We Are Not Alone

Our last few trips to the grocery store have been for an item or two wanted for Christmas baking or candy making.  We have dutifully subtracted that from our SNAP balance and have $42.82 remaining to last until December 22.

We contend now that we have nearly 60 days under our belts that individuals and families can live on the SNAP allotment alone.  Particularly considering that school age children get breakfast and lunch at school year round in our area.  (School cafeterias remain open during breaks and summer for the express purpose of feeding children.)  There are other resources for hungry people like Second Harvest Food Bank and the Nashville Rescue Mission.

We received solicitations from both organizations recently.  Both point out that the smallest donation will make a difference.  Second Harvest contends that it can provide 4 meals for $1, although it does not say what the meals are.

The mission tells us it can provide a "Complete Christmas Dinner" for $2.26.  The enclosed letter does not tell us exactly what the meal is but explains that bulk purchases keep the per meal cost low. which is one thing we noted during our challenge.

We are not alone in our experience that it can be done.  The real key for us was cooking using real food in its most natural state - whole fruits and vegetables,  meats like chicken and beef that were bought raw and cooked at home, real ingredients like flour, eggs and milk to make breads and treats.  

We understand that cooking can be time expensive, but it can be done.  It can be done with a little planning like weekly cooking sessions.  One of our readers even told us about a friend that cooked one weekend per month, so that all she had to do for the rest of the month was pull something out of the freezer to heat & eat. Family members can and should be included in the prep process.  There are many ways to plan an organize.  Each family must find what works for them.  

We will continue to monitor our spending because that is how we roll and we will periodically update our balance here.  If we run out of money that will certainly be shared here.

The thing we'd really like to share is showing actual SNAP families how we were able to do what we did.  We'll gladly share budgeting tips, couponing & shopping how-tos, along with recipes and meal plans.  Feel free to pass along this blog site or our email address:  johnlorisnap@gmail.com to anyone wanting to assistance.