SNAP Cuts Leave Families 50 Cents From Empty
These complaints highlight the significant financial strain faced by individuals and families struggling to afford food, often exacerbated by unexpected cuts to assistance programs like SNAP. They are actively seeking creative, budget-friendly solutions like cheap recipes, utilizing food banks, and stretching limited resources to survive.
SOURCES (60)
“I usually tell my family when there’s good deals. Doesn’t matter if it’s paze or a free photo print at Walgreens.”
Thai veggie curry with rice. And add a cheap protein like pulled chicken.
“These are all great ideas and allow people to eat what they like without appearing "picky." And when you are running low on funds it's such a treat to have all the toppings!! I regularly volunteer at a family shelter and our go to dinner is tacos. We've suggested changing it and everyone who lives there says no. I think they get sick of casseroles.”
“For 10 bucks I get 3 chili’s from Wendy’s. I freeze them to use for lunches this winter.”
“All the household items absolutely add up. When people complain and balk that Costco or Sam's is too expensive, I have to bring up that I buy most of my household items once a year. Right now, Costco has a massive sale on laundry detergent, dishwashing soap/detergent, toilet paper, paper towels, personal care items. This is when I buy and I don't need to worry about it for another year (as a single person) . Same for vitamins and personal care items. I don't have a huge apartment, bu”
“After reading all the comments to my “Eating out of the pantry” post (thank you for the upvotes) I decided to go today to the food pantry. Although I think I had enough to last, next Monday is a holiday and the food pantry is only open three days a week. All of your comments have given me “permission,” so to speak, to make the food pantry the primary source of food for myself. A little about me (56f) with schizophrenia on SSDI since 2013. Both of my parents have now passed and I have two sibling”
“Dollar tree and Grocery Outlet “bargain market” have been great for finding cheaper food.”
“https://preview.redd.it/7xbqdjsq0xmh1.png?width=1036&format=png&auto=webp&s=697f077034683ca2797e80ef6d5cd149ace2f693 submitted by /u/Iman_SPQR [link] [comments]”
“Hi there! If you have any suggestions for meals on a budget please recommend them :)) Also, if you live in Italy, what’s the most affordable supermarket to shop in? submitted by /u/Alarming_Twist_2115 [link] [comments]”
“Sounds like the mental load of meal planning and cleanup adds up when it's not something you enjoy.”
“I think it depends on where you live also. I shop at Walmart and I cannot buy a tomato, a russet potato, or an onion for those prices.”
Same as you but I just selected groceries and it is active until 9/30/26
“And that food is dominoes pizza and sometimes they burn it or put rotten smelling ingredients but ican't complain because they control the food chain each time is $35 & i fkn hate it " give us today our daily bread " i want vegetables ,fresh fruit not this shit but after my afterpays go out theres no money submitted by /u/Funny_Owl4897 [link] [comments]”
Mines about 80 a week. But I don’t eat much mostly just dinners
“No it’s not. A few years ago my food budget was $220 and now I have a hard time keeping it under $300 some months.”
“I think I am very hard on myself with groceries. I break it down to $5 a meal, 2 meals a day for 30 days. As I write this I am realizing pricing varies heavily in my city. The same brand of eggs at Kroger cost much more at Target. Which should be obvious...but it wasn't to me until now. So let's just say approximately $300 a month for all of this. Breakfast: Eggs (Pasture Raised) Sourdough Bread Lunch/Dinner Alfredo Pasta Chicken (Organic) (Some months I switch this for rice. But irrelev”
“Happy cake day :) This is where going to a butcher shop comes in handy. Usually the unit pricing is a lot lower. My local shop has ground beef for $5.99/lb and my usual grocery store has turkey for the same or cheaper. (I know cheaper doesn’t fit my argument, but if it’s similar I’m getting a little beef.)”
“A lot of cheap meat with rice, pastas and soups. I can usually find 5lb packs of chicken breast and 6-8lb pork roasts for $10-$12 on sale at many stores like Albertsons/safeway. Don’t buy jarred pasta sauces, buy the cheapest canned tomatoes you can buy and an onion/garlic plus dry herbs for an excellent sauce. If you live near a Winco you can find most of your dry ingredients in bulk for a great price and you can buy as little or as much as you want. My current food budget is $260 for 2 adults”
“$123 total 🟰 $61.50 per person / $30.75 per week (if we make it last lol) submitted by /u/Top-Refrigerator7993 [link] [comments]”
“This free ebook is a few years old so the $4 a day is not likely to be true anymore but it’s a good start: https://leannebrown.com/good-and-cheap-2/”
Side hustle if you can it’s hard out here. Soups and freeze meals
“Breakfast for dinner is my kids' favorite. Scrambled eggs with frozen veggies and a little cheese, homemade whole wheat pancakes/waffles, and apple chips (we have a mini dehydrator)”
“Do not shop every two weeks. Instead, shop every 4 days. Buy only what you will use in the next 4 days. Portion the chicken into several meals. Make it into stews and soups that you can serve with potatoes, rice or pasta. Buy frozen vegetables that are on sale. Buy only produce that is in season and on sale. ALWAYS be soaking dried beans or having a pot of cooked beans in your fridge. Good Luck.”
