The Non-Consumer Advocate

Pasta, pasta everywhere . . .

Yesterday I took my clutch of coupons over to Safeway and did a big ol’ grocery shopping trip for the July Food Stamp Challenge. The Safeway near my house has been smashed to smithereens, and I’ve been shopping Fred Meyer and New Seasons as a result. However, I had a $10-off-$50 coupon, so to a slightly farther away Safeway did I go. I also brought my 15-year-old son, and gave him a lesson in how and why I shop the way I do. (He did actually seem interested.)

In all, I spent $48.57. Here’s what I bought:

• 3 boxes of cereal
• 1 jar of pickles*
• 2 boxes of Wheat Thins*
• 7 boxes of pasta*
• 1 bottle of horseradish sauce
• 2 containers of orange juice
• 2 pints of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream*
• 2 pounds of frozen shrimp*
• 2 packets of Crab*
• Bananas
• 2 limes
• 4 ears of corn
• 1 head of romaine lettuce
• 1 pound of carrots
• Cilantro
• 2 bags of pistachios*
• 1 bag of yogurt covered pretzels
• * = used a coupon

A number of the items I bought were simply because I was able to combine sale prices with double coupons, (the Wheat Thins were BOGO and I was able to double a $1 off coupon) which makes for an odd assortment of groceries.

Dinner tonight was a big pasta salad made with a little of this and a lot of that and was a hit with the over-30 crowd. I am feeling very positive about this challenge, unlike last year when I was pretty nervous that I would fall flat on my face in front of thousands of blog readers.

So far, so good.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”

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Today is day one of the July Food Stamp Challenge, a month when my family of four will only spend the amount that the average food stamp recipient would receive, which is $101 per person, per month. For last year’s challenge, my family spent $350, which was $100 less than normal, which resulted in a $100 donation to The Oregon Food Bank.

I am asking that participants donate to their food banks if possible.

I have deliberately not gone grocery shopping for awhile, so my refrigerator is somewhat bare. I don’t have a pantry, so I’m not a great amasser of staples, although we do have a chest freezer in the basement. This we use for bread from the Dave’s Killer Bread outlet store, as well as the individually frozen chicken breasts that my husband seems unable to cook without, (however, he did just watch Food, Inc. and has drastically changed his song) freezer jam and few other sundry items. I am stocked up on loss leader Tillamook cheese, which I bought when it was $3.99 per 2-lb loaf. If another crazy awesome loss-leader sale comes up on food that I buy, I will stock up on it even though we’re on a tight budget for the month.

My older sister just moved from Seattle to Manhattan this week, and she did bring down the contents of her pantry for me before she left. This hodge-podge of food stuffs ran the gamut from tea bags and condensed milk to bottles of rum, gin and nasty-sweet Mogen David wine. So I do have an extremely odd assortment of food to incorporate into our meals. (Would Mogen David wine make good adult-only popsicles?)

For this month, I plan on exploring different techniques for frugal grocery shopping, such as couponing, buying from ethnic food markets, farmers markets, U-pick, gardening, focusing on food waste and eating fewer meat based meals. I also want to get over to The Oregon Food Bank for a day of volunteering with my family.

Today, I’m going to take my $10-off-$50 Safeway coupon from the newspaper and buy enough food to get us through the first week. I will bring my coupons, as Safeway does double up to four coupons. We do buy our eggs and milk from New Season’s Market, and will continue to do so for the month.

I am going to make one change from last year, which is that I am going to allow eating in restaurants, even though actual food stamps would not pay for this. However, the amount has to come from our overall budget. It is just too difficult in the summer months to eat entirely homemade meals, when we spend so much time out and about. I expect this to be very minimal though, and will make a concerted effort to prepare food ahead of time if I know we’ll be away from the house for an extended time period.

Are you participating in the July Food Stamp Challenge? Please add your name to the comments section, and if you blog, add your link to the widget below.

Together, we can shine a light on the issues of food insecurity.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”

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I am re-running the information from last year’s Food Stamp Challenge. This social experiment helps to shine a light on the issues of food insecurity, which plague our land of plenty. I look forward to exploring the different issues and roadblocks to feeding my family of four for under $404 during the month of July. (Keep in mind I have two teenage boys, which essentially means I’ll be feeding four adults!)

I welcome you to join in the challenge, whether you eat below these numbers or above.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”

Welcome to the July Food Stamp Challenge, where Non-Consumer Advocate readers attempt to feed their families on the amount they would receive if they were food stamp recipients. Some of us already meet this description, while others do not have to budget for our family’s food needs. I am suggesting that participants donate any money saved to their local food bank.

As the July 1st Food Stamp Challenge start date draws near, it’s time to pin down the specifics.

How much can I spend?

The SNAP (Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program) website states that “The average monthly benefit was about $101 per person” which is what I’m going to work with. This number appears to be based on 2008 numbers, but is the most recent info on the website. This number simplifies the challenge, although your state, (Alaska and Hawaii) may have a higher allotment.

The “Maximum Monthly Allottment” is much higher, and is actually significantly more than my family spends per month, including eating out! Here is a chart from the SNAP website:

What is included within that amount?

Foods for the households to eat, (bread, cheese, meat, cereals,etc.) Seeds or plants who produce food for the household to eat.

What is NOT included in the amount?

Paper products, alcohol, pet food, vitamins and medicine, soaps, household supplies, hot food, food to be eaten in the store.

Can you glean produce from public areas or do some urban foraging as part of sticking to the food bank budget?

Absolutely. I encourage participants to get creative about food rescue and alternate means of food “shopping.”

Do I have to donate to my local food bank in order to participate?

No. Although I am going to donate any money saved beyond my normal monthly food budget, you can choose to participate in any way that feels right to you. (Note — I spent $350 for the month of June last year and donated $100 to The Oregon Food Bank.)

What if I Qualify for WIC? (Women, Infants and Children)

The Oregon WIC website states that “WIC vouchers provide an average of $44 in nutritious foods to each participant monthly.” Those served by WIC are pregnant women, breastfeeding women whose babies are 12 months or less, non-breastfeeding women whose babies are six months or younger, and infants and children under five years old.

You can add this amount to your monthly food stamp challenge if you meet these criteria.

Confused yet?

$101 per person for the month is the amount that I set. Although it is only the “average amount” a food stamp recipient receives, it feels right to me.

For my family, this adds up to $404 for the month of July.

I am going to withdraw this amount from my checking account and only buy food from this stash o’ cash. I will give some to my husband to simplify things for him. (The poor guy is awfully worried that he’ll be uncomfortably deprived!)

The SNAP website has a helpful  frequently asked questions page if you’re craving more information.

Please e-mail me at nonconsumer@comcast.net with any additional questions concerning the July Food Stamp Challenge.

Now, let’s plan some delicious, healthy and inexpensive meals for July!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”

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