I just read this article after reading about it on Money Saving Mom's blog. And I was flabbergasted! (Note: Kaylyn defined this word for us today as "so surprised you can't talk" - is she really only 5?).
Could you survive on $100 for food per week for a family of 4? Per the article, a family of four on food stamps has an allowance of $117 for each week! Okay, how do I get signed up for food stamps? Even just enough to raise my budget this high! That would actually double my food budget. Our food budget is $125 for 2 weeks. Like the mom put to the challenge in the article, this does not include household items (non-food items, including diapers) which I currently have a budget of $60 for two weeks. And these budget amounts were adjusted this spring with Adam's promotion. I have never felt like my family was starving. Dinner may not be what you're craving, but it's generally something everyone (or almost everyone - please feel sorry for Kaylyn, our picky eater) likes.
So I'm just curious - what is your food budget for one week, two weeks or however you do your budget? Would you feel "rich" if your budget was increased to the appropriate food stamp allowance for your family?
3 comments:
Where do these people live that get $114.oo per person per week?! My food stamp allotment is $30.00 for a month! Break that down weekly,you can barely buy bread and milk! I just spent $143.00 on groceries yesterday out of my SSI check(which isn't enough to live on either) and didn't get much for my money(and trust me I'm a bargain shopper)and it's got to last 2 people(my mom and me) until next month! What is up with the system?!!!
Heck yes I would feel rich with that kind of budget! We don't have a set budget but we probalby spend like 120 every TWO weeks! If that! And that usually includes a movie or something! Then again, I never cook so if you figure the going out to eat once in awhile...then yeah, food stamps are still more!
The food stamp system is crazy. We were on food stamps for six months. Our budget (before Brandon was laid off) was around $150 a month. With food stamps, they gave us around $580! Talk about feeling rich! I must admit, I blew it all the first month. But after that I quickly became more frugal, buying what we normally did with a few extras thrown in, and also building up our food storage. Luckily, we're in a better financial position now. We've been off them since April, but we still have enough left in our account to last to the end of the year, if not longer.
So needless to say, the food stamp system needs revamped. People DO NOT need that much to feed their families comfortably. It should be more closely regulated, like WIC, where you're only allowed to buy off brands of food that is fairly healthy. Don't get me wrong, I'm very grateful that they were there when we needed them. But think of how much money could be saved by curbing it, money that could be used where it's needed more. And I know there are people who don't try to better themselves or improve their situations because it's easier just to stay where they're at and let the government take care of them...with our money.
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