Living on a Food-Stamp Diet

[Nbadan]

Healthy eating on the food stamp diet was mission impossible - even for the Daily News' expert shopper.

Despite bargain hunting, St. Vincent's Hospital Manhattan die ian Tina Fuchs fell short on every vital food group when asked to buy a week's worth of food with only $28.

The nutritionist was challenged to see whether she could do better than Queens Councilman Eric Gioia, who has been living on the average food-stamp allotment for a single recipient for the past week.

And, though more nutritious than the Democrat's diet of Ramen noodles, cheese slices and white bread, she said her shopping cart would still lead to major long-term health problems.

"I made the most of our $28, but we haven't got what we need," she said outside Associated Supermarket on W. 14th St.

NY Daily News

1 person, $155 max and that's for someone with no other income. There's no way anyone can eat a healthy diet on that. Food stamps subsidize the labor costs for the majority of retail stores in the country, especially Walmart and probably your favorite restaurant. People do have to try to budget that small of an amount for food, even though they're working because their paycheck goes to rent, day care, power and transportation. This is reality for nearly half the country and they don't vote because they have chosen to be apathetic about politics, just like social conservatives like them to be.

[Nbadan]

forget traveling while on a food-budget...

TSA Confiscates Congressman's Peanut Butter And Jelly

Congressman Tim Ryan (D-OH) blogs about a recent run-in with the Transportation Security Administration at the airport in Manchester, New Hampshire. Ryan, who is living on the monetary equivalent of food stamps in order to better understand the plight of the nation's poor, had carefully rationed a supply of peanut butter and jelly to last him through his travels, only to have the security gates take it away under the onerous no-liquids rule.

"I took my bag and walked towards the gate thinking about the 4 or maybe 5 meals that she had taken from me. What am I going to do now? It’s not like I can just go to Safeway and grab another jar. I have .33 cents (sic) and a bag of cornmeal to last today and tomorrow," Ryan writes. He finished sarcastically, "I’d like to thank the TSA for doing an exceptional job protecting our nation’s airports and allowing me to illustrate that not even Congressmen get any special treatment at the airport."

Election Central

[gtownspur]

5 cans of Tuna = 2.50

Wheat Bread = 1.25

Milk = 4 .00

Mayo = 1.25

Generic Cereal = 2.50

5 Lean Gourmet Mic ina's @ .89 = 5.00

baby carrots = 2.00

eggs = 1.50

bacon or chorizo =1.89

bag of Corn Tortilla chips = 1.50

Salsa = 1.89

1 40 0z of Del Sol beer for a spurs game = 2.00


weeks worth of Groceries..... $27.23



Giving Bohemian Upperclass Democrats 28 dollars to spend for groceries for a week as a social experiment, and then turn around and becuase a pound of Chipotle Belgium Chocolate, Ammeretto Saffron Almonds at the Whole Foods cost 12 bucks and their organic peanut butter and vegan jelly made them go bankrupt...... priceless


But for everything else theres the U. S. Of A voting registration card, never go an election with out it.

[clambake]

5 cans of tuna for 2.50? You can't get cat food for that price.

Mayo for 1.25?

Eggs? Maybe half a dozen, maybe.

Bacon for 1.89? What is that, a half gallon of gas to drive to nearby farm to steal a pig?

[ChumpDumper]

Why would you be flying if you were on food stamps?

[gtownspur]

5 cans of tuna for 2.50? You can't get cat food for that price.

Mayo for 1.25?

Eggs? Maybe half a dozen, maybe.

Bacon for 1.89? What is that, a half gallon of gas to drive to nearby farm to steal a pig?

Great Value Tuna is only 33 cents a can,

Squeezable Generic GV mayo is only 1.25

And Bar S bacon is mega cheap, as well as chorizo.

I even overpriced the Milk.

Heck you can even get HCF bread at 89 cents a loaf, you could cut this all down to 25.00 expense.

[gtownspur]

Why would you be flying if you were on food stamps?

If you use your lonestar card enough, you could earn frequent flyer miles with it.

[clambake]

What good is 33 cent can of tuna if it makes you puke?

[gtownspur]

What good is 33 cent can of tuna if it makes you puke?

Ok get the sunkist tuna and that's still only 44 cents.

[clambake]

44 cents for starkist? man, where do you live?

