June Food Stamp Challenge — Day 26, Modern Muse is Mo Better

by Katy on June 26, 2010 · 7 comments

Today is day 26 of the June Food Stamp Challenge and I want my readers to take a detour over to Julia Park-Tracey’s Modern Muse blog. Julia, an Alameda, California Editor, poet, mother, step-mother, Compact member and internet buddy of mine is participating in the Food Stamp Challenge with a vengeance. Not only is she doing the challenge, but she’s writing witty and insightful blog posts that are blowing mine out of the water. (I’m aware that my “Poor me, I’m sick” columns are less than gripping. *Cough*)

Click HERE to read about how to practically eliminate non-food expenses from your grocery budget.

Click HERE to read how the aftershocks of Julia’s reliance on the lowly legume has affected her beauteous self.

Click HERE to read how menu planning has helped Julia to stretch her food budget.

Click HERE to read Julia’s dissection of sticking to a budget while also fulfilling social obligations.

Oh heck, who am I kidding?! Just CLICK HERE to read all of Julia’s food stamp posts. Any woman who tries to get away with labeling a chocolate bar a “medical expense” is my kind of girl.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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June Food Stamp Challenge — Day 25,

by Katy on June 25, 2010 · 3 comments

Today was day 25 of the June Food Stamp Challenge and I’m I’m starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I’m excited. Not just for the challenge to end, but to finally get to write about, (and think about) something different.

I had wanted to write a piece about the difficulties of entertaining on a limited food budget, complete with tips like “throw a potluck” and “make it a brunch, so you don’t have to serve alcohol.” (I know, I know, bloody Mary’s and mimosas often get served.) Instead, the only entertaining I’ll be doing between now and the end of the month is a kid get together for my 12-year-old son.

My son just had a birthday party last month, but he really wanted to have some friends over to celebrate summer. And I could think of no reason to say no, so I agreed.

We’ll be serving:

  • Hot dogs
  • Watermelon
  • Watered down lemonade from concentrate
  • Tortilla chips
  • Rice Krispie treats, (Remember all those almost free Rice Krispies that I bought at the beginning of the month?)
  • Otter Pops

There will be no expense beyond the food, (which was $23) and I think we’ll send the kids over to the grade school playground/ basketball court when they start to hype up.

Hardly the sophisticated soiree I had hoped to host, but it’s entirely stress free and I’ll even take down the laundry line for the occasion. Par-tay!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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June Food Stamp Challenge — Day 23/24, Sick Bloggers Should not be Allowed to Grocery Shop!

by Katy on June 24, 2010 · 7 comments

Yesterday was day 23 of the June Food Stamp Challenge, and was a hard day for me. Not only was I still very sick with my seasonably inappropriate crud, but it was my father’s 75th birthday. I wanted very much to not miss the festivities, so I hoarded my energy and lay around all day. Luckily, my step-mother offered to host the get together, so I didn’t have to worry about the state of my house, which is starting to resemble a horrifying cautionary tale.

I did make it to the grocery store though, so I’m back on track with the Food Stamp Challenge. My first clue that shopping was needed was my husband coming into my sick room saying that:

“Katy, this food stamp challenge has got to stop, we have no food!”

To which I retorted:

“Honey, you do know that we’re still allowed to buy food.”

Poor guy. I think he’s starting to live in fear of my Non-Consumer Advocate challenges.

So off to Safeway I did go. However, I was still extremely spacey and brought my 12-year-old son with me. And as I have mentioned in previous posts, I am putty in his grubby little hands. This means that I bought some extremely bizarre and atypical groceries, even for a non-Food Stamp Challenge trip.

  • Keebler peanut butter cookies
  • Tortilla chips
  • Marshmallows
  • Pocky sticks
  • Cream cheese
  • String cheese
  • Orange juice concentrate
  • Yogurt
  • Bread
  • Ground turkey
  • Chicken breasts
  • Grapes
  • Lettuce
  • Deli ham
  • A pound of Jo-jo’s!

Seriously. It’s a wonder that I was able to make it there and back in one piece!

The grand total was $42.13, which has been added to my running total. (I still need to figure out what I spent on food while I was up in Seattle visiting my sister’s family.)

