The Year in Review 2010--Part II

No, I am not celebrating the New Year yet!
Mimi over at LIVING IN FRANCE is doing a Linky Thingy...don't ya like my use of technical terms?

Anyway, you are suppose to post your life's highlights from 2010.  This installment is covering April, May & June......and it's 2 weeks late so there is technically no Linky Thingy at the bottom, so you'll just get my post.
Sorry folks.

April
The Wellness + Program at Rite-Aid goes nationwide.  I already have earned my 20% off/Gold Level discount.  Living within a test market area sure helped me get a jump on that.lol

It snowed in April!

I reach my 600th post on the blog.  What is more amazing is that after 600 blog posts, I STILL have readers!

Did I mention it snowed here in late April yet?!

I did alot of decluttering and sending things off to Salvation Army.

I gleaned the stockpile and send alot of food off to the food bank too.

It freaking snowed here on April 27th!

I got alot of rebates sent off this month.

I gave out some awesome money advice.  Probably the best free advice I'll ever post.  If you missed it the first time, check it out HERE.

This is not freakin' Alaska!  How on earth can it SNOW on April 27th?!?!....that's only 2 weeks BEFORE Mother's Day....which is in MAY!  Whatever happened to "April SHOWERS bring May Flowers"?  They meant RAIN Showers, ok?....not SNOW Showers for cripes sake!!

MAY
Now that Rite-Aid had everyone hooked, they became the long, slow pull-back on the Wellness coupons.   The $X off a $XX purchase coupons started decreasing in value or disappearing altogether.
The other Wellness high value on 1 item coupons turned into $1 off $10 beauty or snack or cold and cough, etc. purchase coupons.
I am NOT happy!

More decluttering and sending 'stuff' off to Sallies.  In the process I reveal that sort of weird stuff I use to buy.

More food bank donations, including HBA and paper products since the FB here takes those kinds of donations as well.

#1 son comes home from his first year of college.  It only takes him 1 week before I am ready for him to go back to school!

We go sell stockpile extras at the Flea Market again. 
We leave with 13 boxes of items and come home with 6 boxes and almost $750.

I put #1 son to work on the Garden and get the soil ready to plant.

JUNE
Hubs sister comes to stay for a week.  With 6 people in the house and 4 dogs, plus Hubs brother who shows up from SC briefly, it's just a rollicking good time at our house!
And I don't lie very well, do I?lol


Work continues on the garden and it finally gets planted.  Now the waiting, watering and weeding begins....

I take part in the Food Stamp Challenge over at Katy's Blog.  This runs the whole month of June.
Though I don't have much trouble feeding everyone and staying within the guidelines of the spending aspect, I do learn alot and think differently about how our culture views the food issues in this country.

The teens leave for camp.
Some of the teens come home after a few weeks and some don't(the ones who are working at camp).
They all have an awesome time and that sound you hear is the emptying of my bank account, but it is well worth the life experiences they receive.

Hubs opens the swimming pool for the season.  We instantly become very popular with friends and relatives.  Our popularity is inexplicably tied to the heat index.....I wonder why that is?!?

PART III is coming tomorrow or Thursday so I can get this finished before 2010 finishes.

Sluggy

JUNE Food Stamp Challenge......Things I've Learned

*This post is part of the June Food Stamp Challenge which is located over HERE.*


My Final Thoughts on the JFSC.....

The past 30 days have been challenging.
Not so challenging personally in trying to stay within a $373.70 food budget for the month.
I keep myself on a rather tight food budget and lay my purchases out for inspection online and blog about being frugal throughout the year.

I did however, feel added pressure to stay within that arbitrary amount.  Since we don't depend on EBT to eat here(not that that couldn't change in a heartbeat tho!)staying within that budget wasn't a life or death situation.  If you really are on food stamps, there are real consequences to running out of benefits & not having enough to eat.
Imagine if when my allotted food budget money ran out it Really ran out!  That thought was in the back of my mind all month.

I realized that I am lucky in that I don't have a spouse or significant other torpedoing my efforts to live within a food budget.
1-I have a Hubs would loves to eat leftovers.
2-I have a Hubs who is more than happy to leave all the decisions about meal planning & food shopping to me.
Not everyone is this lucky.  Many have their spouse or SO or even their kids with their hands on the helm of this food ship too.  This can mean they are going out and spending precious food dollars on sodas or other junk foods or buying expensive meats or already-made convenience foods.  Or they are refusing to eat meals that get prepared and then place a call to Domino's for a 'cardboard w/sauce' pie at 4 times the cost of a homemade pizza.  Just 1 week of that kind of thing can lead any food budget commander spiraling down into a deep budgeting dispair!

I also am a "seasoned" cook who doesn't have to rely on pre-made, heat & eat or convenience foods to feed her family.  While I'm not a gourmet cook, I can make just about anything the family would care to eat.  Being able to cook-from-scratch a wide variety of dishes means for the most part, I can keep my costs down because I don't have to buy pricier convenience foods &  no one here gets bored with the offerings and resorts to buying take-out on a regular basis.

I am also blessed in that I have the extra storage space in my home to shop when food items are at a rock bottom price.  I can stockpile shelf stable items as well as those needing freezing temps. until the cows come home.  Not having to pay full retail price at the grocery store makes my food dollars stretch much further than someone who has little or no space to store food.

But I have learned some things along the way that I'd like to share with you all.

On the History....
The food stamp program did NOT begin as an altruistic crusade by your government to help it's citizens...it was an idea to help food producers and manufacturers.
The forerunner of the food stamp program ran from 1939-1943 at the tail end of the Great Depression.  It was different in that people purchased stamps, so it was more of a discount program giving you 100% more purchasing power for your dollars and ANYONE could participate!  It was brought about in part to use up surplus supplies of certain foods during a time of economic need and ended when the surpluses and the unemployment stats dwindled.

Though the Eisenhower administration possessed the legislation for a food stamp program,  it never enacted it in the late 1950's.  The Kennedy administration did and began the pilot program to fulfill a campaign promise.  The having to purchase certain surplus foods component was dropped but participants still had to pay for the food stamps so it was still a discount program only.

The food stamp program didn't become permanent until 1964, under Lyndon Johnson.  Shortly after, the program began to focus more extending it's benefits to the neediest citizens.
The purchasing requirement went away in 1977, meaning that this is when food stamps truly became 'charity'.

There have been many changes to the system since the 1960's, both good and not-so good.  Today, calculating who is eligible and how much someone gets is convoluted and difficult to follow for someone who doesn't work in that system.  It was so hard just trying to make heads or tails of what I was reading that it frankly made my head hurt.  I do feel that there is a lot of bloat in the system and a simplified and streamlined program would go a long way to giving more equitable benefits to all who are in need as well as save a hefty amount of tax dollars in administering the program.

On Food Access....
Being on Food Stamps can limit your shopping options.

The first thing I became cognizant of in the past 30 days has been how finding sources from which to buy food using EBT can be difficult.  I generally utilize many resources available to me from which to purchase groceries.  I frequent not just grocery and drug stores, but bakery outlets, discount stores, in addition to farm stands, and farmer's markets in season.
While I don't use convenience stores, those are yet another source of groceries....albeit a higher priced(dare I say usury price?)option for purchasing food.
Not every food store source accepts EBT/Food Stamps.  Not only does a store have to qualify to participate in this federal program but the store has to feel that accepting EBT will be in their bottom line's best interest to jump through those government hoops.

Limited personal resources can limit your access to food.
I live in a small town outside of a major metro area in PA.  We have limited grocery purchasing sources in my small town.  There are a wider array of sources down in the city.  While public transportation is regular and available in the city, it's practically nonexistent here.  Someone on EBT in my town would have a rough time sourcing food stores locally unless they lived close enough to walk or bike and not at all the sources in the city if they relied on mass transit.  Unless you are disabled or elderly and qualify to use the county's aging dept. bus you would have to have access to a car(either your own or your friend's)to get to the store.  There are taxis but the cost would be out of most EBT users' league.
I am blessed in that I have access to a vehicle so I can go to wherever I need to for food.

