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On being poor and eating...


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Wow!

Some States have upped SNAP quite a bit in light of the pandemic! :shock:

 

I'm not exactly sure why.

If folks were spending a lot of money on restaurant, etc. food prior to the pandemic, that money and SNAP, as it was, would go a long way now, along with food bank grub — restaurant, etc. food is relatively expensive.

Maybe I can make money go farther than other folks, I don't know.

 

I haven't been to a food bank since the pandemic started (I only take what I'll use) but I understand that food banks have increased supplies when possible.

 

Too bad EBT isn't more widely useable.

It's VERY stupid. All it would take is a little paperwork.

 

Full Disclosure: I'm poor, disabled (various reasons), receive SSI, and SNAP!

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~Martin :)

I just don't want to look back and think "I could have eaten that."

Unsupervised, rebellious, radical agrarian experimenter, minimalist penny-pincher, and adventurous cook. Crotchety, cantankerous, terse curmudgeon, non-conformist, and contrarian who questions everything!

The best thing about a vegetable garden is all the meat you can hunt and trap out of it!

 

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Some say they can't survive on SNAP, well it was never intended to cover all food costs — it's a SUPPLEMENT!!! (high income, low SNAP — low income, high SNAP)

I've seen the challenges where folks whine about the limits of SNAP and try to live on just SNAP for a month.

Well, I can go it! Even LOW-CARB quite easily because my income is low.

 

For example, I can buy a 10 pound, bone in, pork shoulder for $1.99/lb.

Cure it, smoke it, and have enough meat for 14-21 days — as low as 95 cents per DAY!

Large eggs are, $1.45/18

Heavy Cream, $3.12/quart

Whole chicken. 99 cents per pound

Whole turkey, currently 68 cents per pound where I shop.

Etc. Etc. Etc.

 

My point is, some help should be going to those who don't get a supplement.

Edited by DiggingDogFarm (log)
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~Martin :)

I just don't want to look back and think "I could have eaten that."

Unsupervised, rebellious, radical agrarian experimenter, minimalist penny-pincher, and adventurous cook. Crotchety, cantankerous, terse curmudgeon, non-conformist, and contrarian who questions everything!

The best thing about a vegetable garden is all the meat you can hunt and trap out of it!

 

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I haven't been on food stamps for some years.  However I would note from experience that even the most generous of food banks are of no use to poor people who have no way to get food home.  The whole system of welfare and unemployment assistance is broken.

 

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Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

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California (us blue hippies) have assistance for Farmers Markets and transport. My son managed market money for a while - you get Monopoly Money so the farmer can quickly deal and then they get paid thru the FM cashier at end of day. Well organized system. On food banks - local charities (often thru churches) have a van system - this is Los Angeles with sucky public transport. WCK (Jose Andres charity) does so so much. I think any sense of "shame" has left the building thankfully.

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We can purchase at farmer's markets too.

The closest food bank is just a block away.

It's at the United Methodist Church.

Staff or patrons will help with transportation.

This is a tight-knit community.

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~Martin :)

I just don't want to look back and think "I could have eaten that."

Unsupervised, rebellious, radical agrarian experimenter, minimalist penny-pincher, and adventurous cook. Crotchety, cantankerous, terse curmudgeon, non-conformist, and contrarian who questions everything!

The best thing about a vegetable garden is all the meat you can hunt and trap out of it!

 

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8 hours ago, DiggingDogFarm said:

Some say they can't survive on SNAP, well it was never intended to cover all food costs — it's a SUPPLEMENT!!! (high income, low SNAP — low income, high SNAP)

I've seen the challenges where folks whine about the limits of SNAP and try to live on just SNAP for a month.

Well, I can go it! Even LOW-CARB quite easily because my income is low.

 

For example, I can buy a 10 pound, bone in, pork shoulder for $1.99/lb.

Cure it, smoke it, and have enough meat for 14-21 days — as low as 95 cents per DAY!

Large eggs are, $1.45/18

Heavy Cream, $3.12/quart

Whole chicken. 99 cents per pound

Whole turkey, currently 68 cents per pound where I shop.

Etc. Etc. Etc.

 

My point is, some help should be going to those who don't get a supplement.

 

7 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

I haven't been on food stamps for some years.  However I would note from experience that even the most generous of food banks are of no use to poor people who have no way to get food home.  The whole system of welfare and unemployment assistance is broken.

 

 

I think this totally starts to get into areas best left unspoken here.

But yeah, the whole system is fucked up.

Let's not even start talking about how much food is thrown away every day.

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Mitch Weinstein aka "weinoo"

Tasty Travails - My Blog

My eGullet FoodBog - A Tale of Two Boroughs

Was it you baby...or just a Brilliant Disguise?

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Succeeding on SNAP! requires the cooking ability of @DiggingDogFarm, I think.

 

I suspect that most don't have that.

 

$204/month is the max payment for 1 person. That doesn't go very far buying frozen pizza and potato chips. One would have to shop DDF's way and actually cook...a skill that isn't taught much.  Might be an interesting TV show for more than just the SNAP! users.

