What to Do If Your EBT or SNAP Benefits Are Cut

 ...or threatened. Who knows if this situation will be fixed this month. 

    This is tough. It IS really difficult, when you've relied on this for years. Like these people --or these people:

     

This seems especially true, when the person speaking says they have huge families (6, 7 or more kids) -- or they've got serious disabilities (are certainly plain-speaking, and often look fine physically). Or, even worse, they come from generations of families who've relied on foodstamps to feed themselves. Besides the people announcing that they should be entitled to free food/rent (because they were 'them,' I guess), one mom was more honest than she realized:

      "Now I gotta get used to budgeting, and buying things I really need."

Hmmm...

Having lived on $20,000 or less myself -- with two kids and a husband who went from mechanical engineer (and a much higher salary) to bus driver -- I KNOW you can get through this. Because we did, for a number of years. 

    It's time to change. Stop feeling sorry for yourself, badmouthing the government, and using "the kids will be starving" as an excuse. (Trust me -- they won't.)

First:  Look at what you're buying. One video of a frightened couple-with-baby showed a near-empty refrigerator...and chicken nuggets, plus a shelf of Hamburger Helper-type mixes. 

     Sorry -- that's not going to work right now. Nor are buying chips and pop. (One mom actually complained about this, because now they'd have to stop buying 'snacks.')

Next:  Go back to the old standards. Beans and rice. Mac and cheese. Bean tacos -- or even tastier, beans mixed with a small amount of ground beef. Oatmeal. Toast. Egg prices are down a little -- so scrambled eggs or quiche. Whole chicken -- even rotisserie -- gives you a few meals, and a few more soups. Use every bit of leftovers.

     Proteins are especially important now:  beans, cheese, milk, chicken -- and small amounts of beef and pork. Even a few hot dogs, sliced thin, give your dish heft. Like the Poorman's Meal:

Next:  Don't forget flour -- it can stretch everything. (Tortillas come in a close second.) Bread, biscuits, dumplings, pie, cinnamon rolls. Serve this alongside a bowl of soup or stew for a filling meal. Or make pizza dough, and top it with any number of things. (Makes good calzones, as well.)

Next:  Don't forget starches, either -- they also stretch things. Rice, potatoes, noodles work well. If you're missing french fries, cut your potatoes in 'sticks,' roll them in oil, salt and bake at high heat. Then top them with cheese, salsa or Elvis's favorite: gravy. These go well with other dishes, too. 

    For snacks, fries, homemade potato chips and popcorn.

Next: Don't skip the 'luxury' stuff like butter, mushrooms or bacon -- just use less. A few slices of bacon can be chopped up and added to eggs to keep them from sticking. A pat of real butter is outstanding on baked potatoes, homemade toast or even a burger.

Next:  Save up for holiday foods. Buy items when they're on sale -- or marked down. (You can find them on Amazon's 'Warehouse Deals,' as well.) 

And finally: your community is bound to have some sort of food pantry or program. You may have to work to find it -- but it's there. Ask friends, or call your local church or senior center; they'll know. Volunteer at your local thrift shop -- volunteers have access to free donated food, as well. 

    One clever person worked out a deal with a convenience store. They cleaned the bathrooms, swept the aisles,etc. in return for leftover food. They said it worked out well for both parties. Why not make this offer to one of your local restaurants or grocery stores? 

    Can you get some of your foodstamp dollars back by working 15 or 20 hours weekly? That's two days...and most of us put in much longer hours than that. Pleeassssseee...stop griping about having to work. It makes those of us who do work -- and don't get foodstamps -- very tired. 

     We never got foodstamps. Our housing wasn't subsidized. Our girls were eligible for free meals, but refused to use them because they were embarrassed. After age 14, they ended up working part-time themselves for extras. The Brick and I didn't think badly about this because 1) their grades stayed up, and 2) we did this ourselves as kids. Neither the Brick nor myself grew up in wealthy families. And with very rare exceptions, we never went into debt, even in the lean years.

(If your kids are griping about 'no snacks,' they can always get part-time jobs or do errands for others, and buy their own food. )

Here are posts that may help -- 

    *What if you 'don't have a penny to spare?'

    *What can you do for Thanksgiving -- or Christmas? (And that includes gifts. This helps, too.)

Plus my own thoughts on how you can feed yourself for $30 a week. Actually, you'll need even less if you're adding more people's dollars to the list.

Don't bitch and moan... Congress is the one who's going to change this, not you. And there is also a good chance that these changes are going to be permanent. Or at least different. Learning to cope with them now will put you ahead in the long run.

Change feels scary at first. How can you and your family make it? Will you be out on the street? But you can adapt. Speaking from experience here. 

You can do this.