On The Numbers...
Did you know that over half(61% as of this writing)of the population in the USA on Food Stamps are women and children?  Only 9% of the recipients are elderly.

The people who require the best and most nutritious food we can source--our children--are in large part not getting it because of financial reasons and require help from the federal government.  Isn't that sad....that the adults caring for and responsible for our nation's future generation are unable to feed them?!

I suspect that many of these households with children are headed by single parents who either are unable to work due to caring fulltime for these children or are disabled in some way.  And the ones who can/do work must pay childcare costs to another while they are at their jobs, which again, is an added expense along with the usual rent, utilities, other payments and groceries.  The food budget is usually the only area where a parent can exercise any kind of discretion over the spending once you are living a bare bones existence.  The landlord or mortgage company wants their FULL amount due so after that's paid you may have to buy the boxed mac and cheese for 30¢ instead of the organic pasta and real cheese for $1.50 to make your own.

Now I am NOT going to get into a political/social debate about having children you can't afford or having children while you are in an unstable marriage or unmarried.  I am sure there are numbers of people in these situations in that 61% figure.  But I am equally sure that there are moms & dads who weren't always single parents, as well as couples with children who work hard and also can't afford to feed themselves w/out the government's help due to financial setbacks, bad planning, poor education, or unexpected or catastrophic health issues.  The old saying, "There but for the grace of God, go I" should remind you that no matter what your economic, health or social status, YOUR circumstances could change in the blink of an eye.
So the next time you find yourself in line at the grocery store behind that person using a EBT card to pay for their food and you are looking down your nose at them, remember that YOU might end up standing in their shoes someday, no matter how fortunate your circumstance today.

Sluggy

JUNE Food Stamp Challenge....Final Numbers

 *This post is part of the June Food Stamp Challenge which is located over HERE.*

To being with, the last 3 days(the 28th-30th) meals were.....
Monday....breakfast-oatmeal/lunch-leftover potato salad & romaine salad/dinner-soup & fried squash
Tuesday....breakfast-cantaloupe & tea/lunch-raw carrots & celery w/dressing/dinner-Turkey Club Sandwiches w/leftover pasta salad
Wednesday....breakfast-a bagel/lunch-way old leftover bbq pork and coleslaw on leftover roll/dinner-clam chowder & garlic bread

Additional cost of foods bought before June....$1.55.

When I dragged out my grocery receipts to do my usual end of the month blog post about my food spending for June I discovered I had gone to the grocery store on June 1st but my JFSC total doesn't reflect that spending.  The total was $14.50.
So my last spending addition for the JFSC amounts to $16.05.

June Food Stamp Challenge Totals
Starting Food Budget...$373.70
Spent....$315.98
June Food Budget Left....$57.72
Days of Challenge Left....00


Next week, I'll get together a donation from my stockpile and take that along with a check for $100.00 up to the local food bank. (I've added the extra $42 to atone for our eating out goof-ups during the month.)

Part II to follow momentarily....

Sluggy

JUNE Food Stamp Challenge.....Day Twenty Six & Twenty Seven and MORE Food Expenses

This post is part of the June Food Stamp Challenge located over HERE.


Saturday DH & I polished off the rest of the Ham Macaroni & Cheese leftovers for dinner along with some frozen veggies. 
Costs....mac&cheese(free-leftovers), veggies $1.69.

Sunday we feasted!  I made cheese burgers and veggie kabobs to cook out on the grill.  I chopped some veggies and used the leftover pasta I cooked and didn't use in the mac & cheese to make pasta salad.

Cost of items not figured in yet......cheese $.75, condiments $.10, celery $.10=$.95.

Total 'spending' from the pantry for the last 2 days.....$2.64

As I mentioned before I have been keeping track of non-dinner foods eaten for the month.  I've compiled a list of everything we've used from the pantry.
Here it is....
1 box cold Cereal
2 dozen Eggs
2 packages Bacon
1 box Oatmeal
2 jars Peanut Butter
1 jar Jam
10 boxes Kraft mac/cheez
7 cans Soup
1 bag Rice
3 packages Noodles
3 cans Tuna
1 jar Mayo
1/2 jar Mustard
1 bottle Ketchup
2 packages Hot Dogs
2 bags Hot Dog Rolls
1lb. Kielbasa
1 2lb. bag Onions
1 5lb. bag Potatoes
3 loaves Bread
2 bottles Salad Dressing
1 bag Tortillas
2 lb. Chicken
2 lb. Fish
1 bag breaded Fish
1 bag shredded Cheese
3 lb. sliced Cheese
1.5 gallons Milk
2 lb. Bananas
1 container Sour Cream
10 containers Yogurt
1/2 bag Flour(5lb.)
1 bag Sugar(2lb.)
1/2 bottle Oil
1 large jar Applesauce
1 pouch Cookie Mix
1 12pack Coke
3 boxes of Capri Sun
4 envelopes Kool-Aid
1 bag of Coffee
1 box of large Tea Bags
Total of Pantry Spending....$88.03

June Food Stamp Challenge Update
Spent to Date....$299.93
June Food Budget Left....$73.77
Days of Challenge Left....03


Can I keep from going off the grocery spending deep-end for 3 more days?
Stay tuned.....


Sluggy

JUNE Food Stamp Challenge....Grocery Shopping on Saturday

 The post is part of the June Food Stamp Challenge located HERE.


Being a couponer, I don't shop like most people on the planet.  Being on this Food Stamp Challenge has cramped how & where I shop a bit but it hasn't been something I can't handle.  Of course, if some of the stores that have been off limits to me this month since they don't accept EBT where off limits in the long term, I might be singing a different tune!  I suspect, I'd adapt my shopping habits if I was forced to avoid these stores indefinitely but it just might push me to seek out other low price alternatives.  And in all probability, I'd be forced to spend MORE on my groceries than I do now.

That being said, this challenge did push me to seek out and try a new shopping venue on Saturday.  A local produce market opened up near my town about a year ago and seeking lower priced produce from a EBT friendly source got me in the door.
And I am so glad I went!

Here is what I picked up.....

1 x Cantaloupe $1.49
1 x Romaine Lettuce $.99
1 x Tomato  $.44 ($.69lb)
1 x Blueberries(pint) $1.49
3 x Lemons  $.99
1 x Cucumber  $.33
4 x Squash  $2.26 ($.69lb)
2 x Red Peppers  $.76 ($.99lb)
1 x Liverwurst  $2.93($2.99 lb)*Yes, they had a deli dept. too.
Total...$11.68

These prices are well below what the chain and regional grocery stores in the area charge for produce!
While none of the items were locally sourced(it's too early here for harvesting locally)I have hopes that come picking time some of the items will have been grown in this area. 

Then we hit the local independent grocery store in town....

6 x chopped Clams BOGO sale($1.69, so $.84 ea.)=$5.04
1 x Real Goodness lactose-free Milk on sale=$2.00
2 x Krunchers Potato Chips on sale $2.50=$5.00
1 x Taster's Choice instant Coffee=$1.00
1 x Marcal recycled Facial Tissue on sale=$1.11
1 x Whack Biscuits(store brand)=$1.69
1 x Cream Cheese(store brand) on sale=$.99
1 x 1lb. Carrots on sale=$.99
SubTotal...$17.82

Coupons Used
1 x $1/1 Real Goodness Milk ManuQ=$1.00
2 x $1/1 Krunchers Chips ManuQ=$2.00
1 x FREE ITEM Catalina Q Taster's Choice=$1.00
1 x FREE ITEM ManuQ Marcal Item(up to $1)=$1.00
Coupon Total....$5.00

$17.82-$5.00=$12.82 + $.07 tax=$12.89

Then I went to Weis Supermarket for 1 item....

2 x OM Lunchmeat on sale BOGO($4.99)=$4.99

I used a FREE ITEM(up to $3)Coupon from Kraft...
$4.99-$3.00=$1.99 total for 2 packages of turkey breast.