I did make turkey meatloaves for dinner tonight, which were heavy on the breadcrumbs, which actually how I like it. I deliberately made extra, as I am a strong believer that leftover meatloaf is one of the best sandwich fixin’s known to man.

I cooked black beans in the slow cooker today to make black bean burgers for tomorrow, and am grateful to my step-mother for feeding grilled salmon to my brood last night. I was very happy for my father turning 75, but I was almost happier that someone else was cooking.

I should have my decision making privileges revoked until the virus loosens its hold.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

P.S. Those peanut butter cookies should be stocked behind the pharmacy, they were gooooood!

P.P.S. I’m feeling much better now. Still not back to normal, but I think I can be trusted with ordinary decision making.

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June Food Stamp Challenge — Day 22

by Katy on June 22, 2010 · 9 comments

Today is day 22 of the June Food Stamp Challenge, and I am sick as a dog. Well. . .  if dogs woke themselves up coughing all night long because each and every cough put a stab of pain in their chests. Then yes, I am as sick as a dog.

I am normally a bundle of energy, and am able to take care of the daily tasks plus the fun stuff that define us “working mothers.” But right now, I need to put on my blinders because my house is filled with piles of laundry piles worthy of a Collyer brother. (We went to Seattle Friday through Sunday, while my husband worked 12+ hour shifts.)

Needless to say, I’m not out and about finding food bargains worth blogging about.

I am lucky. I’m able to earn a living wage working a couple days per week, but I’ve certainly been in situations where I’ve worked full-time and been too exhausted after work to start that second shift.

I’m also lucky because my husband is off work today and has put the laundry locomotion in gear, and can take up the slack. Sure, it isn’t exactly how I would do it, but it’s good for me to be a little less controlling. (The clothes dryer will be getting a rare workout!)

Having less money is not an energy boosting existence, and it’s sure a whole lot easier for me to plan and concoct low cost meals when I’m full of energy.

I’m very sorry that this post is rambly and possibly pointless, but every cough is not only a stab to the chest, but also a dizziness inspiring event.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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June Food Stamp Challenge — Day 21, Excuses, Excuses

by Katy on June 21, 2010 · 7 comments

Today is day 21 of the June Food Stamp Challenge and although I’m back in Portland from Seattle, I’m far from being back on top of my game.

Seattle brought me a sore throat and all over achey-ness. I chalked it up to my sister’s dog and sleeping in my nephew’s captain’s bed. The drive home brought me nausea and more body aches, which I chalked up to excessive coffee intake and the drive home. And this morning’s body aches I attributed to my 12-year-old son, who fell asleep in my bed and only allowed me a rather narrow portion of my queen size mattress.

But practically passing out on my patient at work this morning bought me a jolt of understanding. Oh . . . I think I might be getting sick.

Luckily, my charge nurse sent someone over to take my assignment and my bed was blissfully empty. Four hours of extra sleep, some Ibuprofen and a library DVD of “Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day” brought me to a point where I can string words into a sentence. I still feel like crud, and I am aware that my eyelids hurt, but I think I’ll live to see another day.

I need to pull together some receipts to figure out how much we’ve spent on food over the past few days, which will include getting Thai takeout last night. (I somehow did not have the energy to pull a meal together, which I now totally understand and most importantly, can rationalize!)

I hear my husband downstairs making dinner, which is music to my ears. Something about corn on the cob and baked potatoes. Whatever.

See you tomorrow!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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June Food Stamp Challenge — Day 20

by Katy on June 20, 2010 · 6 comments

Today is day twenty of the June Food Stamp Challenge, and I am still up in Seattle visiting with my sister’s family.

We threw a huge 40th birthday party for my brother-in-law yesterday and the amount of food put out, and then put away afterwards was insane! I don’t think that they’ll have to food shop until mid-summer. Seriously.

The ability to accurately estimate how much food to shop for and prepare is both an art and a science, and both were an epic fail.

