$21 a week for food doesn't buy you much

[telesilla]

"We don't have to wake up worrying about the next meal. But there are a lot of Americans who do. I think it's wrong. I think it's immoral that in the U.S., the richest country in the world, people are hungry."Four members of Congress are living on a Food Stamp budget. The co-chairs of the House Hunger Caucus--Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) and Rep. Jo

Comments

[helsmeta]

When I worked at a grocery store, there were two kinds of people who paid with food stamps -- the ones who coupon-shopped and made every dollar count, and the ones who bought sparkling grape juice and soda and complained when the register wouldn't let me use food stamps to pay for either. >_< I don't know if it's where I live or just inflation, but it seems like the prices of food have gone up a shocking amount since I left college. It doesn't surprise me that food stamps and WIC haven't been keeping up over the years.

[telesilla]

Food is amazingly expensive and, as some of the articles there point out, food that's good for you is even more so. I was thinking about that just the other day looking at organic milk. A gallon of house-brand non-fat milk is something like $2.75 at our Safeway, while a gallon of Safeway's organic brand non-fat milk was something like $5.90.

Even here in California fresh veggies aren't all that cheap and places like farmers markets where you can get a better deal, don't take food stamps. Even hamburger isn't cheap and if you want to be able to afford it on that kind of budget, you have to buy the kind that's high fat and full of water. It's bad enough when you're an adult, but the idea of feeding kids on that kind of budget makes me shiver.

[sorchar]

Our gov did something like that recently.

[telesilla]

*snorts at the idea of Conon the Republican and Maria doing anything like that*

Your Gov's much cooler than ours.

[snacky]

McGovern's my congressman, and I've always been glad to cast a vote for, and campaign for, and lend financial support to someone who takes the job of representing the people seriously. This is just another gold star for him, as far as I'm concerned.

And yes, this is the kind of publicity stunt you want to see.

[fairestcat]

Nice to see this getting some attention. Thanks for the link.

I wonder if they'll get to experience the (in my opinion) worst part of even partially relying on food stamps, the way other shoppers then feel authorized to comment on and criticize your food choices. I remember my sister once getting loudly lambasted in the middle of a store by a fellow shopper because she was buying a cake for her daughter's birthday.