Why I bought what I bought.....

I plan on making Club Sandwiches for dinner one night(the lunchmeat, tomato), Clam Chowder another night(clams, milk and enough clams for another batch later this summer), some meat grilled out with veggie skewers(squashes, pepper), the romaine, cuke and carrots for salads, and the fruit, cream cheese & whack biscuits are for breakfasts this week.  The liverwurst is for Hubs lunches at work & he can take chips in a reusable container.  The lemons are for my home brewed iced tea of course! ;-)

Saturday's spending.....$26.56

June Food Stamp Challenge Update
Spent to Date....$209.26
June Food Budget Left....$164.44
Days of Challenge Left....05

Sluggy

JUNE Food Stamp Challenge.....Day Twenty Four & Twenty Five

The post is part of the June Food Stamp Challenge located HERE.

On Day 24-Thursday- DH & I went out to eat.  While you can't pay for meals out with food stamps/EBT, folks who rely on food stamps to eat DO go out.  One way you can stretch those precious dollars to afford to eat out is using deals and coupons.  We use a site called Restaurant.com where you can buy gift certificates to local eating establishments.  I figure, if you're going to spend on eating out, you might as well spend as little as you have to AND spend it with locally owned businesses.  You save $ doing something fun and you support local people's businesses.  Win/Win!

I will wait until the site is having a sale, like an 80% off any certificates you buy sale.  Alot of the cert.s I buy are "$25 off your bill when you spend $35" ones.  At 80% off, they cost me $2 a piece, so in the end I am getting $35 of food for $12(the $10 over $25 I must spend + the $2 cost of the cert.=$12).  That's a 65% savings on the cost of eating out!(Not including the tip).

So we headed out on Thursday to use a "spend $35, get $25 off" $2 certificate I had bought months ago during a 80% off sale.  Hubs had a gourmet burger and wings & I had crabcakes and onion rings.  My meal also came with salad, a potato and veggie of the day.  We went a few dollars over $35 but I had enough food leftover for lunch the next day as well.
We spent $37.99, so our expensive night out cost us $12+$2.99+$6.85(tip)=$21.84.

On Day 25-Friday-DH & I ate odds & ends from the freezer.  He had some beer brats and the leftover potato salad from earlier this week, and I took some pieces of breaded chicken cutlets, shredded cheese and spaghetti sauce and made some quick chicken parmesan in the skillet, adding a tossed salad to finish up the greens I had bought last week.

Day 23 food costs for items bought before June......chicken cutlets $1.00, sauce $.40, cheese $.50, brats $.67, condiments $.05.
Friday's total=$2.62


That brings our 'spending' for the last 2 days to $2.62.($21.84 for non-food stamp purchases.)

June Food Stamp Challenge Update
Spent to Date....$182.70
June Food Budget Left....$191.00
Days of Challenge Left....05


Sluggy

JUNE Food Stamp Challenge......Food Insecurity, Hunger & Society

This post is part of the June Food Stamp Challenge located HERE.

 There are many people in this country who believe hunger exists only in other places in the world.  You see those images on late night television of far off lands where the relief organization needs you to send a small check each month to feed the hungry children.  So you turn off the tv & ignore the pleas or you write a little check to mail off.  You then feel like you have done your part and are safe in your little corner of the world from ever facing hunger.  After all, you live in America, the riches nation on Earth!



But the next time you are in any public place in America....the bank, the mall, the post office, the library, the local park, and especially the grocery store, look around you.  Just because you can't recognize the faces of hunger that surround you, they are there.
Hunger in this country is everywhere and in places you don't think it exists!
How does this relate to me?

There was a time in my life(well, 2 times to be exact)when I was very 'poor'....poor menaing I lacked enough money to support my basic needs.  (Poor and not having money aren't necessarily the same thing....but that's another philosophical discussion for another time.)

The 1st time was between the ages of 15 & 18.  Due to a chaotic and totally dysfunctional home life during those years, I was left to raise myself alone in the family home without my parents.  Only occasionally were one or the other of my parents around.  Mostly they were absite for assorted reasons(business, separation, divorce, hospitalizations, emotional and mental breakdowns)and I was left alone there with the family dog.

Though the house and utilities were paid for I had no food once what had been left in the pantry was depleted.  Being underage with no parent around I was not in a position to get food stamps.  If I had tried to apply at my local welfare office as a minor, the whole situation of a child left alone would have opened up a social work case and I would have been taken into custody and placed in a foster home, which was NOT an arrangement I wanted or deemed necessary.  So I knew better than to ask for help there.

We had no family in the area and my brothers were grown and off living their lives....one was working at sea off the Alaskan coast and the other was living hundreds of miles away and trying to establish himself in business.  Neither was in a position to help nor did they know of my situation.   Between my best friend's mother feeding me occasionally, my father dropping off a $10 check a few times in 2 yrs. and later on, getting myself a part time job at a sub shop for money(as well as taking home food from that job), I was able to keep from starving.  All the while attending a private high school and living in a 5 bedroom/3.5 bathroom home on an acre of land.  If you hadn't known the details of my situation you would have never guessed by looking in from afar that I was living a life of total food insecurity.

This experience has totally colored my world when it comes to food.  I continue to this day to have 'food issues' related to this time in my life.

My 2nd brush with food insecurity was during college.  My father stopped paying for my 'board' at school when I moved off-campus during my Sophomore year.  At this point, being over 18 but attending school in a different state from my state of domicile, I had no clue if I qualified for any kind of governmental food assistance and frankly, I had no clue about asking anyone about it.  Again, I sucked it up and worked 3 different part time jobs while attending school full time in order to feed myself and pay bills.

By my Senior year I was living with my boyfriend in a roach-infested basement apartment and we had $20 cash between us to pay for our groceries per week.  $20 to feed 2 people for a week.  That was back in 1980, but even with food not being as costly as it is today, $20 was a small amount to eat on then.

Having $100 in 1980 is like having $243.45 in today's money when you adjust for inflation.  This means that feeding 2 people in 1980 for $20 would be like feeding those same 2 on $48.69 in today's money.  That comes out to be less than the food stamp allotment of today.  Gee, I was eating on a food stamp budget even then!
It would have been nice to have had those food stamps in 1980 and to have had that $20 cash freed up for spending on other necessities that we had to forego...or use to buy a better quality of food.

Back in 1980, I had one of those metal carts with 2 wheels that I used to carry our groceries home from the local A&P every weekend.  One time, one of the paper grocery bags ripped and a jar of mayo fell onto the sidewalk and broke.  This was a food catastrophe to us!  That mayo was needed for our weekly tuna sandwiches and should have lasted a month or more.  Finding the cash to replace that meant some bill got paid late that month.
As for what we ate on that $20 a week....I recall that we had a lot of boxed mac & cheese, plain jarred sauce and spaghetti, tuna fish, cheap hot dogs, grilled cheese sandwiches and canned beans.  For a treat I would make lasagna when mozzarella was on sale and I used cottage cheese instead of ricotta because ricotta was too expensive.  If we could afford meat that week we'd have hamburgers made with a ground beef mixture containing TVP because it was cheap or we would buy chicken legs.  The boyfriend had gotten some money for a graduation present from his parents so we used that if we felt we needed a night out at the low-rent college cafe.  Going out there cost about $10 for 2 people with alcoholic beverages and food in 1980.
We couldn't afford to do that very often.... 

One time, boyfriend's ex-roommate saw us in the grocery store and asked to borrow some of our $20 food budget from us.  As I recall, he wanted $8.
Ex-roommate was the son of wealthy NYC judges who lived on Park Avenue.  He had never lived outside of Manhattan until college and he was of the opinion that every place outside of 'the island' was a desolate wasteland, devoid of culture and class and the people who populated the country were not worth knowing.  Yah, I didn't like him very much. lol
He couldn't wait to finish school and get back to NYC.  Yes, he was a pampered, spoiled,  privileged snob who had never wanted for anything.

