You can survive on food stamps, but eating healthy may not be an option. Carbs are cheap. You can load your cart with rice, pasta, ramen Noodles, mac and cheese, etc for not a lot of expense. Your challenge is going to be gathering protein, fruit, and vegetables.
Protein:
Eggs are a a good choice. The price of an egg is less than boxed cereal. Breakfast supplemented with eggs is a great choice. You can stretch your food dollars by adding eggs to dinner on occasion. Eggs can be cooked in many different ways so you won’t get bored.
Meat:
Discounted meat at the grocery store can be a good deal but not always. If steak is discounted, it may be a bargain at $5 a pound, but you are still better off with chicken or turkey. Keep in mind when buying meat, that the more the butcher cuts it, the more you are charged. Buy larger selections of meat and cut or grind it yourself. A $10 meat knife may save you hundreds in the long run.
Milk:
Milk is $4 a gallon here. Milk should be used sparingly when on food stamps. Be careful when you buy boxed items, they may seem like a bargain, until you factor in the 2 cups of milk you need to add.
Produce:
Fresh is probably out. It’s way too expensive! Instead of buying fresh apples for $1.88/lb, go for cans of applesauce at fifty cents each. The same is true for vegetables, frozen and canned are usually less than fresh.
Danger Areas:
Be careful of the extras you pick up. Spices, oils, shortening, jello, sugar, marshmallows, margarine, coffee, tea, these are all items that do not add any nutritional value to your diet! Buy one good spice like Lawry’s Season Salt, or Garlic Salt, and use that on everything. Use oil and shortening sparingly! Bake instead of frying, frying uses a lot of oil and is less healthy!.
Ready-to-eat and microwave foods are off your list. These items are too pricey and can eat up your budget quickly. Cookies, chips, and other junk food should be off your list, or; at the very least, make them from scratch.
General ways of saving money include using coupons. You can buy stacks of coupons on ebay for products you use often. Use your store club card, mine gives a gas discount as well. Look for the stores marked down area. Who cares if the box is crushed?
You can survive on food stamps, but ramen noodles get old. You need to be diligent and creative to eat nutritiously.