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What can and can't be bought with food stamps?

103K views 27 replies 14 participants last post by  hollyvangogh 
#1 ·
For instance, can I buy coffee and frozen dinners? How about juice?

(I know Tobacco and Alcohol is off limits, as well as non food items. )
 
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#6 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by DreamsInDigital View Post
I know what you can't buy with food stamps. Hot food from the deli (but things like sliced meat and cheese are okay) alcohol, tobacco, non-food items, diet food. That's really about it.
Diet food? Like, no diet soda or "Diet cookies" or whatever? (Not that I use that stuff, just for clarification)
 
#10 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by DreamsInDigital View Post
After some reading, it seems the rules vary from state to state and in some areas you can purchase Slim Fast or whatnot, while in other states you cannot.

Vitamins and nutritional supplements like that also are disallowed in some, but not all states.
Yeah it varies. I was a cashier and in my state you can get diet foods. I did not know other states did not allow that. I learn so much at MDC
 
#12 ·
Here we can't get high caffeine drinks like red bull and all the others , hot deli items - we can get the cold stuff, and all other grocery/food items. we can get slim fast and that stuff too. NO alcohol, or cigs. You can buy icecream, tv dinners etc. I don't know if whole foods takes them but you can check online whether places take them.
Our local whole foods type place does not take ebt, but its not Whole Foods, so i don't know about that.
 
#13 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by IndigoRayne View Post
Any food item that isn't hot/cooked. Juice, coffee & frozen dinners you can buy with food stamps. Most grocery items you can buy.

yeah, icecream too.
I always thought it was odd that you can't buy fried chicken from the grocery store deli, but you can buy macaroni salad and a birthday cake.
 
#14 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by llamalluv View Post
I always thought it was odd that you can't buy fried chicken from the grocery store deli, but you can buy macaroni salad and a birthday cake.
That's one thing I did like. Back when we were *really* extremely poor, my son was able to have a nice birthday cake on his birthday despite our really crappy financial situation. I didn't even have a pan I could have baked him a cake in, so it was nice to at least celebrate a little bit.
 
#15 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by DreamsInDigital View Post
That's one thing I did like. Back when we were *really* extremely poor, my son was able to have a nice birthday cake on his birthday despite our really crappy financial situation. I didn't even have a pan I could have baked him a cake in, so it was nice to at least celebrate a little bit.
No, what I am saying is - why is prepared cake and macaroni okay, but prepared chicken is not? It makes no sense.
 
#16 ·
I used to work in a health food store. We took food stamps (though in that state it was a food debit card, not paper stamps). I was pleasantly surprised at the number of customers we had who used them. It's nice to know my tax money was going to help people by *healthy* food for themselves and their children and not junk.
 
#20 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by hollyvangogh View Post
I used to work in a health food store. We took food stamps (though in that state it was a food debit card, not paper stamps). I was pleasantly surprised at the number of customers we had who used them. It's nice to know my tax money was going to help people by *healthy* food for themselves and their children and not junk.
The cashiers at our tiny health food place are all super nice to me and my little. I think they must feel the same way.
I hardly ever shop big stores because I can eat so much better on bulk rice and beans and spent what's left on organic fruits and veggies. But the couple times I went to a regular grocery store, the cashiers were rude. Well a couple of them.
Just so you know, though, I pay taxes too. It's not just your tax dollars.
 
#22 ·
It really depends on the store... I never knew that 'hot' food was a no-no a couple years ago and we had bought some calzones for dinner on the EBT card and the store owner never said anything. Come to think of it, we had gotten pizza too when he had some really good deals.

I did see a Subway a few years ago advertising that they accepted EBT. I don't nkow if they do now or not.

I never heard of seeds being allowed, but if that is true that's very cool.

One store told me that ice was not allowed, but water was, yet I didn't have trouble buying ice with food stamps anywhere else.

I guess it just depends. i twould be nice if bulk food stores accepted them, because I know a lot of families use the bulk food stores because it saves them money and gives them the quantity of food they need in their house, and being stuck buying regulr sized stuff from the grocery store really wastes the governments money (well, for those who care to spend their money carefully! lol). then again, you can use coupons which can make some deals better than bulk too.
 
#24 ·
ok, I went to the store the other day and bought $26 worth of stuff. Only one item, $2.19 wipes, were non food....I swiped my food stamps card (at the self check out) and it said I still owed $13. ???

WTF?

The cashier I talked to the next day said it might have been the rotisserie chicken I bought from the deli.

???
 
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