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:
This was a great summary to a very interesting month! I really enjoyed reading about your experience. My favorite part was seeing how you planned for meals for a week using a limited budget. Given your renewed commitment to putting the budget back in Budget Bytes, I’d love to see examples of your meal planning/weekly budgeting more often, if you feel comfortable! Especially once you get back into freezing, etc. I found it really helpful to see an example of how someone else does it!
Thank you Beth for sharing your experience with the Snap challenge. I really appreciated the thoughtful writing and that you provided new recipes during a challenging time. Loved the dijon/soy chicken. In some ways you over challenged yourself in terms of dollars spent on food. Snap benefits are issued monthly, not weekly. If you had no income and were receiving the maximum benefit as a single person, you would have received $189 per month (typically) on the 1st of the month. The Snap challenge used an average benefit amount of $126 per month. Someone receiving $126 in benefits is believed to have income and would be expected to spend the difference of $63 from their own funds.
The buying power of getting all the funds on the 1st are a huge advantage that you didn’t allow yourself. Additionally you spent 1/3 less than the government expects a single person to spend of food. With your math and creativity skills, you would have rocked the challenge using a $189 budget.
The issues you thoughtfully presented regarding availability of affordable food and transportation (a big one) are real, no matter what the benefit amount. There’s also huge deficits in education, skill, time management and home resources that can’t be addressed by Snap benefits.
IMO, the Snap challenge was supposed to make the public aware of the challenges of living on the benefit amounts. Unfortunately, there has been backlash because the truth of the matter is that tens of millions of Americans are currently living on the food budget allotted by Snap but receiving no benefits. So they do the challenge with pictures showing heaping amounts of food and say it’s no big deal. Those of us who are concerned about the Snap budget getting cut show pictures of how little food it is. Thanks again for blogging about your experience.
Although someone earning any amount of income while on SNAP is “expected” to spend some of their own money on food, the reality is usually either that they can’t, or that the amount actually spent is far less than the expectation. I have been on SNAP before with other household income, and the reality was that the amount I got in food stamps WAS my food budget. Occasionally I spent $5-10 of my own money, but doing so meant going without something else.
A few more thoughts–when I was a school librarian, I purchased a very inexpensive mini fridge and small microwave for my workroom–I think I spent less than $125 for both appliances which I and my 2 aides used for the 4 years I was at that school. I did leave both appliances behind, but it cost me less than $35 a year to have hot lunches of my own choosing. I did the same thing later when I was a hospital librarian and amortized that same purchase over 6 years. If you are not the highest paid employee in your office, think about getting other employees to go in with you–if they won’t, take the appliances with you when you leave.
Your findings are so very thoughtful and helpful. When I was a young wife, our funds were very limited, but having grown up on a farm and in a family with little cash, working from scratch was a habit–I baked all of my own breads and desert items, made one main dish stretch for multiple meals, bought in quantity when in season items were cheap, prepared my own baby food, except for some fruits which were cheaper in jars. I was working along with you–and with 2 of us a $9 per day budget meant that I had more flexibility with purchasing, and with a pantry filled with spices and herbs, getting flavor into our meals was less of an issue. With school age children eligible for free meals, their breakfasts and lunches would be covered outside of the SNAP budget, too. My husband actually enjoyed a month filled with comfort dishes he remembered from his own childhood and our early years. But certain things really resonated–such as entertainment and your discomfort at being able bring something with you. Food is social, and not being able to join co-workers going out to lunch or having a spontaneous potluck often arise. Storage is another issue–I can buy a full pork loin at a very cheap price and cut all of the roasts, scallops, chops, and stew pieces, to consume over a number of weeks, but one with no freezer wouldn’t be able to take advantage of the bargain. Information is key–and I think a way I can make a difference is through my local library–not with cooking demos, but with some classes to show folks how to find resources, even if their only access to the internet is the library computers.
Hi, I wanted to thank you for sharing your SNAP challenge. I volunteer at a family shelter that keeps homeless families together , provides them housing for 18 months while the parents find employment. they offer them job training and life skills. I have been asked to teach a class on meal planning and your challenge really helped me prepare for this by understanding the SNAP program. I can’t thank you enough! Between your information, recipes and careful planning, I will be able to help these families plan meals and stretch their food budgets and provide healthy meals for their families. Thank you
I really enjoyed reading the SNAP challenge- and I especially liked your point about access to the food store. That is a major problem for city dwellers in my area- the closest “real” food stores not easy to get to, esp on public transit
I really enjoyed following you along your SNAP challenge journey. taught me a lot, and was very informative and inspiring.
one tip I’d add (for those who are considering trying the challenge, looking for ways to save or even needing to save money on food overall): try coupons. I see you shopped based on sales, which is great, but you can also combine sales with coupons on certain items to save a lot. oftentimes coupons are on processed foods, which many people prefer not to buy, but there are plenty of coupons out there for fresh foods. yogurt, for instance, is something you can get for cheap (of free!). there are apps (if you have a smartphone), that offer 25 cents – $1 off items like milk and produce. it all adds up! check out some coupon blogs (just google) and you’ll be shocked at some of the deals.
