Eating Traditional foods on Food Stamps?

[guestmama9971]

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[gardenmommy]

I think it's possible. You can certainly focus on whole foods, not packaged foods, and go from there. Shop the outside aisles as much as possible (produce, dairy/eggs, meats, etc.). Go for things that have as few ingredients as possible, like rice, beans, frozen veggies and fruits, and even canned veggies. You may not be able to purchase local foods, and you might not be able to meet your ideals for "quality", but I do think it is possible.

[guestmama9971]

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[pixiepunk]

depending on where you live, there might be one or two things that will be so much cheaper and better buying locally that it's worth it to buy outside the store. like eggs. the 'good' eggs really aren't that good at the store, and are ridiculously expensive. but where i live lots of people keep chickens and you can pick up a dozen fresh free range eggs all over the place for like $1.50/dz. and that's going to save you like $4 at the store, which means you'd have that extra money on your food stamps to buy something you might not otherwise have been able to, like organic meat. it may not be possible, depending on your finances and where you live, but i wanted to mention it because i gave a talk on nutrition and eating healthy on a budget for my local Head Start program and that was one thing we talked about that resonated with a lot of the mamas on food stamps who were there.

i personally can't afford to buy all organic. i wish i could. but what i try to do it buy the things i think are most important to be organic - which are dairy and meat. i'm lucky and i can get those things locally, but before i could do that (when i lived in a city), i made sure i had those things organic first, especially milk. there are also some produce items that it's more important to buy organic than others because of the growing practices and the amount of spray and stuff commercial crops are doused with - Apples, bell peppers, celery, cherries, imported grapes, nectarines, peaches, pears, potatoes, red raspberries, spinach, and strawberries. So work hardest at getting those organic when you can. and for things like apples and peaches, if you can't buy organic, peel them before you eat them. and for anything you buy commercially that's not organic, wash it thoroughly before you eat it. and i always buy organic sugar. and i'm picky about the bread i buy, absolutely no HFCS and i'm picky about other ingredients too, but i try to stock up when there's a sale and freeze for later. and that's a good strategy in general when you can manage it - if you see they're clearing out something like chicken breast or ground beef, grab it up and freeze it.

don't know if you have a yard, and of course this won't help you right now unless you live someplace really warm, but if you can start a small garden or even just a few containers of veggies it can save you a lot at the store. a packet of seeds is soooo inexpensive compared to the veggies themselves. i spent almost nothing on veggies this summer thanks to our garden, and have a good bit of stuff frozen and canned to help us through winter. and herbs can be grown indoors all year round - basil, chives, rosemary, oregano... if you grow your own that will be that knocked off your shopping list, which can save you some money, and is organic and unprocessed and tastes so much better than cheap dried herbs.

i also try really hard to cook from scratch as much as possible, and buy the most basic ingredients, which always cost less than the convenience items. for example, instead of canned beans, i buy dried beans and soak them and cook them. yes, it's more work than cranking open a can of beans, but a bag of beans cost about 1/3 of what a can costs, and you get 2x as many beans.

and honey, of course you're overwhelmed if your LO is only 7 weeks old!! for me, all bets are off in terms of how we eat for the first few months after i have a baby! i try to freeze some meals and such ahead of time, but i'm not going to give myself a hard time if i make mac and cheese from a box or pick up a frozen pizza now and again while i get life in order. then i slowly work my way back into cooking from scratch more once i get my head above water.

i don't know if you babywear, but that is tremendously helpful for me in being able to spend more time in the kitchen - baby is content, my hands are free. check out www.wearyourbaby.com for lots of instructions on making carriers (some without any sewing), or http://www.nomotherleftbehind.com/apply.html is an organization that gives slings away to those who need them. also might try local craigslist or freecycle too. i know that's all a little OT to the TF question, but for me, there's no way i could spend so much time cooking if i was constantly dealing with a baby in arms or fussing elsewhere.