Daddy was late with his generous monthly check that month so instead of using Daddy's creidt card which he carried, he decided to ask his friends, who had $20 to eat for a week between them, for a loan of 40% of their food budget. (This ex-roommate was notorious for NOT paying back loans promptly-if at all!-as he never felt the sting of not having money in his life.)  It never even crossed his mond that other people lacked for resources.  And when we said no(well, I said no), he was aghast that we turned his request down.
Nothing personal(well sort of)....it was all about self-preservation baby.  

Ok....so what's my point here?
I'm not sure.... 

May it's that no matter your station in life, things happen that can put in a situation where you have a hard time meeting your basic needs.  It can happen in a heartbeat with no warning.
Just because someone appears to have money enough to live, don't assume.  There could be things going on below the surface that you are unaware of.

There are many times in life where ANYONE can experience a food insecurity and be hungry.  

Sometimes it's a child or teen who is living in a situation not of their own making due to the adults in their life.

Sometimes it's a young adult trying to establish themselves in a job and trying to pay their own bills for the first time.

Sometimes it's experiencing an unexpected reversal in life(job loss, illness, addiction, domestic abuse, accident, etc).

Sometimes it's being caught in a cycle of poverty(often many generations long)and seeing no way out.

Sometimes it's being old and/or disabled at any age and unable to support yourself fully any longer.

In today's world, you need a safety net.  In times past, people lived with or near their extended families.  Your family was your safety net in times of need and you could be assured of being taken care of it needed.  Families took care of their own.  And if the family wasn't there, usually the community was and could help.  Neighbors helped each other and communities solved their own problems.

Now for whatever reason you wish to believe, people are disconnected from each other.  Families move great distances from one another.  People living in the same building or in houses on the same street hardly know each other.  Waving to your neighbor as you get in your car to get to work or as you pass by while moving your lawn is NOT knowing your neighbors....

Unfortunately, family and community do not exist for many people and they must rely on government for their safety net.

The best we currently can do for a hunger safety net is the Food Stamp Program.
That it is necessary doesn't say much about the society we live in today.


Sluggy
 

JUNE Food Stamp Challenge....Days Twenty Two & Twenty Three

This post is part of the June Food Stamp Challenge located over HERE.


On Day 22-Tuesday-we had steaks cooked out on the grill.  DH and I shared that Sirloin Tip Steak I bought earlier this month on deep discount.  We also had tossed salads with dressing and leftover potato salad.

Cost of meals on Tuesday for food bought before June....dressing $.50.
Tuesday's 'spending' total=$.50.

On Day 23-Wednesday-I took the last thawed slice of ham chopped it up finely and added it to my famous Mac & Cheese.

I added some steamed broccoli and we had a filling meal that used meat as a garnish or a condiment.

Day 23 food costs for items bought before June......ham Free, half a jar of sauce $.30, block of cheese $1.25, milk $.55, pasta $.50, crackers $.10, half a bag of frozen broccoli $.42.  And we have half a pan of the mac & cheese left to eat later in the week.
Wednesday total=$3.12.

Both Days combined costs....$3.62


On Tuesday we bought milk for $2.19.


Added in that brings our 'spending' for the last 2 days to $5.81.


June Food Stamp Challenge Update
Spent to Date....$180.08
June Food Budget Left....$193.62
Days of Challenge Left....07

Tomorrow I will post & add in all the other food costs for the month.....the cost of the foods we've eaten for breakfast, lunches and snacks that we had on hand before the month started. 
Prepare for the "what is left in the budget" figure to go down significantly!

Sluggy

JUNE Food Stamp Challenge....Thinking About Food & The Planet

This post is part of the June Food Stamp Challenge which is located HERE.


Taking part in this Food Stamp Challenge got me thinking about what we eat, both what food our country and culture values and what we personally consumer here at Chez Sluggy.
 
I was reminded of this Photo Essay created by the husband & wife team of Peter Menzel and Faith D'Aluisio that they turned into a book a few years ago called "Hungry Planet".

Check out the link located HERE at Walrus Magazine for a brief article on it.  There are 15 photo links there where you can access photos of half of the 30 families that were profiled.
Basically the Menzel/D'Aluisios  lived with the families for 1 week and detailed every food product they used during that time.
Then they laid out in the photos of the families all that food that was consumed in 1 week.


From the Ayme Family in Tingo, Ecuador....

To the Melander Family in Bargtheide, Germany...

To the Ahmed family in Cairo, Egypt...

To the Revis Family in Raleigh NC, USA....

You can't view those photos and not come up with definite impressions about the differences and similarities in how people around the world eat.

So, what does what you serve on your dinner table say about you and your culture?

Sluggy

JUNE Food Stamp Challenge....Days Twenty & Twenty One

This post is part of the June Food Stamp Challenge located over HERE.

As we head into the last third of the month for the June Food Stamp Challenge I have an update to my Budget to make.

Since Daughter didn't return from her training for her summer employment, due to the fact that she was offered 2 additional weeks of work, I need to adjust our Food Stamp Challenge Budget to reflect 1 less person to feed for the last 11 days of the challenge.

At $101 a person, the daily budget per person is $3.36, so when I subtract her food budget for those 11 days, that amount comes to $37.02.
Our $410.72 food budget is now $373.70.
At this point we have spent $167.33 and have $206.37 remaining.

**Actually, we have spent More than $167.33 in food costs for items used/eaten that were bought before June started.  I am keeping a tally of food eaten at other meals as well as drinks and snacks that include foods bought before June started, and will add all of those costs in at the end of the month.  It's the simplest way I can figure to keep track of it all.**

On Day 20-Sunday-DH was out of town depositing #2 son to camp.  I ate leftover Sesame Chicken from the night before for lunch and DH had his plate of leftovers when he returned that evening for dinner.  I munched on leftover cantaloupe and made myself a grilled cheese sandwich for supper.  Yes, I use every opportunity I can find to use that badass industrial cheese slicer I blogged about HERE.  Cost of meals on Sunday for food bought before June....cheese .41¢, mayo .05¢=$.45.
Cost of fast food lunch & 2 coffee purchases for DH=$5.49.(1 coffee was free as a Father's Day Promotion where he stopped.)
Sunday total=$5.94

On Day 21-Monday-I took the last 3 slices of ham out of the freezer from one of the free hams I had gotten in April of 2009 (talked about HERE).  It is at the tail end of it's usable 'life', even with my mad wrapping skillz.  I thawed them and just pan grilled 2 of them, made potato salad from scratch(heavy on the mustard!) and broke out a package of frozen brussel sprouts.  The larger third slice will go into a casserole I have planned for Wednesday's dinner.

Photo courtesy of my camera which is still wheezing & gasping....lol.....

Day 21 food costs for items bought before June......ham Free, condiments .20¢, brussel sprouts .80¢.
Monday total=$1.00

Both Days combined costs....$6.94

We haven't been to the grocery store since last Thursday(our trip for bread products).  We've been out of milk since Friday but as the kids aren't here, we could go another couple of days without buying more, if we had to, unless I wanted to cook something requiring fresh milk.  There is always the powdered milk or the evaporated milk in the stockpile in a pinch.   
 I have enough food in the house to finish the month off without shopping again if I had to.  The grocery sales aren't very good this week so if I do food shop, it won't be a very large shop.
On Sunday, I had the opportunity to do a Catalina Deal 3 times and score $74.89 worth of food for just over $30(plus have a $7 catalina coupon giving me $7 of free food next week).

But being on this Food Stamp Challenge made me stop and think before I picked up the keys and headed out the door to the store.  Yes, it would have been a 'deal' and yes, I would have had that 'high' from getting the deal and spending that money.  But seriously, none of the food products were things that we needed.  I have plenty of spaghetti sauce, tea bags and salad dressing already.  Very few people who are actually on food stamps probably have the stockpile of food items I do presently.  It just felt wrong to go buy more of the same.....we have enough already. ;-)


June Food Stamp Challenge Update
Spent to Date....$174.27
June Food Budget Left....$199.43
Days of Challenge Left....09



Sluggy

JUNE Food Stamp Challenge....Days Eighteen & Nineteen

Well the last 2 days of the Food Stamp Challenge were pretty quiet.
Sorry for the lack of photos but my camera is having issues.  It shut down on me again while taking shots of the garden progress on Friday, telling me to change the batteries.  I just changed the batteries last week!!  I think it's on it's last legs.....sigh
 
We did a quick run to the store for hot dog rolls=$1.00.  That was all the shopping that was done on those 2 days.

