
It is the point of eating on a budget to get the maximum amount of high quality, nutritious calories that you can get for your dollar or in the case of SNAP recipients, the maximum amount for the dollar that someone else earned, the government took from them and then gave to the SNAP recipient. For this reason there will be some stipulations:
1) no vegetarianism, fruititarianism, veganism, or wtfianism. If you want to make social or political statements with the food you eat then get a job.
2) all shopping will be done at Walmart. Walmart has by far the lowest prices of any grocery store. When you are living on the tax payers money then you should forfeit your "right" to shop at Whole Foods.
3) No junk food or soda of any kind. Again, these are low quality calories and therefore a luxury. If you want to eat that crap then, again, get a job. Also there will be no desserts.
So, here we go.
Funny, I just decided to do the same thing.
ReplyDeleteThe exception? There are some items we will buy in bulk at the beginning of the month, as the benefits are paid in one lump sum, and it is cheaper to buy in bulk at one time. I have no doubt a single person can handily live on a $4.50 per day budget. Unfortunately, that is a figure based closer to a 4 person household. They are given $632 per month, which just at $5.00 per person/per day, if they are given the maximum benefit.
For a one person household, as you appear to be, the maximum benefit received would $189 per month. This works out to $6.30 per day. A much higher budget.
To make your challenge fair you would need to use your $4.50 per day/per person and feed 4 people. I guess what I am saying is try to feed a family that includes hungry teenagers and.or a growing toddler [off formula/baby food], along with yourself on the maximum benefit.
For what it is worth - I completely agree with you that fresh fruit, vegetables and protein are key in this challenge. I should add that my family isn't, nor have we ever been, on welfare.
I was surprised that *our* benefits, if we had no income, would work out to almost $145.00 per week for four of us. I don't spend that on groceries now and we eat darn well.
I wish you luck, not that I think you need it. :)
Thanks for the info SkippyMom. Wow, $6.30 per day?? I could go back to eating steak 3 days a week on that. I am going to stick to the $4.50 per day as that seems to be the standard that people are using. I hope you will continue to follow.
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