Beef chuck is no longer even close to cheap. Pork or chicken cheaper
“There’s a tiktoker named chef Mo, who makes foods for families for under $5, I highly recommend you watch them, and it’s always available variety of different foods so it won’t be boring”
“Freeze being the operative word, and immediately . Most all of their discounted bread won't last until the following day before it starts growing mold. I wouldn't recommend buying any breads not in transparent bags. I've been burned before, buying a garlic loaf (aluminum bag) and a cuban loaf (paper bag), only to open it up at home and finding it completely caked in mold the same day. And I mean completely caked in it, not a little here and there, like it was spray painted in green,”
“I feel you, as someone with dietary restrictions and I'm not a cook. Avoid things branded gluten free and go with naturally gluten free snacks instead. Any time you think "I need bread," the craving for starch can be scratch with rice or potatoes or corn. Eggs, potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice, lentils, beans, corn tortillas, corn bread (Bob's Red Mill), corn chips are your friend. Get a whole chicken (Rotessori or bake yourself) but serve in half portions alongside a protein lik”
“Spinach, squash, peas, and most fruit. In a dark room you can store potatoes, carrots, and onions. Ferment or pickle most everything else.”
“If you have ethnic markets near you, the food there is cheaper than regular stores. Also for bread, if you are near a Mexican bakery, you can get the big bolillo bread that you can spread refried beans on and it’s quite filling. Look up sopa de fidello with pinto beans. Cheap and filling, you get carbs from the fidello and beans provide you with fiber and protein.”
“I have $20 left to my name and I am going to try and feed myself from what remains in my kitchen until I get paid September 9th. Here goes my meal planning. Let me know what you think. One serving of fish and tater tots One sausage with cous cous Oatmeal for breakfast Meatballs and a lot of spaghetti Pesto and spirals Chili starter—maybe I can add beans and use the tomato products to make it go further. I don’t buy dairy so the cheese ravioli is emergency food. Can you see anything I can make th”
“Find every food pantry you can and visit them all. If you cant-Dried beans, rice, smoked pork neck or smoked turkey wings. Soak beans overnight to make it easier to cook. Boil meat, throw in beans, it makes a giant pot. Serve over rice. Any leftovers can be portion out into zip lock bags and frozen. Frozen veggies, canned fruits. Shop at Aldi if you can.”
“have you considered homemade alternatives? things like banana “nice” cream and avocado/tofu chocolate pudding. gf tortillas. etc also check out r/accidentallyvegan dollar tree actually has so many df, gf, and gfdf options for snacks!”
“I find we are increasingly living paycheck to paycheck and have to really really budget out our food in the second half of each month. The biggest barrier to a lot of the options I see here is that I have a 7 and 9 year old allergic to gluten and dairy. I also teach full time and we have activities after school (and I wouldnt say I'm a stellar cook) so we need options that are quick and easy. While we aren't at a food bank level of need, we have about 35-40$ a day for meals and snacks fo”
“True in NY. Every COLA results in reduced SNAP. Also, since my program that I manage pays a rental stipend that reduces tenant rent to 30% of net income, their rent increases also. By the time all is said and done, the tenant only gets a few dollars from the COLA, while food prices continue to rise (regardless of what certain people say).”
“You can make lentil soup for 10 bucks give or take that will feed you for at least a week.”
“I do but a lot of staples there. And you can get a coupon for ten dollars off on Saturday.”
“Also, beans, rice, and veggies. Seriously. And make sure you get the dry packages and make em old school. So good.”
“Looking for meal ideas that can be made cheaply but are nutritious. Sick of my meals being on repeat. submitted by /u/Vast_Bed6019 [link] [comments]”
“Yes same types of experience, also people being upset that it was only a lasagna and not sides too.”
“Okay wow I’ll reconsider, thanks. Some weeks I lose too much weight from skipping meals bc I just don’t have the money”
“I’d ditch the whey protein since it’s likely expensive vs the other ingredients. From a pure cost perspective, legumes, grains and eggs are the best bang for your buck.”
“Does anyone have some cost saving meals they could recommend? Bonus points if it's easy to meal prep and and keeps well in the fridge. I've been trying to cut back on my grocery bills. This past week, I meal prepped baked oatmeal, tuna pasta, and ragu. submitted by /u/Snoo_97757 [link] [comments]”
“Pasta for sure, half my diet is pasta. I use a white sauce for pasta primavera, which is asparagus, peas, zuccini, or whatever you have + a pasta. I'll also chop up veggies and mix it in a tomato sauce for a lazy-ass ratatouille. But also, there's a jar of sauce for like everything. Curry sauce, you just simmer some proteins in it. Char Siu sauce - marinate pork and then bake it for 30 mins. I actually think Char Siu is the ultimate prep food protein, it holds up in the freezer really we”
“Are there other subs available, or just the gas/grocery/3%? I don't see a list of them anywhere.”
“I usually only eat one meal a day, have for 20yrs. What I found is that I need to have items on hand for days I'm too worn out to cook, as well as make 2 or 3 servings of something constantly so I can just toss a half decent meal together with only quick prep. Worked 10.5hrs today, didn't want to cook... Sliced up 2 cucumbers, added olive oil and Sichuan spice powder, stir and eat. Yesterday I reheated some taco seasoned beef, was planning to use the rest of it tonight for an egg roll bo”