I want to do a final wrap up of my experience with the SNAP Challenge to record my overall thoughts and impressions. I learned so much, not only from doing the challenge myself, but from reading the comments, thoughts, and experiences that all of you have shared along the way.
I want to thank all of you for your kindness and support during the challenge. I was really reluctant to do the SNAP challenge because I didn’t like the idea of sharing something so detailed and personal as my daily diet, but the overall response was very positive. You helped me dive deeper into the experience and get so much more than if I had kept it to myself. Thank you!
When I started Budget Bytes in 2009 I was living on less than $4 per day for food (without SNAP benefits), but I have slowly gotten out of that habit over the years. It’s amazing how quickly you forget the techniques and tips to help you stay afloat with so little. I felt as if I was starting over from scratch and had to learn from my mistakes all over again. I’ll start with what I found most challenging:
Biggest Challenges:
- Making myself plan and cook, despite a busy schedule. This step is absolutely crucial to living on a restricted budget, but it’s really tough when you’re busy (and who isn’t?). Sometimes you’re so tired that you don’t want to do anything, even if the consequence means not having anything to eat later. And guess what? I have it easy. I do work a gazillion hours, but I don’t have kids or an extended family to take care. Plus, I have the benefit of reliable transportation, which saves a lot of time and makes daily tasks easier.
- Not knowing if what I cooked will be filling enough or delicious enough. This part is a gamble. You can plan all you want, but you never really know if it’s going to be enough until you’re in the moment. The weeks when I didn’t plan for enough food, I just had to wait it out until the next week when I could plan and cook something new. Cooking can be scary when you only have one shot!
- Not splurging. It’s unbelievable how much power food has over our brains. I always knew it, but never experienced it to the extent that I did during this challenge. One little morsel of food can make or break a day. Food is one of the easiest and most accessible stress relievers, and it’s really challenging when that simple release is not available.
- Dietary variety. Variety means buying more food items, which is really difficult with a restricted budget. Unfortunately, variety is also key to good nutrition. I think variety would increase over time as I built my stockpile of freezer goods, but in the beginning, you’re going to be really restricted. Luckily, I’m used to eating the same thing for multiple days in a row, so mentally it wasn’t that hard. I just knew that nutritionally I was not getting quite what I needed.
- Social restrictions. Food is so embedded in our culture (in all cultures, really), so when you restrict food it restricts your social experiences. Not being able to buy or give food freely can be awkward and I learned to be more sensitive towards others in that regard. By the end of the challenge, I was longing for the freedom to go out to eat with friends and not have to worry about every penny. What a luxury! I’m so much more grateful.
Every time the challenge got difficult, I couldn’t help stopping to think about how easy I actually had it. Here are a few of the luxuries that made my experience so much easier than it probably is for most.
My Advantages:
- A well stocked pantry. I have all the basics, like flour, spices, butter, baking soda, vegetable oil, and the lot. I did have to replenish a few during the challenge, but being able to start out with them made a huge difference. If I was starting from scratch, I would have had to eat super simple things like spaghetti and jarred sauce for a week or two until I was able to build up some of the basics.
- Kitchen equipment. I have pots, pans, a food processor, a knife, cutting boards, baking dishes, etc. If I didn’t, what would I do? PB&J sandwiches? Even buying second hand equipment, it would take a while to acquire these essentials.
- Easy access to grocery stores. I lived four blocks from TWO huge grocery stores and about a mile from a third (Whole Foods). I have reliable transportation and could quickly walk to either, if needed. That is a HUGE luxury. I read comments from readers who would literally have to shop once a month because of poor access to groceries. That is something I definitely took for granted before the challenge.
- Knowlege. I’ve been doing this budget cooking thing for a while. I know basic cooking skills. I know what tastes good and what doesn’t. Even with all this knowledge, I still felt a little anxious not knowing if my recipes would turn out and be edible for a whole week. Imagine if I was very new to cooking. Eek.