On Day 18-Friday-I fed #2 son and his friend pigs in a blanket in the afternoon.  Costs for items I already had going into June....$.95(5 dogs), $.50(roll of whack dough), $.05(mustard), $1.00(can of chili)=$2.50

We deviated from the meal plan this week and cooked dogs out on the grill also that evening.  Hebrew Nationals on rolls with fresh cut-up Cantaloupe.  As it was too hot to cook inside and a big heavy meal was out of the question, this hit the spot.  Cost of things already bought before June...$1.13(6 more dogs), $.25(condiments).  Total spent for Friday=$4.88

**In case anyone is wondering how come my Hebrew Nationals only cost me .189¢ ea.....I stock up on them in the spring when they go on sale seasonally.  With the sale and the coupons I usually get them for $1.50 a package(sometimes lower).  8 dogs in a pack=$.189 ea.  I usually buy enough to last us until the next Spring and then stock up again.  We usually go through 16-20 packages a yr.
Since I have various neighborhood teens eating through the house in the summer I do buy 'lesser quality' dogs too for that purpose.  I don't buy the really low quality kind but I can usually find 'good' quality dogs in the markdown case for around $1.00 a package.**

We had additional food expenses later that evening when 3 teens decided they needed feeding after some time in the pool.  I served them hot cocoa(made with milk) and a small cake(used a cake mix to make 2 small cakes, 1 went into the freezer for later).  I couldn't believe that they fit 1/2 the bag of marshmallows into their mugs with the cocoa!lol
Costs--$.50(marshmallows), $.00(milk already accounted for this month), $.25(4 envelopes cocoa mix), $.50(cake mix), $.75(frosting)=$2.00
Friday's costs...$7.88

On Day 19-Saturday-we had homemade Chinese Food.  My version of Sesame Chicken.  Besides the chicken I also sauteed a bag of frozen "Stir-Fry Assortment of Veggies" with some sesame and olive oil.  Steamed up some white rice and then put it all together with a generous handful of cashew pieces on top.
Good eats at a homemade price(chicken $.99 for a lb., bag of veggies $1.00, rice $.75, nuts .50¢, ingredients for sauce and oils $1.00)=$4.24 to feed 3 people.
Saturday's costs....$4.24

Both Days combined costs....$12.12 


Spent to Date....$167.33
June Food Budget Left....$243.39
Days of Challenge Left....11



Sluggy

JUNE Food Stamp Challenge....Day Sixteen & Seventeen--Cramping My Style!

This post is part of the June Food Stamp Challenge located HERE.

We have been cruising along on this food budget challenge for a couple of weeks now and it's been going well, except for 1 dining out roadblock on Day Thirteen I talked about HERE.

The last 2 days, the whole premise of only purchasing foods from stores that accept EBT and cooking every meal really began to cramp my style!

Wednesday I was feeling quite ill....nothing life threatening but sick enough that I wasn't able to throw together a made-from-scratch or even a semi-homemade dinner.  Yes, we had plenty of ingredients for making a meal in the house.
But that would require some one else here to go into the kitchen and cook. 
The teen doesn't cook.  He can make grilled cheese and reheat stuff in the microwave and have I mentioned that he hates leftovers?
The DH 'can' cook....a bit.....but he chooses not to, given an opportunity(like this one)to go into the kitchen and whip up dinner.  And he won't settle for a bowl of cold cereal or a peanut butter sandwich for dinner.

So we failed the challenge on Wednesday when DH hiked up to Subway and bought subs after I took to my bed.

In the past year, I have gone from a freezer packed with tv dinners and other preprocessed/packaged 'food' to a freezer packed with meats and veggies in their natural/raw state which I use to make the dinner magic.  There is not alot of foods here anymore that are shortcuts to making a meal(outside of dehydrated milk or potatoes, canned soup, boxed mac & cheese and some Jello).

In a situation like this one above, having a couple of tv dinners or a frozen pizza would have saved us from resorting to Subway.  The processed frozen food would have taken a bigger bite out of the food stamp budget for the month compared to only buying 'real' food with the food stamps, but in the end if a dinner emergency happened we could have eaten w/out resorting to less desirable fare if we had no cash available to spend on pre-made, hot, ready-to-eat food that is not covered by EBT/food stamps.

Seems to me that if you are on food stamps and you are the lone cook in your home, it might be wise to keep a couple of spare pre-made dinners in your freezer.  Even better though, would be to make ahead a double batch when you cook/make a meal and freeze half.  This way, if you are 'indisposed' and you have someone there who can at least turn on/turn off an oven or microwave, you can have them pop that homemade 'convenience food' meal and avoid spending your precious cash on fast food.  I usually have something I pre-made in the freezer to heat and eat but I got caught without one this time.

So on Wednesday we struck out to the tune of $15.75.  I need to think about how I am going to handle this in regards to my budget.  Perhaps I need to add the cost of this fail to my donation check to the food bank.
I figure I need to have a penalty here....

Which brings us to Thursday, which was a much better day for the Food Stamp Challenge at our house.
Dinner consisted of pulled pork sandwiches on rolls and coleslaw.
I had leftover boneless pork ribs, from the cookout when the relatives were visiting, that I had cooked as  'just in case we need more food for teens that dropped in at dinnertime' food.  We hadn't eaten them, so I shredded the meat, made up a small pot of our secret family North Carolina style barbecue sauce, threw in the meat and heated thoroughly.  Spooned the 'cue out onto the leftover crustini rolls I bought last week and topped each one with the pre-made coleslaw from the grocery store that DH picked up on the way home from work.

Ok, so this isn't the actual photo of my food, but it looked pretty close to this(sans the chips and pickle).

Food budget spending for this meal....coleslaw $1.69 , rolls already figured in last week $0, meat $2.38(bought last month on sale),  ingredients to make the sauce from the pantry $.40=$4.47.

On Thursday #2 son and I also ran some errands on the way to his guitar lesson.  I had wanted to hit up the Bakery Outlet but they don't take EBT, so I had to pay almost retail for some bread and bagels.  I found a BOGO sale on both at the local market so I have 2 bags of bagels and bread to the tune of $7.98.  
This just about killed me since I could have possibly gotten all this at the bread outlet for $4.00...if I wasn't limited to only stores that accept food stamps!

We also stopped by my favorite local discount/close-outs store that carries food items.  I had found this great little product there last month & picked up 1 bottle then......

It's a cold press EVOO that's grown, harvested, pressed and bottled in the USA(California)in a GLASS BOTTLE! and at the low price of $1.99 a bottle!
Ok, it might not be the best quality of Olive Oil but PA does not have much olive growing and olive pressing going on so this is a good deal here.
I had wanted to get a quantity of these for my stockpile after trying the 1 bottle I bought.....but I can't.
Because this close-out store does NOT accept EBT....so I have not been able to buy any food items there in June!

I am hoping there are some bottles left in the store come July.
If not, I've missed out on a food opportunity, just like anyone who lives around here and has to use EBT all the time to eat would have.
I tell ya, that sucks!
And it's starting to annoy the beejeezus outta me!!

 'Spending' for Day Sixteen and Seventeen...$12.45   * +penalty of $15.75 for the Subs*

Spent to Date....$155.21
June Food Budget Left....$255.51
Days of Challenge Left....13


Sluggy

JUNE Food Stamp Challenge....Days Fourteen & Fifteen=Half Way!

This post is part of the June Food Stamp Challenge located HERE.

