Today, I was looking for cooking inspiration on one of my all-time favorite blogs, Gluten-Free Girl and The Chef. I went back and read Shauna's entry about when she and her family did the United Way Hunger Action Week in January. I wrote about it then, and I'm bringing it up again, because there are good lessons to be learned here. Good lessons that I still need to learn, probably.
I may have mentioned that I ran out of food stamps two weeks before they were set to be renewed. So, for the past week and half, I have been doing two things I hate to do: Buying non-organic fruits and vegetables, and using my "for fun" money to do it.
Clearly, I am still working on this eating for $200 a month thing. I make excuses that it's because I am on a special diet, and need to buy gluten-free foods, but if Shauna and her family can do it, then so can I.
My food stamps get reloaded on Thursday, and I'm going to start taking a calculator to the grocery store. I am allowed to spend no more than $50 a week. I'm going to start planning my meals in advance so I don't go to the store, hungry, at 5:30pm.
My wonderful Grandma sent me an Amazon gift card for my birthday, so I am stocked up on Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Whole Grain Bread Mix, and an exciting assortment of gluten-free flours. I am taking a baking class tonight at my awesome local Community Food Co-Op. So, even though I made the awesome discovery of gluten free bagels this week, I probably won't be buying any. The Bellingham Farmer's Market (recently voted Best in the Northwest!) is open, so I will be getting awesome local spring veggies every Saturday. I planted lettuce seeds and they are starting to sprout - although it will be a while still before I can harvest salad greens right from my porch. This summer I will be helping out at our school garden, which hopefully means fresh produce for me!
I can do this. I don't need frozen pizzas or meat more than once a week. I can make hummus and salsa. I can find recipes and plan meals in advance. I can eat healthy and enjoyable meals on a budget. It's all about the beauty of simplicity, right?
Showing posts with label links. Show all posts
Showing posts with label links. Show all posts
Monday, May 3, 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
$7 a day - Take that, Rachel Ray!
The past few weeks, I've been missing things. Missing the time to write. Missing news stories, missing important dates, missing the news that last week was The United Way of King County's Hunger Action Week. Granted, I don't live in King County any more, but it's still one of those things I feel I should have known about.
The idea is, try to feed yourself for only $7 a day - also known as the maximum food stamp benefit available in Washington State. Also known as what I have done every day since September.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking the idea. I think it's great. I think everyone should be aware of how difficult it is to eat good, healthy food on food assistance. What I really appreciate is that bloggers like The Gluten-Free Girl - who is, as her name implies, gluten free - are participating and blogging about the experience. It's much more difficult to live off of $7 a day when you can't buy a 99cent loaf of bread.
I am completely inspired by The Gluten-Free Girl's entry about her experience this past week, and I am making my own plans. Plans that include baking my own bread, roasting a chicken, and using my awesome new crock pot. Plans that include a real, honest-to-goodness budget for my food.
Because, you see, for the first time since September, I used up all my food stamp benefits before the month was over.
To be fair, I bought five different kinds of gluten-free flours to make a bread that I took a class to learn how to make. And Xanthan Gum, which is pretty much the most expensive white powder that you can buy legally. Now that I made the initial investment, I can make my own gluten-free sourdough bread, and make sandwiches and eat toast... very exciting.
However, this month I also did things like buy lunch at the Co-Op deli counter several times, as well as buy frozen meals to take to school. When you are living off of $7 a day for food, a $5 sandwich is not a good idea.
Planning meals is a big step in the right direction for food budgeting, and buying in bulk is another good way to stretch your food dollars. That's why I was excited to hear that Costco is now accepting food stamps (I am lucky enough to have a membership, I'm tacked on as a "domestic partner" to a family member). While I was searching the internet to confirm the rumor, I stumbled across this article/blog entry, by Aaron Crow, a "freelance journalist," with a lot of opinions. To give you a general idea of this particular opinion, it's titled "Costco accepting food stamps: not exactly a great idea." Some choice quotes:
I have to say, even after reading this article several times, I'm still struck speechless by the ridiculousness of that last statement. And of the article as a whole. Basically, Aaron believes that Food Stamp recipients are simply too dumb, or at least lack the self-control, to spend their benefits wisely. Since he himself can't go into Costco without buying a 25 gallon jar of olives, it obviously means that poor people won't be able to do so, either.
I could go on for pages, dissecting this mans logic, but I don't need to. Because he is wrong. I know this because I am on food stamps, and I plan on using them to purchase Quinoa, frozen vegetables, and possibly coffee. I will not buy "four pounds of red king crab for $99.99," because I am not an idiot.
