Food Stamps Have Come A Far Way

[Flea]

This. If someone has figured out how to live a filet mignon lifestyle on a welfare budget, I say we hire them as head of the US Treasury.

I like this perspective ...

I was on food stamps once about 12 years ago. I tried really hard to economize, get the healthiest food I could, and frankly, I had kids, they liked cookies, so we’d get some. In addition to our veggies, our milk, our cheese, our grain food and our cheapest cuts of meat in the store. Sometimes, sure, I’d stick a few convenience foods in our cart as well. If I did, invariably I’d get nasty looks at check out, as people judged me for using food stamps for “luxuries.” What always bugged me was that anyone thought they had a moral right to do so. A moral right, even imperative, to judge whether or not I and my kids were worthy of foods that were luxurious by their standards.

The entire article goes on to detail some ways to eat very well - including some gourmet options - on a food stamp budget. Farmer's markets at the end of the day when sellers want to unload, day-old bread and things on their expiration dates. As with anything else in life, with a little creativity you can do just about anything.

 

[Cryozombie]

If you can bear it, longer much more rambling extended version:

Thanks, I'll give this a watch.

 

[punisher731]

My first job was in a grocery store in the not so nice part of town. I was 15 years old and naive. I couldn't believe when I would see customers buy chips and other junk food and pay for with their food stamps and then have a second order of nothing but beer and then pull out a BIG stack of money to pay for the beer.

Also, in Michigan many people SELL their "bridge card" and then report it as stolen and get a replacement. Their is a HUGE abuse of the system.

I have no problem with the idea of a temporary hand up, until someone gets their feet back under them. I do have a problem with people who permanantly live off of the system (oh yeah, did I mention that Michigan is only one of two states in the country that DOES NOT have a cut off on welfare no matter how long you are on it?)

 

[CoryKS]

My first job was in a grocery store in the not so nice part of town. I was 15 years old and naive. I couldn't believe when I would see customers buy chips and other junk food and pay for with their food stamps and then have a second order of nothing but beer and then pull out a BIG stack of money to pay for the beer.

Also, in Michigan many people SELL their "bridge card" and then report it as stolen and get a replacement. Their is a HUGE abuse of the system.

I have no problem with the idea of a temporary hand up, until someone gets their feet back under them. I do have a problem with people who permanantly live off of the system (oh yeah, did I mention that Michigan is only one of two states in the country that DOES NOT have a cut off on welfare no matter how long you are on it?)

When I worked at the aforementioned SnG (this was back before they implemented the card), we had a clientele that would bring in their $20 food stamps and buy a small bag of chips with the expectation that a convenience store would not have sufficient low-denomination stamps to break it and would give them cash back. My manager made a point of keeping the till full of food stamps. Gosh, they would get angry when we did that. Most opted to cancel the transaction so they could try their $20 somewhere else.