Monday was Day 14 of the June Food Stamp Challenge.
Monday was also the day 2 of the mouths I feed left home--one will be back in a week, one is gone for the summer.
So I am down to 3 people in the home this week.
And the rate at which the food gets eaten up here will slow waaaay down.

Or will it?

Though I only have 3 people to feed this week, yesterday was the last day of school for #2 son.
That means my food bill will increase because a couple of the neighborhood kids hang out here during summer recess.

We have a pool and a mom(me) who will feed whatever stray teen shows up.
While the JFSC doesn't allow me extra in my food budget, I will go through extra food rations for the remainder of this month.

If someone is living off of EBT alone, having extra hungry teens eating through your kitchen cabinets and fridge could mean running out of food before the month is out. You want to be welcoming to your kids friends but it could be very stressful to your budget to have them around.

You could try to stretch the food budget by buying cheaper foods. This might work as teens love all that processed junkie food, but it would also mean pouring empty unhealthy calories into their growing bodies(which is bad) plus your family's food choices would also suffer as you'd either have to buy less of the healthy food or buy lesser quality of foods for your own use as well to stay on budget.

I am NOT buying soda but the teens require a teeny bit of sugary beverages along with the water I make them drink, so I'll make them homemade lemonade(at least they will get real citrus fruit along with the sugar in the deal).  As a cheaper alternative to soda we'll break out the Kool-aid on occasion...the packet ones where you add your own sugar as that is less costly than the premade canister stuff(and more eco-friendly since you only have a small paper packet to compost and not a big plastic container to recycle). 
For snacks I'll do some crudites(raw veggies)and dip, homemade hummus and crackers, sliced apples and peanut butter, and homemade pizza(offering some veggie options to go under the pepperoni slices), and make stir-frys with frozen veggies and the ramen noodles they always eat.  Once the garden starts producing tomatoes(crossing fingers!), I'll offer BLTs and Fried Zuchinni slices.

How would you handle this dilemna?
And please share any low cost/healthy-ish foods I can offer the gang of teens this summer.  (Nothing with margarine or artificial sweeteners however.)  I'd love to hear any ideas!


Back to our Eating for the last 2 days.....

Monday was leftover Turkey with Dehydrated Mashed Potatoes, homemade gravy using the leftover pan drippings from when I roasted the Turkey last week, and peas to round out the meal. Cost of food...turkey-free, potatoes-free, peas-.30¢, gravy-.10¢ for the flour/butter/spices=.40¢

Tuesday was Beef Enchiladas with Corn.  I added the leftover chili from last week to the beef filling and made my homemade Enchilada Sauce. 

Cost of food here(not bought during June)that was used includes sauce ingredients-.80¢, corn-.30¢, tortillas-.60¢=$1.70

Since I did no grocery shopping the last 2 days, my only 'spending' was for the food used that was bought before June.


We are halfway through June and our food budget is looking good!   Sticking to the budget on the back end of the month will be vital to staying on task.

 'Spending' for Day Fourteen and Fifteen...$2.10

Spent to Date....$142.76
June Food Budget Left....$267.96
Days of Challenge Left....15


Sluggy

JUNE Food Stamp Challenge....Day Twelve & Thirteen

This post is part of the June Food Stamp Challenge located over HERE.

As Saturday was the last day for the Sales Ads and we were out of fruit & onions(can't cook ANYTHING without onions!lol) and there were some things I wanted to stock up on, I headed to the grocery store.

1 x Cantaloupe on sale=$3.00
1 x 2lbs. Strawberries on sale=$4.99
1 x 2lbs. Onions on sale=$1.29
2 x Easy Mac on sale $.75=$1.50
8 x Hormel Chili on sale $1.00=$8.00
2 x Hanover Veggies on sale $1.67=$3.33
4 x Hanover canned Beans on sale $.80=$3.20
2 x Coffee-Mate on sale $1.50=$3.00
SubTotal.....$28.31

Coupons Used
1 x BOGO Hanover Frozen Veggies ManuQ=$1.67
1 $1/4 Hanover canned Beans ManuQ=$1.00
1 x $1/2 Coffee-Mate ManuQ=$1.00
Coupon Total....$3.67

$28.31-$3.67=$24.64 out of pocket*


*This total doesn't sound quite right to me(checking it against my receipt book) but I have to get the copy of my receipt out later from upstairs to check, as the actual receipt was sent in for a rebate.  I'll correct this later if it's wrong.

The Easy Mac was bought for a rebate that needs mailing out this month.  I've been waiting for it to go on sale somewhere to buy it cheaply.  I needed beans and chili  as I am low.  #2 son eats chili with his burritos during the summer  The Coffee-Mate was a treat for daughter.  Everything bought was on sale and 3 items I had coupons for.

Saturday was Leftover's Day so assorted leftovers were eaten as part of the meal plan.

Sunday was #1 son's last day before leaving for the summer to go work on the opposite side of the state.
I was overruled on staying home and making my Enchiladas for dinner because DH felt we needed to go out to eat.  #1 son is also never home anymore for his birthday in July so this was his Birthday Meal Out that we always do for each person in the family.

I am aware that food stamps does not cover hot food eaten out at a restaurant.  And some people on food stamps can't afford to spend actual cash money on going out to eat, no matter if it's a fancy pants, family, diner, buffet, cafe or fast food type restaurant.
So I am undecided on what I should do here with my food budget for the challenge.  Eating out generally goes under the "Entertainment" budget with us.  Should I deduct the cost of this meal out from the food stamp budgeted amount?  Or do I get a 'pass' here?  Or should I deduct the cost of the food if I have bought it and cooked it at home instead of having eaten the food out from my food stamp budget?
Any thoughts here?.....anyone?

Having cash enough to go out, to spend it on a nice meal out, is a luxury that food stamp recipients probably almost never have.  Yes, having money gives you more choices in your life.  Having been poor(meaning lacking money, not the other kinds of poor) at times in my life, I am painfully aware of that fact.

 Spending for Day Twelve & Thirteen...$24.64

Spent to Date....$140.66
June Food Budget Left....$270.06
Days of Challenge Left....17 

Sluggy

JUNE Food Stamp Challenge....Using Coupons with EBT/Snap

This post is part of the June Food Stamp Challenge located over HERE.

One way to make your EBT/SNAP/Food Stamps stretch further is to utilize store and/or manufacturers coupons.  Every dollar you use in coupons is one more dollar that isn't used of your food stamps allotment.
Pretty basic concept,huh?
But I've read where many people who receive governmental food benefits don't realize they can combine their food stamps with coupons.
I am sure as well that there are people who use food stamps who just don't care or want to take the time to clip coupons just like in the non-food stamp using population.
But we need to get the word out to people who just don't know that you CAN use coupons with your food stamp benefits.


If you live in a state that taxes food purchases, if you pay with food stamps, you are not taxed.  For example, if your state taxes food and you buy $50 of groceries and pay with cash or with a debit/credit card, you would be charged $50 + whatever the sales tax rate for your state is on that $50 purchase.
If you buy the same $50 in groceries and pay with EBT/Snap benefits, you would not be charged tax on the purchase.

However, if you use manufacturer's coupons along with your EBT/Snap benefits to pay for your groceries, you will owe CASH on the face value of the coupons at whatever the sales tax rate is for your state.
Store issued coupons on the other hand are NOT taxable.
Both types of coupons are solely an adjustment of the sales price of items and outside of the food stamp sales tax exemption.


Here's an example using my state of PA(sales tax rate of 6%)....
You buy $11 worth of eligible food.
You pay for your $11 of groceries with your EBT/Snap.
You are out of pocket no actual cash and $11 in EBT/Snap benefits for the month.
But--
You buy $11 worth of eligible food, using $1 worth of manufacturer’s discount coupons, and $10 in
food stamps.
Since the sales tax is imposed on the dollar amount of the coupon, the recipient
would pay $10.06 and would therefore have to supplement the $10 in food stamps with 6¢ in cash.
If the $1 coupon is a store issued coupon/discount it's not taxed, and the recipient pays $10.