- Access to information. You can never underestimate the benefit of internet access. Just last week I learned how to repair my crumbling shower grout, with no prior knowledge. You can go from zero knowledge to well informed in just a few minutes. With videos and picture tutorials, it’s like having an expert teacher at your beck and call.
- Refrigerator and freezer. Not just in my home, but at work. I think a lot of people take this for granted, but there are still a lot of people out there who really don’t have this available. I know several people who only had mini-fridges in their apartment, let alone places to keep a home packed lunch cool at work. Honestly, if I didn’t have that at home, I don’t think I would have survived.
- I’m a small person. My normal calorie needs are somewhere in the range of 1500-1700 per day, so I have the advantage of just not needing a lot of food in general. For people with a higher metabolism (kids, teens, men, people with very physical jobs, or people who are just larger than me in general) would have a much more difficult time.
- Knowing that this was TEMPORARY. Just the knowledge that there was an end in sight made it easier to endure. I had a goal that I could lock eyes on and I knew that if I just made it there, I could let go and be free. If there was no end in sight, the experience would have been a lot more dismal.
Whether the experiment was a success or failure, there were a few things that I hoped to communicate through my experience. Here are a few of those points.
What I Want You to Know
- Hunger can happen to anyone. Your life can change in an instant. You may feel accomplished, stable, responsible, like you’ve got it together, but you don’t know what will happen tomorrow. You may find yourself between a rock and a hard place and in need of assistance to get back on your feet. You don’t know where people have come from or where they are going, or why they might need assistance.
- My experience is not everyone’s experience. I didn’t participate in this challenge to show people how to eat on less than $4 per day. My experience is unique and yours will be, too. I took the SNAP challenge to open a dialog about hunger and refresh my passion for learning how to eat well on a low budget. My technique won’t work for everyone.
- Just because you can make it work, doesn’t mean everyone can. Our lives are all different. We all have different challenges and advantages. Making a restricted budget work takes a lot of dedication no matter who you are, but some factors may be out of your control. If you are able to feed your family on $4 per day, I applaud and admire you! It’s not easy and it takes a lot of work, but please don’t assume that if you can do it, anyone can.
- Working with a restricted budget takes practice. I wasn’t able to perfect it in four weeks and you probably won’t be able to either. Keep at it! As you learn it will get easier and you’ll figure out what works for you.
- Food choices are complex. Making healthy food choices isn’t just a yes or no experience. It’s psychological, physical, social, cultural, and personal. We don’t have the right to judge the food choices of others.
- There’s always more going on behind the scenes than you know. I have to remind myself of this every day and this challenge helped me practice that. It definitely increased my compassion level.
Speaking of compassion, a lot of the feedback I received was full of compassion and I hope that this series has inspired a lot of you to give back and help those in need. Here are some ways you can help.
How You Can Help:
- Volunteer. Give some of your time to a local food bank or soup kitchen. I had to do this as part of my college degree and it was an absolutely invaluable experience. Help is always needed and a little effort goes a long way. I’ve pledged to volunteer with my local food bank after this experience and I hope you will, too!
- Spread the word. Take the SNAP challenge yourself or use social media to bring attention to the issue. It’s easy to sweep unpleasant things under the rug and keeping it at the forefront of our attention can make a big difference.
- Be an advocate. Write your congressman and vote on the issues that count. Visit feedingamerica.org for more ways to be an advocate for the hungry.
- Corporate Opportunities. If you have klout with your corporation, get them involved! It’s a great way to connect with your community and use those excellent corporate resources.
The challenge is finally over, and I have to say I’m a bit relieved. Here is how I feel after the fact.
Now That It’s Over:
- I have to say that I’m really glad that I’m not tethered to my notepad anymore. Recording everything you eat is really tough. Petty, but true.
- The first week after the challenge, I splurged on salads and pizza for a few days straight. It was like I wanted both ends of the spectrum. I was so happy to have tons of fresh, crunchy vegetables, and so glad to have the freedom to eat anything I wanted (pizza). I hit that Whole Foods salad bar like a boss!
