More families using food stamps to feed kids

[chri'stina 190]

What kind of a diet is "rice and beans"? Or "rice and meat"?

Don't you need fresh fruit and vegetables for a healthy diet?

No wonder you people are all obese.

I'm kinda confused with your late reaction to rice and beans. Not sure who you are talking to either? People here were talking about how you can eat cheaply if you really need to. Most have mentioned eating vegetables normally.

[LaL 418]

...they do carry Indian stuff and most of the cheap vegetables.

oh wow! I watched Slumdog Millionaire the other day and I totally want to get Indian stuff!

[MrsAmera 41]

I am a bargain shopper and spend about $450-$500 a month for a family of 4 in food groceries. We eat a lot of produce, very little packed and frozen foods. We get take away food maybe 1 a week or once every 2 weeks. There are people that abuse food stamps but there are also people who really need the help. I know when we lived in VA, making $2k a month we would not have had money for food, rent alone was $1400 - add on child care and there's no $ left. It's really a shame that local COL is not figured into social relief programs because there's a huge difference. Living in WI we could easily make 2k a month and have no problem paying everything but in No. VA not a chance. The cost of groceries also has a huge difference. A box of cereal there could easily be $4.50 - in WI the same thing is $2.75.

There is major reform need not only with food stamps but child care subsidies. I can remember when my husband came, my son's father evaded paying child support, and I was finishing school and working full time. However once we were married (me and the husband), I was told that I could no longer receive child care subsidies because my husband wasn't working. (because he couldn't without his work permit!) although he was in school. Not to mention he was not my son's biological father. To me there was something wrong there. I was working extremely hard to provide for my family and needed the subsidy to make child care affordable for me to work/finish school. While my ex was able to evade paying support and my new husband became responsible for my son, but was not legally able to be employed. It all worked out in the end but it was a very difficult time.

[SMOKE 1,426]

What kind of a diet is "rice and beans"? Or "rice and meat"?

Don't you need fresh fruit and vegetables for a healthy diet?

No wonder you people are all obese.

jasmine rice & a rotesserie chicken is good eatin.

i'm not giving up my carmel covered banana splits w/ snickers on top desserts no matter what some health nut thinks.

[mawilson 2,133]

I'm kinda confused with your late reaction to rice and beans. Not sure who you are talking to either? People here were talking about how you can eat cheaply if you really need to. Most have mentioned eating vegetables normally.

I think several people mentioned "rice and beans", as if it was a viable diet.

When I was a student, a friend of mine used to buy cheap baked beans for about 2p a can

(3 cents) from a cash-only store called Netto. "Beans on toast" was frequently the only

thing on his menu.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

It's high time? Should we have started at 1 yr? Yeah we plan to start trying soon. He is not even 2 yet.

Back in the day, potty trainng started as soon as baby's could sit. Mom tells me that we (my brothers and I) were out of them diapers at 12-15 months. My daughter has been clean for well over a year now - her potty training started before she turned two and it didn't take very long to get her used to the potty.

[Susita 175]

What kind of a diet is "rice and beans"? Or "rice and meat"?

Don't you need fresh fruit and vegetables for a healthy diet?

No wonder you people are all obese.

I cook rice almost every day with some sort of meat and vegetables (sometimes beans) and always with a salad. My husband is far from obese, he's got a gumbi-type figure super tall & super skinny. I also must add that I have no idea where all of the food goes, he eats like 2 or 3 plates of food.

[SMR 368]

I think several people mentioned "rice and beans", as if it was a viable diet.

When I was a student, a friend of mine used to buy cheap baked beans for about 2p a can

(3 cents) from a cash-only store called Netto. "Beans on toast" was frequently the only

thing on his menu.

If you are referring to me, I was talking about rice and beans as a viable meat substitute, in terms of nutrition, which it is. I realize it isn't a balanced diet.

[HannahP 119]

I still don't think being a vegetarian is cheaper unless you are willing to eat the same boring food all the time. Since most people don't want to, you have to buy various things and figure out how to get full without just eating tons of carbs. And I think it would be cheaper for us if I could buy bulk chicken or something.

