We could also stop moralizing poverty and just allow people to buy whatever food they want. But this would be a good step forward.
This is more efficient and cost effective anyway. It’s bonkers we don’t let people select their own food.
It’s not about efficiency. It’s about power. It’s about making you feel like a piece of shit for having to rely on the government.
You know, the government that’s supposed to take care of you.
The government is supposed to be by us, for us. Technically, we get to define what the government’s scope is. But we make that decision as a group.
You know, the government that’s supposed to take care of you.
I think that’s where the disagreement begins: they believe the government is a tool to exercise power, a weapon to wrestle away from their enemies, not an entity that’s supposed to take care of you.
The SNAP program provides a monthly stipend for low-income families to buy groceries, but it doesn’t pay for hot prepared foods. The exclusion, which dates back decades, was meant to promote home cooking. But critics say it’s outdated and penalizes families that are already struggling to make ends meet, excluding convenient and nutritious options.
SNAP is a major piece of the U.S. social safety net used by nearly 42 million, or about 1 in 8, Americans to help buy groceries. On average, the monthly benefit per household is about $350, and the average benefit per person is about $190.
It’s so short-sighted to exclude hot prepared foods from SNAP. So many people don’t have time and consistent access to kitchens where they can cook every meal. I hope this passes.
I buy a Costco chicken then make (healthy) soup with the bones.
The value for price on that thing is incredible.
Chicken, microwave steamable frozen mixed veggies and some starchy thing that can even be left over bread if you don’t mind
The mixed peas, carrots, green beans and lima bean one is not perfect but it’s cheap and effective
This is going to sound gross, but you can make a gravy out of the liquid at the bottom of the rotisserie chicken bag and a 1/4cuo of flour.
Not as good as the drippings from cooking a raw chicken, which is why I throw it in my soup pot, but still acceptable.
Also Costco sells frozen Demi-baguettes, you can heat them in 8 minutes plus oven preheat time. They taste great. I throw a ramekin with water in the oven with them so they slightly steam and get crunchy crusts.
No that stuff at the bottom is pretty good, normally after the breasts and limbs are gone I pull apart the whole thing and mix it with a bit of milk and cheese to make patties for sandwiches
I usually use most of these for sandwiches, so I’ll try your patty idea
ah, yes, the rule of “you can’t buy 2lb of tasty cooked protein for $7 but you can buy 2lb of uncooked tasteless meat for $7.99/lb”
Basically. We have a few grocery stores that have restaurants and put their left over food in a cooler to buy when they close (8pm). You can’t use snap until they relabel it and stick it in the cooler thing. Same food but because it isn’t handed to you it’s snap approved.
Plus, with a slow cooker, instant pot, or just a stove, you can make delicious broth from the leftovers and upgrade your next couple meals.
It’s not just hot/ prepared foods. Had a relative who worked in a grocery store and there is like a whole list of what you’re allowed and not allowed to buy. Maybe people who know more can fill in the details, all I remember is that you had to buy 2% milk or skim; no whole milk for poor kids. ridiculous.
You’re thinking of WIC, not SNAP. It’s only for pregnant women and kids under a certain age to make sure they have the bare minimum of nutritional needs met. And yeah, it comes with a ton of rules and limits. They’ve slightly modernized it, but you used to have to use checks that had the items listed and you had to buy it all at once or miss out for the month. There’s a booklet that lists the item, with brands and sizes, that can be used. No substitutions or exceptions. And if something is miscoded, oh well. The items are 2% milk or soy milk, peanut butter, whole wheat bread/tortillas, canned fish, low sugar cereal, fruit juice and like $10 worth of fresh fruits and veggies. It can be life saving, but I remember the entire program being really demeaning and too difficult to utilize.
It kinda sounds like someone took the old food stamps system and just combined the entire fucken booklet into one cheque. Why?
It varies state by state.
“No loss-leader Costco chicken for you! Full-priced laborious goods only!”
So fucking stupid our laws