Unfortunately, this attitude towards Food Stamp users is quite prevalent. There is a strange assumption amongst the general population that people who use food stamps are lazy, fat, and stupid. The New York Times had an interesting "debate" about this in December. - I use quotations because everyone seems to agree. The second paragraph of the introduction sums it up nicely:
If people buy fresh vegetables or other relatively expensive though nutritious foods, they are considered to be living high on the hog at the taxpayers’ expense. But if they buy cheap foods like hot dogs they are criticized for poor health habits.
Imagine you are feeding a family of four - you jumped through all the hoops to get food stamps, you now have $22 a day to spend to feed your family. You also work two jobs, can't read English at all, get around on the bus or by walking, and are unfamiliar with most of the food you see in the grocery store. How do you feed your family? You find the cheapest, most filling foods you can find, that take the least amount of time to prepare, or that your kids can prepare on their own while you are at work. So: hot dogs, canned soup, microwavable meals if your third grader can read the directions.
We need to teach people how to get the best nutrition for their dollars. We need to teach people how to cook with the food available to them - whether you came from Mexico, Thailand, or India, the food on the grocery store shelves is not going to look friendly to you. We need people to understand that sugary breakfast cereals and soda are not foods that will help them get through their day, no matter what they see in the advertisements.
The PTA at my school is starting a schoolyard garden, something I think all schools need, especially low-income schools. Students and their parents being involved and educated about gardening is how we start a food revolution - and that's what we all need, whether we are on public assistance or not.
**Edited to add:
I just found this article about the United Way Challenge at the Seattle Times website. I almost feel like the people who are "taking the challenge" aren't taking it seriously. They are worried about entertaining? First of all - it's totally possible. My best friend came over for breakfast this morning. Also, why do you think potlucks were invented? Second of all - when you are living off of an income that qualifies you for food stamps, you're probably not worried about hosting the neighborhood cocktail party.
The idea is, try to feed yourself for only $7 a day - also known as the maximum food stamp benefit available in Washington State. Also known as what I have done every day since September.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking the idea. I think it's great. I think everyone should be aware of how difficult it is to eat good, healthy food on food assistance. What I really appreciate is that bloggers like The Gluten-Free Girl - who is, as her name implies, gluten free - are participating and blogging about the experience. It's much more difficult to live off of $7 a day when you can't buy a 99cent loaf of bread.
I am completely inspired by The Gluten-Free Girl's entry about her experience this past week, and I am making my own plans. Plans that include baking my own bread, roasting a chicken, and using my awesome new crock pot. Plans that include a real, honest-to-goodness budget for my food.
Because, you see, for the first time since September, I used up all my food stamp benefits before the month was over.
To be fair, I bought five different kinds of gluten-free flours to make a bread that I took a class to learn how to make. And Xanthan Gum, which is pretty much the most expensive white powder that you can buy legally. Now that I made the initial investment, I can make my own gluten-free sourdough bread, and make sandwiches and eat toast... very exciting.
However, this month I also did things like buy lunch at the Co-Op deli counter several times, as well as buy frozen meals to take to school. When you are living off of $7 a day for food, a $5 sandwich is not a good idea.
Planning meals is a big step in the right direction for food budgeting, and buying in bulk is another good way to stretch your food dollars. That's why I was excited to hear that Costco is now accepting food stamps (I am lucky enough to have a membership, I'm tacked on as a "domestic partner" to a family member). While I was searching the internet to confirm the rumor, I stumbled across this article/blog entry, by Aaron Crow, a "freelance journalist," with a lot of opinions. To give you a general idea of this particular opinion, it's titled "Costco accepting food stamps: not exactly a great idea." Some choice quotes:
"There are no 15 items or less lines at Costco to speed things up because no one buys less than 15 items at a time. I've been a Costco member for about six years, and I don't think I've ever walked out of there without dropping at least $100."
"I don't know how someone on food stamps who is shopping there maybe once a month can justify paying $50 for the privilege of shopping there for a year, but the enticing free food samples might make a meal in themselves during a visit and make the membership fee seem cheap."
And the kicker: (Note: SNAP is the Federal name for Food Benefits)
"I'm all for increasing the purchasing power of shoppers, but SNAP users may have to be protected from themselves. The federal program prevents some items such as liquor and cigarettes from being bought with SNAP benefits. Maybe it should add Costco to the list of banned purchases."