While the coupons save you some EBT/Snap credit, you do have to pay out actual cash.
If you are in a situation where you can not afford using any of your cash to cover the tax on the coupons, you may not want to use manufacturers coupons.

Personally, I don't quite understand the reasoning of how this works.   You would think the government would encourage people to combine coupon use with EBT/Snap benefits so they could stretch their food credits further or be able to buy a higher quality/price of food.

Dinging someone with such low cash resources who wants to utilize coupons makes little sense to me.  You would think the government would do everything in it's power to encourage thrift among it's recipients!
Perhaps we need to get the rules changed and make manufacturer's coupons exempt from sales tax when used on food stamp eligible purchases.

Sluggy

JUNE Food Stamp Challenge....Day Ten & Eleven

This post is part of the June Food Stamp Challenge located over HERE.

On Day Ten of the June Food Stamp Challenge I was finally able to cook the Turkey.  I had planned on serving Sweet Potatoes with this meal so while #1 son & I were over in the neighboring town I stopped in for some inexpensive taters and to use a coupon on a special on bagged salad at a small market there.

5 x Sweet Potatoes--1.98lbs. @.69lb.=$1.37
3 x FE bagged Salad on sale B1G2=$2.97
3 x Friendly's Ice Cream on sale B1G2=$5.99 **Not Pictured**
SubTotal....$10.33

Coupons Used
1 x FREE Fresh Express Salad(won in giveaway)=$2.97
Coupon Total....$2.97

$10.33-$2.97=$7.36 Out of Pocket
 Regular Retail of Items purchased...$28.31


While the ice cream was not a need(I'm still stocking up on some items) everything else was bought to be used this month during the Challenge.

I served turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes and home-grown beans on Day Ten.
Cost breakdown on the items I already had on hand....turkey(free last fall for buying $x amount during a promotional period), stuffing($2.00), cranberry sauce(.80), beans(free from our garden last summer-the last of them)=$2.80.

Since I had ground beef thawed in the fridge I still needed to make and serve Sloppy Joes this week and I was still out of rolls and bread.  Another bad day for baking on Day Ten so I planned on going to the Entenmman's Outlet in the big city for inexpensive bakery products as usual.

But you know what?.....They don't take EBT at the Bakery Outlet.  So someone on Food Stamps is out of luck procuring day old bread there and I don't feel right while on this Challenge shopping there.
So the Entenmman's Outlet was out.

Luckily, I remembered a Stroehman's affiliated Outlet near the little grocery we shopped at in the neighboring town.  So we checked them out and they DO take EBT....yay!

I found a loaf w/out HFCS for .99 but all the rolls had HFCS in them so I picked the least expensive ones.

1 x Bread=$.99
2 x Rolls(2/$1)=$1.00
Total....$1.99

I am working on tonight's dinner(Day Eleven)now.  We will have the Sloppy Joes and I have made no trip to the grocery store today.  Items used from the stockpile for today's meal amount to $1.00(Sloppy Sauce).

Spending for Day Ten & Eleven...$13.15


Spent to Date....$116.02
June Food Budget Left....$294.70
Days of Challenge Left....19 

Sluggy

JUNE Food Stamp Challenge....Days Eight & Nine

 This post is part of the June Food Stamp Challenge located over HERE.


Again I am having to show ya'll a photo of leftovers.....sigh.....get it together Sluggy for pete's sake!lol

This was dinner on Tuesday...Day Eight.  The only reason we had leftovers is because #2 son had an Orthodontist appointment that afternoon and his teeth didn't feel like eating that evening so he had soup and applesauce instead.

If you guessed that this is Spaghetti and Meatballs you are only partially correct.  It's actually faux meatballs or meatless balls.  They sure look like meatballs and with the sauce on them they sure taste like meatballs(albeit less dense than my homemade meatballs).....but they have no meat.
They do have dairy in them however.....alot of dairy!
(cheese, egg and a dash of milk)
The recipe is posted on my bloggy friend Annie Jones's blog HERE.
I can attest that these are VERY GOOD.  The teens didn't know they were meatless until I told them.  I did double the batch and making my usual sized meatballs, the mixture made 20 meatballs total.  Everyone got a serving of 4 meatless balls with their pasta and sauce.
I think next time I'll tweak this recipe by chopping or grinding up some rolled oats and adding that to the mix as well as coating them with the rolled oats.

Making the traditional Spaghetti and Meatballs sans meat is one way to bring the cost down when you serve this meal.  Meat products are by far as a group the most expensive items in a food budget.  If you are living on Food Stamps you need to be frugal with your purchases if your EBT is going to last the entire month.
The cost of this meal for the ingredients I haven't bought during my June food shopping came to $4.00(counting #2 son's food).
(I served a salad along with the Pasta just so you know we did have veggies too.)

Wednesday's dinner plan was a disaster.
I had planned on serving the Turkey that night....but the Turkey had other plans of it's own.
I still wasn't thawed. ugh
So I went to the next night's plan which was Sloppy Joes and pulled a package of Ground Beef out of the freezer.
And that refused to thaw in time.
Plus I had planned on making rolls today for tomorrow's Sloppy Joes but the rainy humid day was NOT conducive for baking today.

So 2 hours before dinner I pulled out a tupperware container of leftover BBQ Pulled Pork, popped it into a glass bowl and set it on defrost in the microwave since I didn't have much time left.
After 2 rounds of nuking, I discovered that my BBQ Pork was NOT BBQ Pork.....it was leftover homemade Chili!!
Hey, frozen into a solid block they looked the same, ok?lol

So we changed the plan again.  Now we were having chili and burritos with a side of corn.
But I had no burritos.
This meant a quickly thrown together plan for a trip to the grocery store.
There were some things I wanted to pick up at Weis this week on sale that I had coupons for, so that's where I went....

1 x 1/2 Gallon Skim Milk=$1.59--we were almost out of milk
4 x Sargento Shredded Cheese on sale $2=$8.00
2 x Hanover frozen Broccoli on sale $1.69=$3.38
1 x frozen Burritos=$3.99
SubTotal....$16.96

Coupons Used
4 x $.75/1 Sargento Reduced Sodium Cheese ManuQ(doubled to $1)=$4.00
1 x BOGO Hanover Vegetables=$2.19**
1 x $7 OYNO Catalina from last week's shopping=$7.00
Coupon Total....$13.19

**The Veggie coupon when scanned took off the maximum value allowed on the item($2.19) even though the item was only $1.69.  The cashier asked the front end manager if that was ok and he said yes, so I received an extra .50¢ discount on my order I wasn't expecting.

$16.96-$13.19=$3.77 Spent Out of Pocket
A savings of 84% over regular retail.

Other items on hand not bought in June we used on the Burrito Meal came to $.80.
Total of additional spending on food in June for the last 2 days....$8.57

Spent to Date....$102.87
June Food Budget Left....$307.85

Sluggy

JUNE Food Stamp Challenge....Day Six & Seven

This post is part of the June Food Stamp Challenge over HERE.

I had wanted to show a photo of our yummy meals the last two days but with the general craziness here I haven't gotten a photo taken before we ate so you get to look at the yummy leftovers.

Day Six on Sunday I took 3 bags of Noodles in Alfredo/Broccoli Sauce from the stockpile and used that as the base for dinner.  I added leftover from last week 2 pan sauteed in EVOO chicken breasts, cut up, as well as that package of precooked chicken I bought at Weis on Saturday....together it was about 1lb. of chicken.  Then I added a whole 1lb. bag of mixed veggies from the freezer.  We served this casserole-y dish with leftover salad from Friday.  We have 1 helping left from this meal.  We even had an extra mouth to feed that meal(a teen friend of one of our teens-who ate 2 helpings!) so this 1lb. of chicken sure stretched a long way.
**The cost of the items from the stockpile--3 bags of noodle side dish & frozen vegetables--was $1.75.