Very little food was not able to be stashed back into the refrigerator, but I am highly doubtful that my sister will be able to avoid significant food waste. She only has a small above-the-fridge freezer, which was already fit to bursting. This morning’s breakfast incorporated as many leftovers as possible, (fritatta with pico de gallo, cut up pieces of focaccia, somewhat flat seltzer and great quantities of caffeine) but the task is almost burdensome.

My sister’s family is not participating in the Food Stamp Challenge, but that doesn’t mean that she doesn’t try to keep her family’s food spending under control.

I have developed a second sense through the years that keeps me from amassing more food than my family can eat, but it took me awhile to get here. And parties can certainly throw this skill out the window.

I’ll be back in Portland tomorrow, as I’m working tomorrow. And I’ll get back to writing more in-depth columns. There’s only ten days left in the challenge, and there’s still a ton of stuff I have yet to address.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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June Food Stamp Challenge — Day 19, Non-Consumer Mish-Mash

by Katy on June 19, 2010 · 9 comments

It’s time again for Non-Consumer Mish-Mash, where I write a little bit about this and a little bit about that.

Anyone up for a No Shoplifting Challenge?

Today is day nineteen of the June Food Stamp Challenge, and I’m spending the weekend visiting my sister and her family up her Seattle. (A three-and-a-half drive that somehow took five-never-ending-hours yesterday!)

We arrived during my nephew’s elementary school carnival, and went straight over to bouncy house mania heaven. Do not pass go, do not unload the car. Not only were there three different bouncy houses, but there was food, face painting, games and a raffle. My sister joked that I should buy a couple of raffle tickets, but I declined stating that I was on a “No Gambling Challenge.” We laughed at this, (we’re cheap dates) and then started coming up with additional Non-Consumer Advocate challenge ideas.

  • No shoplifting challenge
  • No petty theft challenge

I know there were a few more, but my I-5 addled brain didn’t retain that information. Perhaps I’ll just stick with the Food Stamp stuff for now, as I’d hate to have to moderate the comments that would come with these new challenges.

Attitude is Everything

Julia Park-Tracey, who writes the blog Modern Muse is not only participating in the Food Stamp Challenge, but is chronicling her progress in a manner that’s putting me to shame.

She wrote yesterday about an experience she had while food shopping:

“I just returned from food shopping, done with great caution (more on that in a minute). As I was swiping my ATM card at the grocery store, I noticed that there are options such as debit, credit, or EBT. The EBT card is the food stamp card. I had never noticed that option before. So I asked the cashier, “If I swipe my EBT card, does it (the computer) know if what I’m buying is OK?” (qualifies for a FS purchase, I meant). I don’t know how to express how her face changed. Her smile changed a little, definitely less smiley. Her eyebrow lifted a little. Her head jerked a little. Her glance lingered before she answered, “Yes, the computer knows.”

I don’t have an EBT card. I was really just satisfying my own curiosity. But the way I asked it changed how this woman saw me. It was very clear on her face. I have made that same expression before. When The Boy brought home a jarful of bugs from school last week and showed me, I knew I wasn’t supposed to register complete disgust at some of G*d’s creatures. I faked a smile and said, “Make sure you keep those fed now,” and wondered how long till they die. Honestly, the look on the cashier’s face did just that: Must not sneer. Must be polite. Answer question. End transaction. Next…

Perhaps I imagined it. Perhaps not. I will experiment with this question in some other locales and see what happens. Very, very interesting. But shocking, I must admit. I didn’t expect to see a visible change in attitude from a mere question about the food stamp system. Lucky for me, I didn’t pull out a wad of paper stamps, or they’d be tarring and papering me now, I suspect. Perhaps not. Just a fluke? Hmm.”

I have certainly been guilty of grilling the cashiers at my grocery store about issues related to food stamps lately, but it’s all been in a very journalistic and impersonal manner. And I have to say that I am lucky to be in a situation where no one is going to judge my grocery purchases. It’s a privilege.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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June Food Stamp Challenge — Day 18

by Katy on June 18, 2010 · 19 comments

Today is day 18 of the June Food Stamp Challenge, and it’s officially become kind of a pain in the tuchus.