- I feel like my Budget Bytes mission is renewed. When I stared Budget Bytes, I shopped once per week and spent about $20-$25 per week. I have slowly gotten out of that habit over the years as my income has increased. Even though I make more money now, I still love the idea of not over spending on food. I don’t like waste, so I’m going to continue to try to plan out my meals and spend less than $30 per week on food. I loved the freedom of only shopping once per week and I look forward to keeping that up.
- I want to find other ways to reduce stress than having a food “treat” or a glass of wine. That’s a tough habit to break, but probably worth it. I have to say that I kind of felt better physically without all of the mindless and stress eating.
I’m sure I missed many points that I wanted to make or bring attention to, but it’s hard to summarize a whole month of experience on one page. Once again, I want to thank all of you for your feedback and support during the process. I might just do this every year!
Thank you!
Read through my experience from beginning to end:
Dear Beth,
Thank you for sharing your experiences with the world! I want you to know that what you have done with your blog and this SNAP challenge is so wonderful! I pray that you won’t ever have to use these wonderful recipes when you’re older, like many of us do. These are very flavorful recipes, and you have no idea of the bland meals institutions make for the elderly, but believe me, it’s not pretty.
If you haven’t guessed yet, I’m probably not the average reader for blogs. We’re in our 70’s, but making good meals with the tiny budget we are left with is not only rare, but bland as all get out! You have no idea of how many elderly people are “living” on exactly $8 between two people every day and worse than that. I pray that everyone who reads this understands that you must save more money for yourself and your future!
So, to end this, I just wanted to repeat myself and thank you again for doing this, Beth, you really have no idea how many elderly people will find your blog and be saved by it! What you did to create this should be on every 6 o’clock news so more folks can get the help they need from these recipes! And for your sake, I hope that you saved every single penny you could get your hands on for your old age, God knows you’re going to need it, take it from us!
The Moffat’s
P.S. I’m going to pin your blog address to the board at our senior center to help!! Hope that’s OK!
Hi Beth. You do so much to help people eat better, and the effort is appreciated. Would you please try this SNAP challenge again? Here are some of my real world experiences that are common enough, experiences you might consider if you do the challenge again.
* I incorporate food pantry food into my diet. I often get potatoes and sometimes other produce such as oranges, apples, squash. I also get canned items that I can use, such as canned tomatoes to put into a pot of beans to both break down starches and to flavor the beans. Food pantries often give out beans, different kinds. (I am sorry if I am telling you stuff you know.)
* I have down-and-dirty-easy meals. After yoga class, I have an apple and some peanut butter (sometimes food pantry item). Waiting for rides after medical appointments, I sit in the hospital meditation, strolling garden to eat hummus rolled up in romaine. (I add bits of perhaps cilantro or bacon to flavor up.) I will have enough to let me continue on with errands or to take a nap. In this way, I have a few more food items to provide me with a more satisfying meal later in day or week.
Just in case this helps you to help us. Just in case you have time and all.
Hi Cynda, Unfortunately I probably won’t be doing this challenge again. I ended up doing it for about six months in 2016 (you can see all the weekly recaps from there here) and I found that after a while I wasn’t getting any additional insight. Plus it’s just really hard for me, on a personal level, to expose so much detail of my life and record every detail every day. Haha! I’m sorry to disappoint!
What an amazing journey you put yourself on. Thank you so much for sharing. I have not had the problem of being food challenged. But I know many who are. For me the lack of transportation alone would do me in. So many details I would not have thought of at all when I have considered the dilemma of. so many that I know. I try to help with some extra money, but the reality is that they simply do not have it. Food banks are a tremendous help for those who are food challenged, but I have not had the courage to try this for myself, though I have thought about it more often recently, as I realize not only do I have ready access and no challenges, I throw away or allow far too mcc food to go to waste. This will help me focus on my new resolve for the New Year–to waste less food. Thank you again for sharing your journey. (even though I didn’t read about it until 4 years later–I have just found your blog. Thank you, it is great.
