Jasmine says: "What’s
in the picture/the $58 breakdown:
1.
a
dozen eggs ($3)
2.
4
lbs potatoes ($3)
3.
1
lb broccoli ($2)
4.
1
lb green peppers ($2)
5.
1.5
lbs tomatoes ($3)
6.
1.5
lbs onions ($2)
7.
2
lbs carrots ($2)
8.
a
head of cauliflower ($3)
9.
a
small butternut squash ($1.5)
10.
a
head of garlic (50¢)
11.
a
bunch of cilantro ($1)
12.
a
can of sardines ($2)
13.
a
package of sausage ($3.75 after 75¢ coupon)
14.
a
small brick of cheddar cheese ($2)
15.
1
lb black beans ($1.5)
16.
1
lb red lentils ($1.5)
17.
2
lbs brown rice ($2)
18.
a
small container of rolled oats ($2)
19.
a
bag of white flour ($2)
20.
18
corn tortillas ($1.5)
21.
9
macintosh apples ($2)
22.
1
lb white spaghetti ($1)
23.
7
days’ worth of coffee beans ($5)
24.
1
lb tofu ($2)
25.
1
lb frozen peas ($1)
26.
a
container of plain yogurt ($2)
27.
a
jar of roasted red peppers ($1)
28.
a
small bottle of olive oil ($3 on sale)
Total=
$58.25
"Looking at this picture and this
list, it might seem like we’re Gwyneth Paltrowing the challenge because we have
so many vegetables. In fact, this will represent a reduction in our normal
vegetable intake. I like to have vegetables in my eggs most mornings (like a
slice of frittata) as well as vegetables at lunch and dinner, but on this
budget, though we can each have an egg for five of the breakfasts and one
dinner, we can’t have two eggs and we probably can’t have anything in them. For
the most part, our lunches will be leftovers from dinner, which is how we
normally eat, but breakfasts will be smaller and totally rely upon the bread
and pancakes I will make myself.
"The most meaningful dollar value on
the list is $2 for the bag of flour. If I had to buy bread for our breakfasts,
lunches and dinners we would have to get rid of a lot of the food there. We
will probably eat two large loaves of regular bread and two flatbreads to go
with the dal we will have for one dinner and one lunch. I bought white flour
because it’s half as expensive (although we normally use mostly whole wheat),
and because I wanted more money for vegetables or dairy or things to go with
the bread. It’s a small difference, but it shows that even when you’re willing
to do all your own baking you can still be stifled into less-healthy choices by
this brutal budget.
"As Republicans often say, and have even
said in reference to their reducing SNAP benefits, difficult choices have to be
made. Dan would not hear of no or worse coffee. Thus we have no sweets at all
(and not nearly enough fruit to stand in for dessert). I will be giving up
herbal and black tea for the week as it does not fit into the budget, which for
me is much more of a sacrifice than a chocolate here and there after dinner.
Then there are the things that SNAP doesn’t cover, which we are just lucky
enough to be able to afford. How would we pay for toilet paper, toothpaste,
shampoo, cat food and cat litter? Would we have to sell our cat? Would we have
to pay someone to take our cat?
"The last note is almost too tender a
nerve to be touched directly or said openly. SNAP does not cover alcohol. And
while we will still use toilet paper and feed our cat, we will not drink of the
vine for a week. And there have been many times I was short of money when I
made just the opposite choice. But that’s the point of this challenge: the
benefits don’t give you choices, and the more you need them, the fewer choices
you have. A person down on his or her luck might want a bottle of wine more
than a week’s worth of oatmeal, or be willing to sacrifice a few days’ food to
have something swell like a steak once in a while, but when you’re starving you
likely don’t think like that, and you certainly don’t when your kids are
hungry."
Stay tuned for menu details as meals commence (dinner Friday, Oct 2 is the first), as well as thoughts from Jasmine on how time spent on food, cooking, and shopping with her mom as a kid affects her thinking about cooking, food budgets, and this challenge.
Stay tuned for menu details as meals commence (dinner Friday, Oct 2 is the first), as well as thoughts from Jasmine on how time spent on food, cooking, and shopping with her mom as a kid affects her thinking about cooking, food budgets, and this challenge.
These bits really stand out:
ReplyDelete"[It] shows that even when you’re willing to do all your own baking you can still be stifled into less-healthy choices by this brutal budget."
Jasmine, no doubt this goes for ALL the organic items you would usually buy but can't afford on SNAP.
"Would we have to sell our cat?"
No! I love your cat. Universally though, animals are such an important part of our lives and can offer solace and well-being to humans who live with them. This lack of money to afford to feed pets could easily have an impact on a family's health (mental & physical).
"But that’s the point of this challenge: the benefits don’t give you choices, and the more you need them, the fewer choices you have. A person down on his or her luck might want a bottle of wine more than a week’s worth of oatmeal, or be willing to sacrifice a few days’ food to have something swell like a steak once in a while, but when you’re starving you likely don’t think like that, and you certainly don’t when your kids are hungry."
No choices. I might go with wine over oatmeal myself. And with no cat purring me toward wellness and relaxation, and no chocolate, what other choice would I have? No choice.