It’s all about the $$$$ when it comes to feeding those you love.
You saw the video the other day about eating what $4.00 a day will buy. No doubt you have opinions about what was purchased. Responding to the film, some of our faithful Members chimed in, offering the practices they employ in their own budget/menu planning/food prep for the faces around their tables. If you have not seen these messages, they appear in the Comment panel below previous posts.
Tomorrow the people in our government could lower our resources even more with the infamous ‘sequester’. If you have a $100.00 for food, the sequester may set you back a couple of dollars or say, half a gallon of milk. It really IS all about the money!
There is no reason for you who use public assistance or face lower incomes to go into fear over this. There is, however, good reason to figure out how to feed the people you love by s t r e t c h i n g whatever resources you happen to have.
You, like the Members who commented, need a PLAN.
Plan what your family will need and study the circulars and prices so you can spend your resources accordingly. This will be a glorious opportunity for you to experience new choices and experiment with new ways of food prep.
Some users of SNAP or WIC or food pantry foods do not cook. Maybe their caretakers worked or worked more than one job and did not have the time to teach them. Perhaps they don’t LIKE to cook. No matter, by preparing foods at home, great amounts of money can be saved. Another benefit of cooking at home is the chance to bond with your family members. Most cooks remember hanging out with Mama or Grandfather or Auntie or SOMEONE who gave them good experiences over food prep–snitching tastes, chopping vegetables, peeling fruit for pies…this gave them the desire to cook as adults. And let’s face it. It is the responsible thing to do.
Don’t fall for the idea that cheap food is OK to eat. Ramen noodles do not support health; they only temporarily satisfy your hunger pangs. Boxes with “food” are hideous imposters, only pretending to be edible. Fruits and vegetables may SEEM to be more costly but by eating real food-raw or cooked-your body will be well fueled and sickness won’t visit you so much. Learning to create meals with grains you may not have used in the past can be such fun. Using veggies you have previously avoided might be more interesting than you imagined. And please, do avoid those sugary treats. They won’t even taste good to you once you learn to love other, more nutritious foods. Sugar can rot your teeth and weaken your bones faster than you know. Who needs dental bills on top of high food costs?
We really encourage you to cook. If this is a problem for you, please let us know how we can help in this regard. If you can read, you can cook. Surely you have a relative, neighbor or friend who could help you learn to shop and cook. Absent that, there are cookbooks everywhere, video tutorials online and Mother Connie is available to consult with you. Just drop her an email at foodstampscookingclub@gmail.com and let’s see what we can make happen. There is no charge for this, of course.
If you are living on a dime and hope you don’t have to manage on only a nickel; if you are concerned about how to feed your loved ones in the upcoming weeks, we do hope we can be of service to you. The fact that you continue to send your sphere of influence to sign up for the Food Stamps Cooking Club and our little series of cooking tips tells us we are having a positive effect. THANK YOU.
~Connie Baum.
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