I began this week doing the food stamp challenge and I am sorry to say that I have had to stop.  The reason, I am a single mom & there isn't enough food in my house for me to make 2 meals each night.   read more »

It's Day 4 of the Challenge, and I'm home sick from work today. I'm laying on the couch, bored, and thinking about what I can eat. I have about an hour before it would be reasonable to break into my lunchmeat, but, again, that oatmeal just didn't do it for me this morning.  read more »

I'm trying the food stamp challenge as well. I had to make a few modifications to the amount, though. My wife agreed to try too, but only for dinner, and we can really only hit six-and-a-half days, due to some preexisting plans. Given that, I alloted $24.

I also added the rule that you can eat food you grew. In my case that only really amounts to a few tomatoes, a handful of chilies, and an acorn squash.

Here is a picture of the week's larder:  read more »

The participants have started an e-mail chain and I’ve been reading it with fascination and humor. I grew up on food stamps and hunger was a thing we rarely dealt with in part because food was the option often selected over heat, rent, and entertainment. Another option we had which is available to the crew is going to food banks and churches which is what many food stamp recipients do - there you can find basics such as proteins (beans) and unfortunately poor carbs (white rice) and mac and cheese. I believe as simulated food stamp recipients we have that option.

It was not so much the poor food options and choices and the ego-deflating look received when using a food stamp but the harsh realty of being a second class person, a labeled person, a hopeless person that wore away much at my parents.  read more »

Ok, here is my attempt to spend only $21 on groceries for the week -- the average benefit amount for individuals on Food Stamps in Massachusetts. Given the rising costs of food and basic needs, a number of us (18 participants right now) decided to try to participate in a Food Stamp Challenge. For more information on the challenge and why we're doing this now, see Paola's previous post. For coverage of my first day on the challenge, read on...  read more »