I just realized that I'm coming up on being vegetarian for fifteen years soon. So, yeah.

Spices are really key. Not just "ethnic" stuff that you might have to go to a specialty grocer for (and should, as it has been pointed out, as spices are much cheaper there) but just maintaining a small herb garden with your basic basil, etc., maybe a bit of the wacky weed if you're AJ.

For the poor vegetarian, yes, you buy the same bases: beans, lentils, soy. But it's no more varied than the same basic chicken and beef that my poor carnivorous husband eats. I mean...if you bought bulk chicken for a week, wouldn't it just taste like the same old chicken every night unless you spiced it? It's the same when cooking vegetarian.

I can cook up a basic rice & beans dish about ten different ways, and it always tastes different.

Anyway. whenver this subject is brought up, it always reminds me of this crazy person --)http://under1000permonth.blogspot.com/ who feeds her family of five with one box of mac 'n cheese.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

... maybe a bit of the wacky weed if you're AJ.

wth!

[Kevin and 10]

Food stamps are the soup lines from the 20's/30's.

[Susita 175]

My grandma, my mom & I got Panera Bread the other day. They ordered potato soup in a breadbowl. My grandma said her mom used to make it, it was like the cheapest thing you could make. Well, Panera charges like $8 for a small cup of it LOL

Edited January 13, 2010 by Susita

[chri'stina 190]

I just realized that I'm coming up on being vegetarian for fifteen years soon. So, yeah.

Spices are really key. Not just "ethnic" stuff that you might have to go to a specialty grocer for (and should, as it has been pointed out, as spices are much cheaper there) but just maintaining a small herb garden with your basic basil, etc., maybe a bit of the wacky weed if you're AJ.

For the poor vegetarian, yes, you buy the same bases: beans, lentils, soy. But it's no more varied than the same basic chicken and beef that my poor carnivorous husband eats. I mean...if you bought bulk chicken for a week, wouldn't it just taste like the same old chicken every night unless you spiced it? It's the same when cooking vegetarian.

I can cook up a basic rice & beans dish about ten different ways, and it always tastes different.

Anyway. whenver this subject is brought up, it always reminds me of this crazy person --)http://under1000permonth.blogspot.com/ who feeds her family of five with one box of mac 'n cheese.

I agree with what you are saying. I make vegetarian meals for dinner almost every day, of all different kinds and spices. But my point is that chicken keeps me full longer than let's say broccoli. We hardly make beans and rice for dinner unless I'm also making burritos or tacos or something. When I have been to India and it's 100% vegetarian the whole time, it's so good I don't miss meat but sometimes you don't stay full very long when it's just vegetables - not even potatoes or cheese in many of the meals.

I don't know, I still think if I could buy fish and chicken, to add to the dinner meal choices to make, it would sometimes save $ because we don't just eat beans and rice. I don't think I am doing a good job making my point so I am going to stop now.

Edited January 13, 2010 by chri'stina

[Danno 1,228]

Food stamps are the soup lines from the 20's/30's.

Yeah right,

Back then you actually had to get off your skinny (poor people were skinny back then) azz and go get the soup... today they recharge your food stamp account.

Not sure how one could compare soup... to all the food $526 will by for a family of three.

A wise man told me once "Hunger is a great motivator".

People who are poor need motivation, they should be getting a "basic ration of food", it's flat out wrong that people on food stamps can eat as good or better than people who have done all the right things such as stayed in school, learned a trade, got married before making babies.

[Gary and Alla 3,696]

So much for the "war on poverty" On March 1 the new poverty guidelines will be published and put MORE people below the limit to receive food stamps. Neat system, eh? If the number of people using them ever falls, they simply raise the poverty line enough to make more people impoverished and therefore guarantee thousands of government jobs to "fight poverty". One of America's big industries...poverty. Slavery of illegal immigrants, oppression of people in ghettos on welfare, control of people's lives all so some pols can have power over people's lives. what a racket.

people on food stamps have the highest rate of obesity of any group.