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21 minutes ago, gfweb said:

Succeeding on SNAP! requires the cooking ability of @DiggingDogFarm, I think.

 

I suspect that most don't have that.

 

$204/month is the max payment for 1 person. That doesn't go very far buying frozen pizza and potato chips. One would have to shop DDF's way and actually cook...a skill that isn't taught much.  Might be an interesting TV show for more than just the SNAP! users.

 

 

14 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

 

Or access to a functional kitchen and safe food storage.  Sadly lacking in many of the substandard housing options available to those without financial resources. 

 

I've been reflecting on those very points for the last year or so...my daughter lives on a fixed income, because she and her hubby have medical issues (and because her hubby generally, well...let's not go there...) and she has thanked me, often, for giving her the cooking skills to navigate that. They were demonstrated in a concrete fashion when my kids were little, because we went through some pretty lean years. Often I supported my family of 4 for a month on what our neighbours spent in a week on groceries.

 

I had intended this spring to reach out to a few agencies here in our area and offer basic cooking-skills lessons and demos, if the logistics could be worked out. Then COVID came along, and that was no longer an option. I'm still hoping to get that organized, if our numbers stay at a low enough level in my area (the recent outbreak is subsiding, and we're down to a couple of dozen active cases).

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“Who loves a garden, loves a greenhouse too.” - William Cowper, The Task, Book Three

 

"Not knowing the scope of your own ignorance is part of the human condition...The first rule of the Dunning-Kruger club is you don’t know you’re a member of the Dunning-Kruger club.” - psychologist David Dunning

 

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34 minutes ago, chromedome said:

I had intended this spring to reach out to a few agencies here in our area and offer basic cooking-skills lessons and demos, if the logistics could be worked out. Then COVID came along, and that was no longer an option. I'm still hoping to get that organized, if our numbers stay at a low enough level in my area (the recent outbreak is subsiding, and we're down to a couple of dozen active cases).

 

I have actually taken the classes and been "certified" by City Harvest NYC. They collect unused food and redistribute. They take people shopping and show them how to make smart choices to feed families on these limited amounts of assistance. They give cooking classes.

 

Unfortunately, COVID came along here too. But at some point, I hope to be able to volunteer. 

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Mitch Weinstein aka "weinoo"

Tasty Travails - My Blog

My eGullet FoodBog - A Tale of Two Boroughs

Was it you baby...or just a Brilliant Disguise?

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There's no such formal process here, AFAIK...it's a perennially cash-strapped city, and rather small (there are probably blocks in NYC with more people than Saint John's 70K or thereabouts).

“Who loves a garden, loves a greenhouse too.” - William Cowper, The Task, Book Three

 

"Not knowing the scope of your own ignorance is part of the human condition...The first rule of the Dunning-Kruger club is you don’t know you’re a member of the Dunning-Kruger club.” - psychologist David Dunning

 

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My Mom has been working behind the scenes to pack the boxes for our local food bank (she cannot hand them out as she is elderly and cannot be exposed to that many people).  They distribute on Wednesdays and anyone can take a box, no ID or proof of income required.  It is a massive amount of food--10-15 lbs. of meat (mostly chicken), both fresh and canned vegetables, bread, fresh fruit, cereal, pasta etc.  There is a supplementary dairy box for the people who want dairy.  The food bank is funded by my state (MA).

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An immigrant country neighbor once told my mother, "Poor  people have poor ways."     People are poor in different ways.    DiggingDog is cash strapped but is rich in coping resources, knowledge of how to source, work product from scratch.  There are so many seemingly small but in reality huge obstacles to living decently on the cheap: being forced to buy in small quantities, being hostage to expensive corner stores, having no experience in cooking from scratch.  

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eGullet member #80.

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It is heart wrenching, We have lost a few generations of women - home cooks - as they are in sweat shops all day and cooking became instant noodles by the kids.  I have worked with this population. They can cook but they physically can not. Again I applaud the food banks and farmers markets Please get the word out in your communities. Food security is a real concern.

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One other factor I haven't seen mentioned is that many of the working poor are working two jobs and don't have the TIME to cook from scratch, nor the time-saving appliances most of us have.

 

The national No Kid Hungry program teaches a series of classes and provides recipe books called "Cooking Matters." They're designed to teach people to cook healthy meals on a SNAP budget. In Arkansas, the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance holds classes for volunteer instructors, who then teach the classes in their churches, civic clubs, and schools. It's a six-week series of classes held weekly.

 

 

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Don't ask. Eat it.

www.kayatthekeyboard.wordpress.com

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I am planning to live a very poor life style as much as I can.

 

Doing Craigslist and Freecycle checking, I have not been buying appliances, construction materials, tools, etc. You can repair many things by going to youtube, I now have 5 working lawnmowers to give away. two extra stoves to give away, two very good mitre saws to give away, computers ----- the list is very long.

I have free veggies from my garden. Free fertilizers from my kitchen, free water from my rain barrels.

Very soon I will have free sunlight indoors from my 1000 watt LED grow lights for year round vegetables. ($10 per 150w COB LEDs. I posted construction of these lights  on the Gardening Forum sometime ago.)