[snowbunny]

It absolutely is possible. I'm actually planning to do a series about this topic on my site next month - complete with menus and shopping lists. The key is to stick to completely unrefined foods and purchase plenty of vegetables (especially the underdogs of the vegetable world like turnips, parsnips, beets, cabbage etc. are often quite inexpensive and quite nutritious). Also, remember that foodstamps can be used to purchase seeds for edible plants as well as edible starter plants. So it might be worth purchasing a few packets of seeds to grow your own lettuce or herbs - you don't need a lot of space for those, just a few containers and a couple of feet on the patio. Try using plenty of beans and legumes - properly prepared of course - and cut a touch of meat into the pot. Though it may not seem so, shellfish are often very inexpensive. You can often purchase mussels and clams very inexpensively at the store and these are fantastic foods - very nutrient-dense.

[FairyRae]

Are you 100% certain that you can't use food stamps at your local farmers markets? I'm in a small city in NY and we are able to. I actually DO live a quite TF lifestyle, while also being gluten/dairy/soy/corn free using food stamps. I also do childcare and spend all of that income on food as well, so I hear you on the expense! Food IS our number one expense here (and I actually have found ways, with my additional childcare income, to make some food splurges as well as far as online purchases and special products--but these are not the staples in our home).

My farmer's market has MUCH better deals than the grocery store, and I usually am able to take $20 and buy all of the produce I need for the week (which is a lot) and REAL free-range eggs (2-3 dozen at $2 a dozen--you can tell they were free range b/c the yolks are soooo orange! Yum!)

I also have found a grass-fed beef man at the farmer's market, who I buy soup bones (and now chicken livers) from--usually every few weeks. I don't even buy the beef (expensive!) but am able to make lots of great broth from $4 worth of bones, and have been adding the chicken livers (secretly into various dishes.

I've really needed to seek out alternative sources for my food, and joining a local WAPF yahoo group along w/ a local farm market yahoo group have been really helpful in finding those sources locally, which end up being as cheap and sometimes cheaper than the grocery store (for me--not sure that's typical!)

Some of the ways I spend food stamps
grocery shopping:
-canned coconut milk (I use in place of dairy a lot, sometimes watering down to change consistency)
-produce I didn't get at the farmer's market
-antibiotic/hormone free chicken (it's less pricey than the organic pastured, and what I can afford right now)
-antibiotic/hormone free ground turkey
-canned wild salmon
-juice to make non-dairy kefir w/
-beans
-rice and pasta (which I cook in bone broth to make them more nutritrient dense!)
-bulk nuts and seeds (I grind them for baking all the time now--yum!!!)
-alternative flours (gluten free living) like coconut
-coconut oil
-EVOO
-vinegar
-spices
(etc...)

HFS shopping:
-whole grains (GF)
-Bubbies lacto fermented pickles (although I make a lot of other cultured veggies on my own at home from the farmer's market produce)
-brown rice tortillas

Stick to 'real foods' in their most whole form possible. I've learned living a mainly allergen free lifestyle for a while that it is MUCH cheaper to make food from scratch than to buy organic, allergen free packaged goods. I also learned this when my ds was 13 months old, SOOOO, please mama, give yourself a break, take things one step at a time, eat as well as you can (for me this means the best quality meat I can afford, mostly local from the farmer's market veggies and fruits [these are actually cheaper than those at my grocery store--I may be a unique case here] and some beans and whole grains--oh, and very importantly, lots of good fats from things like butter or ghee [if you can tolerate it], coconut oil, eggs, nuts and seeds, evoo, etc...) And add in some fermented foods when/if you can.

Good luck mama! Hugs to you! Try to take it one step at a time and just do the best you can! Good for you for looking into this when your babe is so little!

[FairyRae]

Have you heard of the WIC farmers' market nutrition program? (I don't know anything about it, but will be looking into it!)

The FMNP was established by Congress in 1992, to provide fresh, unprepared, locally grown fruits and vegetables to WIC participants, and to expand the awareness, use of and sales at farmers’ markets.

[akimbo]

I'll be watching this thread, as our income has been drastically reduced very recently and I'm struggling with eating healthy on a strict budget.