I’m taking my kids up to Seattle for the weekend, and am worried that my suddenly-bachelorized husband will blow our entire month’s food budget in a three day period. Granted, the kids and I will hardly spend any money on food, (we’ll be staying with my sister’s family) but my husband is far from a frugal gourmet. This is the man who just bought a pound of $9.99 deli meat for his work lunches and brought home four avocados because “They were only a dollar apiece!” (I still need to get the receipt from him to add to our monthly total.)

The avocados are all at the same degree of ripeness, and will therefore become overripe all at once. And $1 apiece is not a good price, and is actually highway-freakin’-robbery!

I’m worried that we’ll actually go over our $404 June food budget, and I’ll have to barricade myself in a dark corner of the basement in shame.

I am lucky that this month of extreme food frugality is essentially all in my head. If I wanted to spend $600 a month on groceries, I could. I have a good job, as does my husband and we both have jobs that offer generous overtime opportunities.

Almost one-in-five Oregonians is currently receiving food stamp benefits, and is not able to buy whatever nibbles take their fancy. Kind of a pain in the tuchus every day.

There are only twelve days left in June, at which point I’ll tally up how much money I saved and donate that amount to The Oregon Food Bank. I suppose if our savings are less than I had hoped, I can still donate extra money.

If any of you see my husband filling up the grocery cart this weekend, take pity on the guy. It’s not all that easy to be married to The Non-Consumer Advocate.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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June Food Stamp Challenge — Day 17, Entertaining on a Budget

by Katy on June 17, 2010 · 17 comments

Today is day seventeen of the June Food Stamp Challenge. It’s been pretty busy here over the past couple days, and I’m happy to say that today should prove itself to be a bit simpler.

Tuesday was the last day of school for my now seventh and ninth grade sons, as well as an eighth grade “promotion” ceremony in the evening. I wanted to prepare a nice dinner for my extended family, and had thought I would prepare platters of sushi, but life got in the way. (Ain’t life like that?!)

I had been waiting for a very important phone call during the day, which meant that I didn’t feel comfortable leaving the house. Which meant . . . that I wasn’t able to go buy the required ingredients for the celebration feast. Knowing that scrambled eggs wouldn’t exactly cut the mustard, I scrambled myself over to Trader Joe’s on my way back from the promotion and bought three bags of frozen, pre-prepared Orange Chicken. This is one one of my son’s favorite meals, although at $5.49 apiece it’s hardly a bargain.

But here’s the important part, it kept us from taking everyone out for dinner.

I put the extra leaf in the dining room table, threw some rice in the rice cooker and assembled a big green salad. A carton of Trader Joe’s chocolate mint ice cream completed the meal, and there were no complaints.

Wednesday also had its own frugal food challenges, as it was my husband’s turn to host the non-profit soccer board meeting at our house. Although it’s not a meal, we do like to put out a spread of sweets and savories; as well as beer and wine for the fifteen or so board members. It can easily add up to a $50 endeavor.

I knew I had a bizarrely huge can of garbanzo beans that someone had left at one of my mother’s guest cottages, so I made hummus, focaccia breads and a large coffee cake. I tried to talk my husband into putting out lemonade and ice water, but he was insistent that beer and wine be made available. He won me over that explaining that the booze was a “business expense” and not to be included in the food stamp challenge.

Fine. Whatever.

It would have been easy to give in to the ease of treating everyone to a restaurant meal for my son, which would have set us back at least $75, or to put out expensive nibbles for the board meeting. Instead I figured out ways to stick within our budget, even though it wasn’t exactly as I would have planned.

I’ll be up in Seattle this weekend, which will both increase and decrease our expenditures. (We’ll be eating with my sister’s family, but will spend around $60 on gas for the pleasure.) Next Wednesday is my father’s 75th birthday, and I’ll be throwing a dinner party in his honor. I’m not sure what I’ll be preparing, although his vegetarian status will help keep it from spiraling out of control.

Have you any entertaining on a budget tips to share? Please share your wisdom in the comments section below.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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June Food Stamp Challenge — Day 16

by Katy on June 16, 2010 · 2 comments

Today is day sixteen of the June Food Stamp Challenge, and today is a wacky, crazy day here at Casa Wolk-Stanley. As a result, I’m taking a day off from writing.

See you tomorrow!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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