I have to say, even after reading this article several times, I'm still struck speechless by the ridiculousness of that last statement. And of the article as a whole. Basically, Aaron believes that Food Stamp recipients are simply too dumb, or at least lack the self-control, to spend their benefits wisely. Since he himself can't go into Costco without buying a 25 gallon jar of olives, it obviously means that poor people won't be able to do so, either.
I could go on for pages, dissecting this mans logic, but I don't need to. Because he is wrong. I know this because I am on food stamps, and I plan on using them to purchase Quinoa, frozen vegetables, and possibly coffee. I will not buy "four pounds of red king crab for $99.99," because I am not an idiot.
Unfortunately, this attitude towards Food Stamp users is quite prevalent. There is a strange assumption amongst the general population that people who use food stamps are lazy, fat, and stupid. The New York Times had an interesting "debate" about this in December. - I use quotations because everyone seems to agree. The second paragraph of the introduction sums it up nicely:
If people buy fresh vegetables or other relatively expensive though nutritious foods, they are considered to be living high on the hog at the taxpayers’ expense. But if they buy cheap foods like hot dogs they are criticized for poor health habits.
Imagine you are feeding a family of four - you jumped through all the hoops to get food stamps, you now have $22 a day to spend to feed your family. You also work two jobs, can't read English at all, get around on the bus or by walking, and are unfamiliar with most of the food you see in the grocery store. How do you feed your family? You find the cheapest, most filling foods you can find, that take the least amount of time to prepare, or that your kids can prepare on their own while you are at work. So: hot dogs, canned soup, microwavable meals if your third grader can read the directions.
We need to teach people how to get the best nutrition for their dollars. We need to teach people how to cook with the food available to them - whether you came from Mexico, Thailand, or India, the food on the grocery store shelves is not going to look friendly to you. We need people to understand that sugary breakfast cereals and soda are not foods that will help them get through their day, no matter what they see in the advertisements.
The PTA at my school is starting a schoolyard garden, something I think all schools need, especially low-income schools. Students and their parents being involved and educated about gardening is how we start a food revolution - and that's what we all need, whether we are on public assistance or not.
**Edited to add:
I just found this article about the United Way Challenge at the Seattle Times website. I almost feel like the people who are "taking the challenge" aren't taking it seriously. They are worried about entertaining? First of all - it's totally possible. My best friend came over for breakfast this morning. Also, why do you think potlucks were invented? Second of all - when you are living off of an income that qualifies you for food stamps, you're probably not worried about hosting the neighborhood cocktail party.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
The Cycle (I ain't talkin' 'bout no bike)
On our Team Friday last week, we talked about the "National Service Cycle," as well as the Stages of Group Development, which both conveniently follow the same graph:
This graph and the "Stages of Group Development" were primarily developed by Charlie Ford, a private consultant for AmeriCorps programs. From my past experience in AmeriCorps, it is spot-on.
These stages describe what an individual in AmeriCorps might be going through, as well as how the entire group is working and relating with each other.
The first stage is Forming. As an individual, you are extremely excited to be starting AmeriCorps or starting another year of it. You have big plans (like writing a blog about it!) and know it's going to be awesome. As a group, you are excited to meet your teammates, and make big plans for the group (like 5 family events in the school year!).
The second stage is Storming. The thing about the Storming stage, and winter in the Pacific Northwest, is they come at pretty much the same time. Storming is when reality rears it's ugly head, nothing is going right, and you hate everything. You might apply for other jobs, cry on the phone with your parents, and eat way too much chocolate. You might. I'm not saying this from experience or anything. As a group, this stage is terrible. Fighting, anger, frustration.... I'm hoping my group has already had our little problems, and gotten through them. Fingers crossed.
Like the new green grass peeking it's head out of the snow (or, let's be serious - mud), Norming is when things start to get good again. As an individual, you begin to realize that this is really worth it. As a group, you begin to realize that yes, you can work together.
Performing! Doing what you came here to do! Getting things done! Kids are learning to read, your group is working together beautifully, life is wonderful.
Adjourning - this is when you realize that, just after it started to get good, your time in AmeriCorps or your time with this group has to come to an end - and soon. People get cranky, especially if they don't know what they are doing next. People get upset when other people get excited about the time being over. This part is TOUGH.
Then, it's done. Hopefully you stuck it out and are still alive to move on to the next step.
Know what? Sitting through this workshop was so much better the second time. Because it is SO TRUE. By the time I was in the middle of Storming in my last year, I had completely forgotten about this. They promised us it would get better! I should have listened.