 

But what about electricity?

Last week on Craigslist someone was selling damaged solar panels. Now I have solar panels which will give me 2080 watts of free electricity everyday for the next 20 years (estimated solar panel life). Typically you pay $1.00 per watt for solar panels. I paid $120 for the 2080 watts.

 

Poor me. :-)

 

dcarch

Edited by dcarch (log)
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5 hours ago, dcarch said:

I am planning to live a very poor life style as much as I can.

 

Doing Craigslist and Freecycle checking, I have not been buying appliances, construction materials, tools, etc. You can repair many things by going to youtube, I now have 5 working lawnmowers to give away. two extra stoves to give away, two very good mitre saws to give away, computers ----- the list is very long.

I have free veggies from my garden. Free fertilizers from my kitchen, free water from my rain barrels.

Very soon I will have free sunlight indoors from my 1000 watt LED grow lights for year round vegetables. ($10 per 150w COB LEDs. I posted construction of these lights  on the Gardening Forum sometime ago.)

 

But what about electricity?

Last week on Craigslist someone was selling damaged solar panels. Now I have solar panels which will give me 2080 watts of free electricity everyday for the next 20 years (estimated solar panel life). Typically you pay $1.00 per watt for solar panels. I paid $120 for the 2080 watts.

 

Poor me. :-)

 

dcarch

Proving that rich and poor can be states of mind.   You, while seeking a poor life style are the embodiment of living richly.    Brilliantly accomplished.

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eGullet member #80.

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Prior to the pandemic I was getting $145.00 — now I get the $204

I'm frugal, I can make money go a long way.

I received $204 on the 4th.

Current EBT balance, $657.59

Edited by DiggingDogFarm (log)
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~Martin :)

I just don't want to look back and think "I could have eaten that."

Unsupervised, rebellious, radical agrarian experimenter, minimalist penny-pincher, and adventurous cook. Crotchety, cantankerous, terse curmudgeon, non-conformist, and contrarian who questions everything!

The best thing about a vegetable garden is all the meat you can hunt and trap out of it!

 

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My great friend Mary, who came here from England in 1957, has treated me very well.

She has a sheep farm.

Years ago when I was flat broke I'd go to Mary's and she'd find some work around the farm for me to do.

She says "Being broke teaches you to be frugal." It's true!

I've been broke enough to learn to be REAL frugal! LOL xD

 

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~Martin :)

I just don't want to look back and think "I could have eaten that."

Unsupervised, rebellious, radical agrarian experimenter, minimalist penny-pincher, and adventurous cook. Crotchety, cantankerous, terse curmudgeon, non-conformist, and contrarian who questions everything!

The best thing about a vegetable garden is all the meat you can hunt and trap out of it!

 

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20 hours ago, dcarch said:

I am planning to live a very poor life style as much as I can.

 Me too! 

~Martin :)

I just don't want to look back and think "I could have eaten that."

Unsupervised, rebellious, radical agrarian experimenter, minimalist penny-pincher, and adventurous cook. Crotchety, cantankerous, terse curmudgeon, non-conformist, and contrarian who questions everything!

The best thing about a vegetable garden is all the meat you can hunt and trap out of it!

 

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To those who are poor (able-bodied) and think they can't cook or don't have the time, at least get a CrockPot!!!

Taking advantage of the food bank here REQUIRES cooking!

Dry pinto beans, dry great north beans, dry red beans, split peas, lentils, rice, pasta, meat, raw potatoes, etc.

That stuff makes up at least 75%-80% of what's available at the food bank.

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~Martin :)

I just don't want to look back and think "I could have eaten that."

Unsupervised, rebellious, radical agrarian experimenter, minimalist penny-pincher, and adventurous cook. Crotchety, cantankerous, terse curmudgeon, non-conformist, and contrarian who questions everything!

The best thing about a vegetable garden is all the meat you can hunt and trap out of it!

 

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Here's our regional food bank https://www.foodbankst.org/

They distribute food to most of the area's community food banks.

It's a BIG warehouse that was donated to them — it's about a 1/2 mile from my place.

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~Martin :)

I just don't want to look back and think "I could have eaten that."

Unsupervised, rebellious, radical agrarian experimenter, minimalist penny-pincher, and adventurous cook. Crotchety, cantankerous, terse curmudgeon, non-conformist, and contrarian who questions everything!

The best thing about a vegetable garden is all the meat you can hunt and trap out of it!

 

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4 hours ago, DiggingDogFarm said:

To those who are poor (able-bodied) and think they can't cook or don't have the time, at least get a CrockPot!!!

Taking advantage of the food bank here REQUIRES cooking!

Dry pinto beans, dry great north beans, dry red beans, split peas, lentils, rice, pasta, meat, raw potatoes, etc.

That stuff makes up at least 75%-80% of what's available at the food bank.

 

And everyone, I mean everyone, would be healthier is this stuff made up a bigger percentage of their diets.

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Mitch Weinstein aka "weinoo"

Tasty Travails - My Blog

My eGullet FoodBog - A Tale of Two Boroughs

Was it you baby...or just a Brilliant Disguise?

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