[DarkReign]

5 cans of Tuna = 2.50

Wheat Bread = 1.25

Milk = 4 .00

Mayo = 1.25

Generic Cereal = 2.50

5 Lean Gourmet Mic ina's @ .89 = 5.00

baby carrots = 2.00

eggs = 1.50

bacon or chorizo =1.89

bag of Corn Tortilla chips = 1.50

Salsa = 1.89

1 40 0z of Del Sol beer for a spurs game = 2.00

weeks worth of Groceries..... $27.23

Giving Bohemian Upperclass Democrats 28 dollars to spend for groceries for a week as a social experiment, and then turn around and becuase a pound of Chipotle Belgium Chocolate, Ammeretto Saffron Almonds at the Whole Foods cost 12 bucks and their organic peanut butter and vegan jelly made them go bankrupt...... priceless

But for everything else theres the U. S. Of A voting registration card, never go an election with out it.

PWND.

If lazy ers couldnt walk around and collect returnables to supplement their income or, heaven forbid, mow peoples grass for $5, we wouldnt be having this conversation.

[monosylab1k]

5 cans of tuna per week will give a person dangerously high levels of mercury in their body.

[Extra Stout]

44 cents for starkist? man, where do you live?

Not California.

[ChumpDumper]

Or Manhattan.

[Kori Ellis]

One Week's Groceries

12 frozen chicken breasts = 10.00
Rice = 1.00
Pasta or Top Ramen (lots of it) = 1.00
Spaghetti sauce = 1.00
3 cans of tuna = 2.25
Mayo = 1.00 (a jar will last you at least a month, so you don't put the whole price per week)
Cereal = 2.00
Milk = 3.00
Bread = 1.00
Eggs = 1.00
Ham = 2.00
Frozen mixed Vegetables = 1.00
Beans = 1.00
Kool-Aid (or even better Flavor-Aid) = 12 packs for 1.00

Grand Total = $28.25

It's very easy for one person to eat on $155/month.

[Extra Stout]

For our next trick, liberal journalists will show how it is impossible to find decent housing for $200,000 in Manhattan or San Francisco.

gtownspur will post real estate listings showing lots of decent housing for under $200,000.

clambake will protest that this must be impossible and ask gtown where he lives.

[clambake]

200k home in san fran is like stepping into the 3rd world.

[DarkReign]

200k home in san fran is like stepping into the 3rd world.

Damnit Kori, when are we going to get an "over your head" smilie?

[clambake]

Damnit Kori, when are we going to get an "over your head" smilie?

Have you seen areas in SF where homes are 200k? I didn't think so. Maybe it's a Tx. or Mich. thing.

[smeagol]

For our next trick, liberal journalists will show how it is impossible to find decent housing for $200,000 in Manhattan or San Francisco.

gtownspur will post real estate listings showing lots of decent housing for under $200,000.

clambake will protest that this must be impossible and ask gtown where he lives.

Good one!

[Extra Stout]

200k home in san fran is like stepping into the 3rd world.

200k home in Houston gets you 2500 square feet and a pool.

[Extra Stout]

Have you seen areas in SF where homes are 200k? I didn't think so. Maybe it's a Tx. or Mich. thing.

It's an "everywhere in the country except the coasts" thing.

[clambake]

It's an "everywhere in the country except the coasts" thing.

I know that Extra. 200k in SF would buy you a tuff shed, installation included.

[RandomGuy]

One Week's Groceries

12 frozen chicken breasts = 10.00
Rice = 1.00
Pasta or Top Ramen (lots of it) = 1.00
Spaghetti sauce = 1.00
3 cans of tuna = 2.25
Mayo = 1.00 (a jar will last you at least a month, so you don't put the whole price per week)
Cereal = 2.00
Milk = 3.00
Bread = 1.00
Eggs = 1.00
Ham = 2.00
Frozen mixed Vegetables = 1.00
Beans = 1.00
Kool-Aid (or even better Flavor-Aid) = 12 packs for 1.00

Grand Total = $28.25

It's very easy for one person to eat on $155/month.

This seems to be a bit understated. It might be interesting to get some exact figures, and see just how many meals this would make, but my guess is that these amounts are a bit short of 7 days worth of food.

I would point out that it also does not meet nutritional requirements for vegetables and fruit, much as the OP stated when the nutritionist actually looked at what could be bought. The above food offering includes just two or three servings of vegetables, if you count the spaghetti sauce.

Just in case anybody else tries to do math, I would point out that, on average, a month has 4.33 weeks, not 4. (52 weeks per year, divided by 12)

[RandomGuy]

It's an "everywhere in the country except the coasts" thing.

Considering that 75% of US population lives within 50 miles of the coastline, that excludes an awful lot of people.