I often skim the meat departments for marked down items that are close to their expiration date, and fill my freezer with them. I was in the supermarket last week and saw grassfed organic beef marked down as manager's special. I picked up a number of packages for freezing. It's not local (it was from Australia), but it was comparable in price to conventional beef. I just give them a sniff test before freezing.

It absolutely is possible. I'm actually planning to do a series about this topic on my site next month - complete with menus and shopping lists. The key is to stick to completely unrefined foods and purchase plenty of vegetables (especially the underdogs of the vegetable world like turnips, parsnips, beets, cabbage etc. are often quite inexpensive and quite nutritious). Also, remember that foodstamps can be used to purchase seeds for edible plants as well as edible starter plants. So it might be worth purchasing a few packets of seeds to grow your own lettuce or herbs - you don't need a lot of space for those, just a few containers and a couple of feet on the patio. Try using plenty of beans and legumes - properly prepared of course - and cut a touch of meat into the pot. Though it may not seem so, shellfish are often very inexpensive. You can often purchase mussels and clams very inexpensively at the store and these are fantastic foods - very nutrient-dense.

Looking forward to reading this!

[guestmama9971]

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[guestmama9971]

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[snowbunny]

Originally Posted by Kmarie42

Sounds interesting, let us know when you have something up on your site

If you are MSG sensitive, you have to avoid beet juice. MSG is manufactured from beets and the juice can contain free glutamic acid. Otherwise the other things should be ok.

I am thinking maybe our ideas of inexpensive are really different.
I have 2 adults and a toddler to feed- so about 2.25 servings per meal. That's 6.75 servings a day, and 202.5 servings a month. I get $200 in food stamps, so that means each person's food at each meal needs to cost less than $1. Usually this means never buying meat over 1.50/lb, and preferrably way less to make it work. So I am pretty sure clams are way way over our budget. I have heard clams are cheaper in warmer climates though- maybe that's why? I am in Washington.

Next summer we want to try growing a couple things on our apartment's balcony. It's a good idea.

I am really nervous to try beans/legumes. I've never had them before, and I've heard they can really give you an upset stomach or other digestive issues, with some people who are sensitive or not used to it. Anyone know anything about this?

Can you spend any of your income on food or are you relying solely on supplemental nutrition assistance?

Also - consider foodbanks. I know that our farmers market regularly supplies our foodbank with organic, fresh produce and whole grain sourdough breads. Sometimes we're able to give grass-finished meat or wild-caught fish to the foodbank as well.

[SuburbanHippie]

We're not on FS, but we're awfully close to the cut off. We have a household of 7 and really have to get creative to make our budget work. Right now, we're spending about $280/mo for food.

I like to cook and can make things last a long time. Like today I roasted a 10lb turkey. The dark meat I will use in 2 different meals this week (enchiladas and a casserole). The white meat will be used as lunch meat for me, DH, my sister, and 2 of my kids (the other 2 prefer pb&j) for the entire week. I also am making yummy turkey stock out of the carcass, neck and other leftover pieces. I made a gravy too that I will use for some other day when I don't feel like making gravy.

Brown rice is really cheap and a good filler. The key is sprouting it beforehand so it is TF friendly.

You may have to sacrifice in some areas (like milk, I buy rBGH free, but not organic since our raw milk source got shut down). Try to think about all the ways you ARE eating traditionally and less about how you aren't. Your situation won't always be this way so try not to be too hard on yourself about it.

[FairyRae]

Originally Posted by SuburbanHippie

We're not on FS, but we're awfully close to the cut off. We have a household of 7 and really have to get creative to make our budget work. Right now, we're spending about $280/mo for food.

Originally Posted by Kmarie42

I get $200 in food stamps, so that means each person's food at each meal needs to cost less than $1.