This is some great insight and I appreciate you sharing your experience with this challenge. I work with food-insecure individuals as part of my job and your thoughts are very validating. I also work individuals diagnosed with eating disorders and I have found your website is a helpful/safe resource since you don’t post any calories/nutrition information with the recipes. Thank you!
As I read your summary I started tearing up. I’ve always been worried about money, but reading this made me realize just how fortunate my family is. I know I will have three meals’ worth of food every single day, and still have money in the bank. We’ve never had to choose between buying food or paying another bill/expense. If a meal I make is a total bust, technically I can throw it out or just go pick up a pizza or something.
I’ll admit that sometimes I find myself a bit callous, and seeing the oft-referred-to “person using food stamps with an Iphone/Gucci purse/xyz luxury” makes me upset. But reading this helped me realize that it really is no fun to barely survive, and I understand now that people may compensate for their food insecurity in other ways. Or, maybe they did just lose a job, or going a divorce, or other stressful situation.
Thank you, Haley, for sharing your feedback. :) I’m so glad this post impacted you in such a way! <3
I appreciate these posts. I felt moved by your hard work trying out this challenge. Thanks for doing it.
Good point about access to informaiton being a huge advantage. I put myself on a very tight food budget this month, because health reasons forced me to leave my second job, and my spending didn’t change along with that. Having access to information, websites with meal ideas, the ability to look up the sales flyer(s) for my local grocery store(s) etc. definitely makes a huge difference! I am also fortunate to have a well stocked pantry and freezer, as I shop sales and there were also some AWESOME sales this week. But still – I have less than $2 left in my food envelope for the month, and three weeks left… that’s a little scary.
I am on disability now. I always volunteered at low income places when I was not low income. I always fought for the poor. Poor is not who you are ,it is a.financial state. How do you lift yourself out of poverty. I also lost my job and I was homeless for a while . I was not allowed to sit on a bench in parks I was loitering. I saw the horrible way Americans that are poor are treated by some. I am an awesome cook but when you are homeless where do you cook. We need to address people with dignity and empathy no matter what, Thank you such an informative article you tackled. I love your dishes keep it up please.
Just browsing your recipes and couldn’t help but comment. I loved how one reader mentioned donating healthier choices to food banks. My husband’s health problems have resulted in our family’s reliance on SNAP. And because of those health problems, he has very specific dietary needs. It can be so difficult to balance what he requires nutritionally with our budget. thank you for your post!!
I want to throw out often times food banks can buy at cost where the consumer dollar can’t. Please also consider donating cash to the food bank!
Interesting! I had no idea. Thanks for that info.
You are so right about hunger happening to anyone and circumstances changing in an instant. You are very astute to have figure this out at such a young age. (much younger than me anyway). :)
I know I’m really, really late to the party, but I found your website today while looking for budget meal ideas. We’ve been on SNAP for a couple of years now, and it is very, very hard. One thing I haven’t seen in SNAP challenges, that I would really love to see, is food restrictions. I must eat low-sodium, and I can’t have pork or processed meat (i.e., lunch meat) or anything with preservatives in it. I also have to avoid most cheese, nuts, and fried foods. So, sometimes the restrictions make it a little easier (no, we can’t get a deli sandwich or chicken because mommy can’t eat it) but mostly it’s just a pain.
I also wanted to make a quick comment on the food pantry question. Almost without hesitation, I can say the items your local food pantry could use are healthy items. Things like “sensibly seasoned” vegetables, low-sodium soups, veggies, beans, etc. Low sodium canned meats like tuna & salmon. But you do have to be careful because lots of times low sodium foods are flavor enhanced with sugar or fat (and by the same token, low-fat foods are often more sugary or salty and low sugar-foods are often high-fat and high-salt. It’s the Unholy trinity).