So fantastic and inspirational, Beth! I really enjoy your website, and as a public health advocate, I can’t thank you enough for your candor and transparency during your experience!
I was looking around and found this:
http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/sites/default/files/usda_food_plans_cost_of_food/TFP2006Report.pdf
I wonder how close the menu was to the “poundage” defined by the government. Was it at all close?
Interesting. I have no idea how much food I ate in terms of pounds. That is a weird metric for them to use, but I guess they had to use either weight or volume and weight makes more sense.
Yes, it is. I noticed there are some things you bought that while you legally can buy with SNAP, they don’t allow for in the funds they provide. For example, for a 19-50 year old female, you are expected to have 0.03 pounds of cheese a week. Enough to dust on a dish of pasta, maybe, but certainly not a feature. I think I’d have trouble eating 5 pounds of whole fruit a week too. (That’s about 12-13 oranges, for example.)
Beth. I want to thank you for sharing your experience with the SNAP challenge. I really do appreciate you going through this journey with an open mind and without being judge mental (unfortunately, I’ve read those not so nice comments coming from those that don’t understand what it feels to struggle on a daily basis-especially when you’re unable to place food on the table for yourself and your family). Although it can be difficult to live off of $4.50 per day, you can still make decent and nutritious meals without compromises. There’s nothing wrong with asking for help.
Your candor and transparency about this whole experiment has been refreshing and educational. There were issues that I had with some of the other people doing this because they have had a particular taint to their participation – ie. “this is simple – why can’t THESE people get it together. I’ll show them what a little determination and a few recipes can accomplish!” Not so with you. Thank you for being HONEST and showing that there is more to this than initially meets the eye. Thank you also for acknowledging your advantages – that’s an important part. (In week 3 I wanted to speak up… my godsons could NEVER have existed on what you were eating… High School football players eat a LOT!
This exercise was also a reminder why you are one of the few food bloggers that I actually READ.
Thank you!
Beth, this challenge and the honesty and transparency with which you did it is so inspiring. I want you to know that that kind of action….that kind of compassion….that kind of dedication….your kind of example as a woman is the kind that I point out to my daughters. Again, thank you.
I couldn’t say it better, Amy. Beth you are an inspiration.
That’s so sweet and well said! The level of compassion was definitely refreshing to see.
I think you did a wonderful job with the SNAP challenge, both in practice and in summary. You showed how difficult hunger is to deal with and how hard it is to live within the SNAP budget. I’ve eaten that cheaply before as a student and my sister has done it for years with her family of five. It isn’t easy and it takes time and planning and patience. I’ve been the person who couldn’t go out to eat with friends many, many times. I followed your journey and agree with all you’ve presented. I think I could do this for my family of five (including two teenage boys). We don’t eat a lot of meat but we would have to severely limit our produce and dairy and eliminate snacks and treats. There is also no way I could fit whole milk and formula for the baby into the budget – I hope SNAP participants with small children also qualify for WIC. You’ve done a service to the general population by highlighting a difficult subject and a service to the food-limited population by providing information and recipes that work with their situation…all in a loving, open manner.
Thank you so much for your recipes, insight, and honesty! I have a friend who is mildly autistic and whose family lives on disability checks and part-time work- one of those families at the margins of society who struggle constantly with health & financial issues. She has shown an interest in wanting to improve her diet but is intimidated by the idea of cooking, so I gave her a copy of you wonderful Budget Bytes book and encouraged her to get a slow cooker. I am also inspired by your posts to renew my efforts at cutting my food waste and saving money. Thanks again!
I usually get irritated with these SNAP challenges because too often it boils down to, “See how easy it was for me?” I appreciate that you acknowledged that you started with advantages.
At one point my husband and I were on SNAP, and after all the bills were paid, it was our only “extra source” of money (you’d be surprised at what you can clean with baking soda and vinegar). Your blog helped IMMENSELY during that year of transition of ours, and even though we’re in a much better position, I still use it to help plan my meals.
Thank you, again, for doing justice to the SNAP Challenge.