Then on Day Seven(Monday)I made Beef Stew in the crockpot.  I had a veggie stock in the freezer which was free from a pan of roasted veggies last fall & the leftover London Broil pieces.  I put in onions & carrots(had those), 4 potatoes(had to buy Monday morning)and added a can of green beans at the end.  Served this with whack crescent rolls, also already here in the fridge.  There are 2 large helpings of Stew left(no rolls however).

My grocery purchase for this meal was $1.99 for the bag of potatoes.
**The cost of the items I had already--carrots, onions, green beans, rolls--was $2.65.

"Spending" for the last 2 Days....$1.75+$1.99+$2.65=$6.39.

Spent to Date....$94.30
June Food Budget Left....$316.42

Sluggy

JUNE Food Stamp Challenge....Day Five

This post is part of the June Food Stamp Challenge over HERE.

 **WARNING--This is the post where I ramble on about grocery shopping.**

This is the last day of the weekly sales cycle at my local grocery store, Weis Markets, so I headed over to the grocery store to gather some supplies for the month.

Now and again, they run Catalina Deals at Weis.  
For those who don't pay attention to this marketing tool that grocery stores use, a Catalina Deal consists of a special group of items for sale in the store.  When you purchase these items(in a certain combination or quantity and/or in a certain dollar value), the store rewards you with a special coupon called a Catalina.  This coupon is usually good on a subsequent shopping trip.  The store uses this to get you back into their store so you spend MORE MONEY there!

But sometimes, you the consumer, can use this marketing tool to your advantage.  If some of this special group of items that qualify for the Catalina are on sale and you have Manufacturer's coupons, and these items are things you are going to buy anyway, you can pay very little for the items, get the Catalina coupon and then roll the deal.

"Rolling the deal" involves making multiple purchases and using the previously received Catalina to help pay for the next purchases(after applying any coupons and the sale prices of course).  Doing this can help you stretch your food dollars even more as long as you don't succumb to buying products you really don't need/can't use that are qualifying for the Catalina deal.

This is one of the 'tricks' couponers use to maximize our dollars.
I rolled a Catalina Deal 3 times today.  More on that later.

Here is my 1st grocery store food purchase for Saturday....

2 x Hebrew National Hot Dogs on sale BOGO($5.99)=$5.99
2 x Weis Cheese 8 oz. blocks on sale BOGO($2.50)=$2.50
1 x Sara Lee Bread on sale $1.50**Rang up=$2.89
2 x Better Than Ears Dog Treats on sale $2.29=$4.58
1 x 18 Large Eggs on sale=$1.50
1 x Almond Breeze Milk on sale=$2.50
4 x Klondike Ice Cream Bars on sale $2.50=$10.00
1 x Perdue precooked Chicken on sale=$3.50
2 x 1.18lb. Ground Beef special @.99¢lb=$2.36
1 x 1.03lb. 93%lean Ground Beef patties=$5.14
1 x .81lb. Sirloin Tip Steak=$3.47
1 x .92lb. London Broil=$3.67
1 x 1.16lb. Beef Cubes=$3.82
2 x pkgs. Chicken Thighs(4lbs. total)-$4.25 & $4.07 BOGO Sale=$4.25
SubTotal before coupons with sale prices.....$56.17

Coupons Used

2 x .75/1 Hebrew National Hot Dogs manu Q(doubled to $1)=$2.00
2 x $1.50/1 Better Than Ears Dog Treats manu Q=$3.00
1 x $1/1 Almond Breeze Milk manu Q=$1.00
1 x .75/1 Perdue Shortcuts Chicken manu Q(doubled to $1)=$1.00
1 x Ground Beef patties $3.00 Discount Sticker=$3.00
1 x Sirloin Tip Steak $1.50 Discount Sticker=$1.50
1 x London Broil $1.50 Discount Sticker=$1.50
1 x Beef Cubes $1.50 Discount Sticker=$1.50
2 x Chicken Thighs $2.00 Discount Sticker=$4.00
Coupon Total....$18.50

$56.17-$18.50=$37.67+$.28tax=$37.95
And I received a $7 On Your Next Order Catalina for buying the Eggs, Almond Breeze Milk & Ice Cream Bars.


So after coupons....
The 2 packs of hot dogs came out to $2.00 a piece.   Yes, you could buy cheaper hot dogs, but Hot Dogs are marginally nutritional, so if we are going to eat them, I'd prefer we eat 'good' ones.  This is not something we eat all the time but sometimes us carnivores feel the need to pour nitrites into our bodies....if you don't eat them, good for you.  We do, so deal with it. ;-)
The dog treats were $.79 a package.
The large almond milk was $1.50.
Over 10lbs. of raw meat/chicken was $15.28 after sales and Meat Dept. Instant Discounts.**The 2 packs of chicken was awesome because I only paid for 1 pack due to the BOGO sale plus the 2 $2 Discount stickers made that $4.25 pack of chicken cost $.25...4lbs. of chicken thighs for 25¢!

**This is one of my tips on buying meat for less.  Grocery store meat departments generally have a day set aside when they discount meat products.  It's worth asking them what that day is so you can arrange your week to get to the store when they mark down the meats.  Some stores also mark down dairy in this way so check your local stores.  My favorite scenario involves meats that are on sale already(either per lb. sale discounting or a BOGO deal)additionally being reduced since they are coming to the end of their "sell by" dating.  I bring a calculator to the store to figure the per lb. cost after all the discounts are applied to see if the sale price is low enough.  I like to keep my beef purchase price $2 or under and my chicken $1 or under.  I do NOT use this trick to get seafood cheaper.....fresher is better there! ;-) 

And my loaf of bread did NOT ring up on sale as it should have.  Weis store policy is that you get a full refund of what you pay if something on sale does NOT ring up correctly, so I get to deduct the $2.89 refund from my spending today.

In addition, the Perdue precooked chicken has a rebate in addition to the coupon I used, so my $3.50 package of chicken pieces will be free(+ an extra .25¢ since the coupon I used doubled to $1 and the rebate form only takes off .75 for the coupon). **This kind of item is something I don't usually buy, due to the high cost per lb. of meat...I prefer to buy my chicken raw.  But the rebate made it free to me so I got it.
So...the OOP spending on this transaction has become $32.31.
Since the Food Stamp Challenge doesn't include pet food, I'll deduct the OOP for the dog treats(plus the tax on them), so that's another $1.86 off, for a grand total of....$30.45.


Then I took that $7 Catalina Coupon and stocked up on Ice Cream, Eggs and Whipped Cream....


1 x 18 ct. Large Eggs on sale=$1.50
1 x Redi-Wipp Whipped Cream on sale=$2.00
4 x Klondike Ice Cream Bars on sale $2.50=$10.00
Subtotal....$13.50-Minus $7 Cat coupon=$6.50 Out of Pocket & another $7 OYNO Catalina coupon.

And I rolled this same transaction again.....$6.50 & another $7 OYNO Catalina to use next week.

I ended up with 8 more packages of Klondike Bars, 3 dozen more eggs(in addition to my 1st transaction) & 2 whipped cream for an additional $13.00 OOP(=Out of Pocket).

Usually I like to use coupons to bring the OOP down lower but the items that qualified for this Catalina Deal, that I wanted, did not have coupons available.   I could have bought different qualifying products that had coupons available & paid even less but that would not have been smart with the money. ;-)

Grand Total for the day's groceries.....$30.45+$13.00=$43.45 (+that $7 Q I can use on any product next week).
Value of the food if purchased at regular retail without sales/coupons.....$125.31.
That's a savings of 65.33%.
I almost forgot.....for every $50 you spend in one transaction at the local Weis you earn 10¢ in gas rewards at the local gas station.   Today's 1st transaction earned me .10¢ per gallon discount on my next fill-up.
Not that I buy groceries to get the gas discount but it's a small perk I can use.

I am now stocked up with ice cream for the summer, have 12lbs. of protein(counting the precooked chicken and hot dogs)& some whipped cream for the local strawberry crop that will be ready very soon.

June FS Challenge Total Spent to date.....$87.91
Amount Remaining in Budget.....$322.81  

Days Down.....5
Days to Go....25

Sluggy