Anyway, add in the challenges of feeding a very hungry 12 year old and the hubbs too, we often run out of money way before we run out of month. I appreciated reading your experience with a SNAP budget. I think you did a good job with what you had, and I’m glad you have a new perspective on the program and the need for it now.
ttfn,
Cassie P from Jackson, GA
Thank you for finally do a real SNAP challenge.One that is for a month and not just 5 days. Your choice of meals are a bit different to what my husband and I eat. We aren’t on SNAP benefits, but we eat an average of $50 a week. We split our time between Canada & Australia, and find it easy in both countries.
I noticed none of your receipts showed reduced food. Almost all our meat/produce purchases are reduced.
Our breakfasts are usually a rotation of pancakes,eggs cooked in various ways, cereal, porridge, cream of wheat, waffles,bagels etc…always served with fruit.
Lunches are usually a garden salad, sandwiches, or home made soups.
Dinner is usually potatoes cooked a variety of ways, roasted or boiled vegetables, and either a roast meat or meatloaf. Sometimes a fish fillet.Stew or chili will also find its way into the menu.
Snacks are usually a rice cracker and dip, of some sort.I might also make a cake or some other desert or pudding, from scratch.
We rarely eat out, but if we do, it comes out of our entertainment budget.
We rarely buy prepackaged meals, unless they re on a great sale, and we want to have something on hand, in case we need a quick meal.
We make out chicken soup a bit different from you. We take the carcass and just cook it in water. When cooled, we drain & remove all pieces of chicken. Toss the bones, and then add the vegetables to the stock. That way we don’t lose any vegetables.
Anyway, just wanted to say I enjoyed your journey.
Thank you so much for doing this and for writing so honestly about it. During our own unintentional two-years-and-counting SNAP challenge (and worse… when we go off SNAP our budget drops to $10 a day to feed our family of four), I’ve learned so much that I wish I could explain to others. And you have, so I’ll refer everyone to you! Actually living this way long term is so different than how I ever imagined but you captured many of the problems so well. And I, like you, have the advantage of starting with numerous skills and a well stocked kitchen. :)
I’ve been hunting and hunting for a good resource for people who are truly struggling. I thought I found one because her SNAP challenge was good but the rest of the time, not so much. But your website is full of great ideas and compassion. Thank you!
(I’m the Robin in this story: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/breaking-stereotypes-women-use-cameras-aim-at-hunger/)
Thank you for sharing that!!
Based on your experiences, what do you recommend donating to food pantry drives?
Any sort of dry or canned good is always a good choice. Sometimes things like paper towel or other kitchen goods are needed. The best route, though, is to contact your local pantry to see what they might need specifically. It probably varies from location to location and they might have a surplus of one item, but be greatly in need of something else. :)
This was great. I think you express a lot well. Another thing about food stamps is if you don’t get paper work in on time, which is easy to do when working 2 jobs no car and no extra money. Our EBT has been cut this week because we mailed in everything a week late. Which means we are going to be living off canned goods and noodles.
So many things make it difficult. They don’t just give it away easily, there is so many papers you need. We don’t have a printer so we have to pay 1.10 per page to print at the local ups store. I know a printer would save over the long run but that would be something you’d have to save up for.
So much easier that we don’t have kids but when/if we do this life will be much harder.
I am really glad you talked about the scared to try new things. Because people will always say try this or that it’s cheap. But what if we cook it wrong, don’t like it or anything else. I find I limit my palate a lot because i don’t want to waste any money on trying new things.
Sorry this became rant-ish, just so many feelings and so glad someone is writing about this in a lovely way.
Wow, thank you for sharing that. The paper filing and associated costs are not something that I even thought about.
Do you have a Staples nearby? Our printer died and I had to print something that had to be sent out immediately. I was able to get the 1 page printed by uploading it to the print center at Staples. It was $0.10 after the tax.
Check your library. Many libraries will let you print 10 free pages a day.