Friday is the last day for our SNAP experiment. It is likely that we will not visit the grocery store again and eat leftovers through the rest of the week. If that is the case, we will finish with just over $90 unspent and a minor stock of pantry items remaining to be eaten in the weeks and months to come.
What we will also have is a much greater awareness of what it is like to live on a very strict food budget. We know that we are unable to replicate completely all of the issues surrounding individuals and families forced to live on SNAP. Our level of understanding is minimal to be sure.
We have had many friends share with us stories in their own lives and articles found on the Internet. We have greatly appreciated every bit of input. The tales run the full gamut from families in deep poverty with few options for relief, to those scamming the system. The amount of information out there on this issue is daunting and drawing succinct conclusions is as well.
Where do we go from here? How to we help fix the situation? The issues are murky and complex. There is no 'one size fits all' solution. There has to be something that can be done. Keeping a budget and eating within those confines was the easy part. Healing is much harder
In the next few days we will each attempt to encapsulate our feelings as to how this experiment impacted us, in addition to a final accounting of the money and the food.
We truly appreciate all of the feedback we've been given in person or electronically. We even appreciate those that met our challenge with some skepticism. Both let us know that we are not alone in this concern.
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