I distinctly remember going to an interview at the Cingular interview (because I thought I HAD to get out of AmeriCorps), and it was windy and rainy and the power went out, so I had to reschedule my interview. Poetic, huh? In my "Storming" phase in a big storm, which prevented me from getting a job that would take me out of AmeriCorps? Well, I think so.
So, if you're storming: Remember, it gets better! I'm sure I will come back and read this entry several times in the next few months, to remind myself of that very fact.
If you would like to read more about the Stages of Group Development, check out: http://www.nationalserviceresources.org/stages-group
This graph and the "Stages of Group Development" were primarily developed by Charlie Ford, a private consultant for AmeriCorps programs. From my past experience in AmeriCorps, it is spot-on.
These stages describe what an individual in AmeriCorps might be going through, as well as how the entire group is working and relating with each other.
The first stage is Forming. As an individual, you are extremely excited to be starting AmeriCorps or starting another year of it. You have big plans (like writing a blog about it!) and know it's going to be awesome. As a group, you are excited to meet your teammates, and make big plans for the group (like 5 family events in the school year!).
The second stage is Storming. The thing about the Storming stage, and winter in the Pacific Northwest, is they come at pretty much the same time. Storming is when reality rears it's ugly head, nothing is going right, and you hate everything. You might apply for other jobs, cry on the phone with your parents, and eat way too much chocolate. You might. I'm not saying this from experience or anything. As a group, this stage is terrible. Fighting, anger, frustration.... I'm hoping my group has already had our little problems, and gotten through them. Fingers crossed.
Like the new green grass peeking it's head out of the snow (or, let's be serious - mud), Norming is when things start to get good again. As an individual, you begin to realize that this is really worth it. As a group, you begin to realize that yes, you can work together.
Performing! Doing what you came here to do! Getting things done! Kids are learning to read, your group is working together beautifully, life is wonderful.
Adjourning - this is when you realize that, just after it started to get good, your time in AmeriCorps or your time with this group has to come to an end - and soon. People get cranky, especially if they don't know what they are doing next. People get upset when other people get excited about the time being over. This part is TOUGH.
Then, it's done. Hopefully you stuck it out and are still alive to move on to the next step.
Know what? Sitting through this workshop was so much better the second time. Because it is SO TRUE. By the time I was in the middle of Storming in my last year, I had completely forgotten about this. They promised us it would get better! I should have listened.
I distinctly remember going to an interview at the Cingular interview (because I thought I HAD to get out of AmeriCorps), and it was windy and rainy and the power went out, so I had to reschedule my interview. Poetic, huh? In my "Storming" phase in a big storm, which prevented me from getting a job that would take me out of AmeriCorps? Well, I think so.
So, if you're storming: Remember, it gets better! I'm sure I will come back and read this entry several times in the next few months, to remind myself of that very fact.
If you would like to read more about the Stages of Group Development, check out: http://www.nationalserviceresources.org/stages-group
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Tips for Frugal Living
A lot of websites and articles about saving money give advice like "give up your morning latte," "cut your own hair," and "buy in bulk." I already do these things. I paid for a haircut in February, for the first time in over a year. I cut my own bangs. I rarely buy coffee. I don't get manicures. I buy in bulk not only because it is much less expensive, it also reduces the amount of waste I create.
So, what's a girl to do when she's already following these "tips," and trying to save even more money?
I've found some websites that have pretty decent advice, and I think the best advice can often be found from other people living on a strict budget. The internet is my greatest resource. (It's not even a remote idea that I will cut my internet bill out of my budget. I'd rather give up drinking. Hopefully it won't come to that.)
First of all, this is a fantastic article on eating "ethically" on a food stamp budget. I have a wheat allergy and don't like to eat meat or many fruits/veggies that aren't organically grown, so I do most of my shopping at our local food Co-op. It's nice to know that it is possible to eat organics on a food stamp budget.
The British government published a book called "Mend and Make Do" during WWII, when supplies were short. It's being reprinted with some modern touches, but the sentiment is still the same. There is no need to throw away a sock or a shirt just because it has a hole - Mend and Make Do! Read about it here.
The great thing about going "green" is you often end up saving money in the process. Just like buying in bulk, many green tips are about reducing your waste and consumption, which is why we end up saving money. Some of my favorite green living sites are:
The Green Guide - National Geographic's green living website!
Green Living - the online version of the magazine
Some more websites and other blogs with good frugal living tips:
There are several forums out there for living on the cheap, and here's a list of my favorites
Frugal Mom Forums - good even for those of us who aren't moms.
Budget 101 Forums - has coupons, budget tips, recipes and more
That's all for now! Please let me know if you have any good websites to add to the list.
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