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:
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.
New to your website but very interested in looking back at what all you achieved on the SNAP benefits. My husband, who is disabled due to a VA mishap, and I (I am undergoing chemo at this time for lymphoma) receive SNAP benefits which they just increased to $108 per month. We try our best to live on that but always end up spending some of our own money to try to survive food-wise. I am very good with our grocery budget but when you get chemo, it takes a good 2-3 weeks to feel well enough to stand and cook again and then the chemo injections start all over again. That being said, I so look forward to trying your recipes/ideas once the chemo is over and I can cook again. Life throws us curves. You NEVER know what is waiting around the corner for you. When my husband became disabled, it took seven months to receive the first disability check. We depleted our savings and most of his small retirement just to survive. Due to poor financial decisions on both our parts from the past, we are basically poor. We now live below the National Poverty Level but consider ourselves to have plenty and are blessed. FIRST learn to live below your means and save for every unforeseen “annoyance” in life. And, then, if you are still fighting for survival, cut your food budget. Thanks for this article and your time.
Cate <
As a long-time reader and fan of this blog (and your cookbook!), I really enjoyed this series.
You brought a very reality-based perspective to this issue. With the background you have (cooking/budget), you were able to write about this in a way that makes your experience very accessible to almost anyone who wants (or needs) to find ways to cook good food on a small budget.
I really appreciate you taking on this challenge and sharing your recipes and insights with us.
You may be small, but your caloric needs are definitely higher than 1500-1700 (unless your metabolism is suppressed somehow). Even as a small, average, healthy woman, your caloric needs are going to be around 2200-2400. Your basal metabolic rate (what would be consumed if you were asleep 24/7) may be around 1500-1700 however.
(Not trying to be Mrs Right, I just dislike the misconception that 2000 is all the average person needs, and what better way to clear up a misconception than talk about it =) ).
According to the Mifflin-St Jeor formula, one of the standard formulas used in the medical nutrition community for calculating caloric needs, my basal metabolic rate is about 1200 kilocalories per day and with light activity (exercise 1-3 times per week) my daily caloric need is 1700. I’ve tracked my caloric intake extensively over the years (I have a degree in Nutritional Science, so it’s second nature) and I can confirm that 1500-1700 calories per day is my maintenance level. Any more than that and I gain weight, any less than that and I lose, as easy as flipping a switch.
Thanks for the referencing the Mifflin-St-Jeor formula. I had never heard of it before and found it hard to believe that anything lower than 2000 calories a day for an active young adult female could be optimal. Playing around with the various calculators for daily intake based on M-SJ, indeed it gives very low numbers for smaller females wanting to maintain their weight. Very interesting. I think of myself in the healthy weight category at 5-8 and 125 lbs. As a sedentary 50 year old, the formula provide 2300 just to maintain. Whoo-hoo. I’m thinking of testing this as it seems generous.
Damn. I read the calculations wrong. It’s 2300 per day to gain weight. To maintain for 125 lbs/5′-8″sedentary female it’s less than 1400. Ouch. Even with activity it doesn’t get that much higher. Now I’m really curious to test it.
Your experience is admirable; thanks for writing about it. Even with plenty of time and a generous budget, I get so lazy about planning meals, and this inspires me to reduce my waste and plan more effectively in the future. Time to defrost some of that stuff that’s been sitting in the freezer forever!