OMG--I cannot imagine doing this (and we DO recieve foodstamps). I use all of our food stamps and the $ I make weekly doing childcare on our food (and it's just DH, DS and I here--our food stamp allowance is more than what either of you spend monthly!) DH's (currently very small) income goes soley to our rent, phone and car insurance. I make an additional $100-120 a week doing childcare and spend it ALL on food...I'm just in awe at folks who spend under $300 a month for a family (and we are seriously waaaayyyy below the poverty line, and claim all the $ we make, and still spend quite a lot on food.) I think buying lots of allergen free ingredients/foods raises the amount of what I spend quite a bit, but still--I'm blown away when I hear folks somehow get by spending so little monthly on food!

The tfrecipes.com site has lots of ideas for stretching a food budget...I believe the moderator Kerry Ann has fed a family of 4 (or 5? can't remember) on something like $100 or $150 per month...(which does really blow my mind...)

Originally Posted by Kmarie42

Yeah I am sure, this is a really small town, and a really small Farmer's Market. I think someone said this is the first year they have ever done it. Does that mean your farmer's market has debit machine to run the cards through? Maybe in the future mine will be more established and have machines.

I'm not sure--I believe we need to get tickets at one of the tables (maybe that has a debit machine) and then each stand/booth has a sign posted if they accept FS--there are many here that do. (I usually take between $20-30 cash and spend the FS at the grocery store, so I'm not 100% sure on this).

ETA: When I think about it, I do spend some of my childcare income on other bills/expenses--we probably spend a total (including fs) of $550-600 on food for the 3 of us each month...and I still feel like we are very thrifty in our spending. I'm watching this thread w/ interest to see how else you all save $ on your meals!

E(again)TA: I posed a question about allergy free food budgets here: http://www.mothering.com/discussions....php?t=1144659 and found that most folks avoiding various allergens seem to spend quite a bit more on food in general...

[pampered_mom]

Originally Posted by Kmarie42

IPlus I have no idea how to find time to cook so much from scratch, but again I have to. I just had a baby 7 weeks ago. This seems impossible.

What about finding some crockpot recipes? You could work on preparation of the dish the night before (perhaps when babe is sleeping) and then put the crock in the fridge. In the morning you can take it out and get it started.

We often skip out on organic items. I know there are some that won't compromise, but a body also has to eat!

I'd also second the suggestions for www.cookingtf.com and Kerry Ann's forum.

[FairyRae]

Originally Posted by pampered_mom

I'd also second the suggestions for www.cookingtf.com and Kerry Ann's forum.

Ooo--and most of her recipes have dairy and gluten free options (you mentioned lactose intolerance). Just thought I'd mention it!

[inkedmamajama]

[Koalamom]

We are on food stamps and our HFS takes them. For our bone broths, I get wild caught salmon bones for 33 cents lb (with loads of meat on them) from the local seafood dept, and I am going to be getting bones and necks from free range chickens from the local meat dept at the store in town.

We make bread from wheat not paid for from food stamps (I get organic wheat for $8 for 80 lbs)

We eat lots of friuts and veggies from the HFS and reg store all covered by food stamps.

I just shop around and find that cheaper good food takes some work to prepare. We just don't get alot of packaged foods.

Greens are important to use amd on days when we dont have those, I collect some wild greens like dandelion to put in soups ( and that is free!)

Meat is usually the expense, ans that is why we tend to eat more fish. Wild caught cod cost me $3 lb today at the store. Local natural beef cost $5 lb, so we stick with the cod. Perhaps beef once a week.

[harrietsmama]

Bumping to bring on more ideas. I am doing GAPS so no grains or beans. My local Farmer's market has a token program for FS so I am going to check that out on Saturday.
I'd like to hear more about your broth making techniques and meats - like the salmon. I live in a very urban area, but with lots of crunchy folks so I am fortunate in that I have several hfs to choose from and there is competitive pricing to be had, as well as competition from larger stores that care organic or better than commercial items. I just got organic ground beef for 2.79 lb at Kroger, it was marked down from $6. It's more than I want to spend on meat, but for a rare treat to be able to get it for far less was nice.

On a side/semi ot note I buy rumen buffer for my cleaning and laundry - it's feed grade baking soda and I got a very large sack for $13 and it lasted almost a year. I got it at a feed co-op originally, but the mom&pop pet food stores can order it for me.