Today is day 27/28 of the June Food Stamp Challenge and the month is thisclose to being over.
I just updated my Money Spent So Far page and my family has spent $83.84 under our allotted amount, which a huge freakin’ relief! (I was super worried that we had gone over our $440, which would be humiliating.) I hadn’t updated the numbers since going to Seattle last weekend. Since then we’ve purchased Subway sandwiches, Vietnamese sandwiches, and Thai takeout. Twice! I think it’s kind of funny that the one month that is dedicated to low cost eating is the month where we’ve eaten restaurant food more than ever. Yes, I can blame last week’s nasty virus, (still coughing) but the blame can also be placed on a feeling of deprivation.
I didn’t want my family to feel like wife/mommy’s silly challenge was affecting their access to food.
My husband was already dragged into the challenge kicking and screaming, and my kids are currently in a very food-centric place in their lives. They are very touchy about idea that The Non-Consumer Advocate means that they might have fewer snacks to choose from. If anything, the mindfulness of writing about frugality has panned out for better snacks.
I will be helping my mother clean out one of her rental cottages today, which means I am getting taken out to lunch. I have zero qualms about this, as it’s our tradition and our relationship is very two-way.
Have you saved money by being part of the Food Stamp Challenge? Has it been different than you thought it would? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Katie,
So inspired by your month I nominated you for an outstanding blogger award! Cheers, Emma
Thanks Emma!
-Katy
I’ve enjoyed taking part in the Food Stamp Challenge. It has been interesting to see how other folks worked the Challenge. We are about $2.50 below our monthly allowance of $202 but we’re good through Wednesday. It would be difficult to live with such a small budget all the time. It’s always good to stop and think about the things we take for granted. I’m going to really enjoy spending a long time in the grocery store later this week as Mr. Roy and I are foodies and I’ve missed browsing and experimenting with some of the more unusual foods we find.
Katy, I didn’t have to drag my husband into the challenge kicking and screaming… because I didn’t tell him we were doing it! No doubt he would have felt deprived from Day One and cast a skeptical eye whenever I cooked lentils or beans or something “thrifty,” when he wouldn’t have thought twice about it otherwise.
As far as he was concerned, I just seemed to be baking more. He’s been doing the dishes, and he actually said one day last week, “Are you baking AGAIN?” because the baking creates more dishes.
Did I feed my family on $404 this month? no. Looks like we’re at 477.21. I really gave up this last week. Part of that food however counts for some food donations made to VBS. We also spent $83.06 at restaurants but that is high for us. We had one nice meal in that. Did I keep within the SNAP allotment at the grocery store, yes. The bigger question is answering my friend “why are you even participating because you don’t shop at the store”. Which is true. I spent $21 for eggs and milk at the farm, cash. I also spent $134 at a food co-op, I am still trying to find out if SNAP is taken there. I did find out that Schwan’s items are SNAP eligible. I might try this again and only shop where SNAP is allowed. I would probably be able to find eggs at a farmer’s market but not the raw milk. In our state it is on the farm sales only. I am currently trying to find out if some of the local farmer’s markets take SNAP. I do know those in the city do. This challenge curbed my impulse spending when I was in the store. Could I feed my family on SNAP, yes, sure because I bake, cook and garden. Would my shopping habits be different, maybe. But I would still seek out high quality foods. Great challenge.