What Do Food Banks Need?

I did a very unscientific survey online of items that Food Banks need.  Here is what I came up with.  Interestingly, you can extreme coupon to get many of these items.

Baby items – such as formula, baby food, diapers
Baking Supplies – flour, sugar, oil, vanilla, seasonings, etc
Beans, canned & dried
Cake mix & frosting
Canned Fruit
Canned meals such as chili, soup, pasta, Pork & Beans
Canned meats such as chicken, tuna
Canned Tomatoes
Canned Vegetables
Cereal, Cold & Hot
Condiments – ketchup, mayo, mustard
Coffee and tea (including iced tea mix)
100% Fruit Juice
Jelly
Kid friendly convenience foods, like granola bars, individual apple sauces,fruit snacks
Macaroni & cheese
Pasta
Pasta Sauce
Peanut Butter
Powdered milk
Processed cheese spread
Rice
Salad dressings
Saltine Crackers
Vegetable oil

Remember, people can’t buy non-food items with food stamps, so even if they are also getting food stamp assistance, items such as the following will come in handy:

Cleaning Products
Feminine products
Laundry soap
Razors and shaving cream
Shampoo
Soap
Toothpaste
Toilet paper

There was one other common theme on the websites.  As we near the holidays, many people will be donating to food pantries.  Many pantries then run out of items by summer. Couponing for good entails the constant picking up of those few extra items each week while at the store….allowing us to give year round and not just as we near the holidays….just one more reason to coupon for good!

What items have you found to donate this week?

Peace Out Coupon Scout.

Kate

This Week’s Haul

 

2 boxes of muffin mix ($.36/each)

6 jars of baby foor ($.06/each) (I think my husband panicked when he saw the baby food jars…hee, hee)

3 toothpaste (FREE)

Not a huge haul but every little but adds up, right?

I just received an email from Care 2 Action emphasizing how many charities will be overwhelmed with requests for help as the holidays approach.  Food Banks in particular will be hard hit.

What can you do right now to help?  I know what I’m doing.  I am going to keep on couponing for good.  If I can pick up 10 items each week, that will be close to 100 items by Christmas…see every little bit helps!

If you have any ideas of other simple, easy ways to help others, let me know.  If we all do just a little we really can make the world a better place.

Peace Out Coupon Scout,

Kate

 

 

 

This Week’s Goodies

There are a few super cheap/free things that are worth picking up and donating this week:

Publix has  Betty Crocker Premium Muffin Mix, on sale as a B1G1 which comes to $1.39/box.  If you use the -.50/1 Betty Crocker box muffin mix from the 9/09 Smart Source insert and your Publix doubles coupons like mine does, these should come out to less that $.39/box.  Certainly worth picking up a few to donate (or keep if you like muffins)

Kroger has a few things worth picking up to donate this week too:

Angel Soft Bathroom Tissue is on sale for $1 a 4 ct.  Use the 25/1 Angel Soft bath tissue PRINTABLE  and with the double coupon, you get a 4 ct for only 50¢.  Yahoo!  The only downside is that you can only print out 2 coupons.

Field or Fischer’s Lunch Meat, Bologna or Hot Dogs, $1.  There is a -.50/1 Fischer’s hot dogs, bologna, lunchmeat in the 8/19 Smart Source insert making these FREE. I LOVE FREE!!!!  Although, I am not sure about donating refrigerated items to the food pantry.  I am going to pick up a bunch of these and find out though.  I’ll post as soon as I get some info.

Once again toothpaste is free – I don’t think I’ve paid for a tube of toothpaste in over a year.  Crest toothpaste is on sale for $1.00 and there is a $0.50 off coupon in the 09-30 Proctor & Gamble insert.  Double that coupon and voila – free toothpaste.  A great item to donate.  Especially since you know there will be free toothpaste again soon.

I hope this list helps you find a few things to donate to a food pantry this week.   I firmly believe that if we all did just a little we could really make a dent in hunger.   We all agree that no one should go hungry, so just grab a few coupons and grab some items to donate.  Click here if you want more info on how you can help end Child Hunger in America–

Peace Out Coupon Scout!

Kate

 

SNAP Budget- FAIL

I haven’t posted for the past few days.  I am embarrassed.  You see, I failed on a SNAP budget.  I truly thought I could do it.  Not only did I think I could do it, I thought it would be fairly easy. HA!  I laugh at myself.

Three days into it and I tossed in the towel.  While it’s true that weekly I don’t usually spend more than $150-$175 at the grocery store, every 4-6 weeks I stock up on things at COSTCO.  Moreover, we eat out once or twice a week -never anything fancy, pizza or sub sandwiches, but not meals that I count in my grocery budget. It makes a difference.  We were not off by lots of money but we were off by enough.  It got complicated and frustrating and I quit.  I am feeling very fortunate that I could just quit.

This experiment not only made it clear to me how hard it is to be on food stamps, it also made me realize how important food banks that can supplement SNAP are and why couponing for good is in fact, a good idea.

For more information on SMAP and protecting it, go here:

http://www.strength.org/blog/snap/stories

I did not find any great couponing freebies this past week but am hoping there will be some good ones in the ads tomorrow.  I’ll keep you posted.  Remember, the food banks need us!

Peace Out Coupon Scout!

Kate

 

Oh SNAP! Day 3!

Day 3 we spent a total of $24.08 on food. We actually did it.  We were under our $24.85/day budget.  However it meant Jeff skipped breakfast, we ate leftovers and we did not have enough dinner for all of us.

Here’s how Day 3 broke down…

Breakfast – The shorties (CJ & Kylie had french toast sticks again…..you would thing they’d be sick of that by now)   Jeff didn’t eat breakfast today, Quinn had a peanut butter sandwich instead of a smoothie and I had a bowl of cereal– $3.85

No morning snack  again today so that also saved us a bit – seems like that has to go if we have any hope of staying on track.

Lunch: $.20

As it turns out Jack didn’t finish the box of pasta yesterday…he did today for lunch  – which was great for the budget- $0

Jeff had leftovers from dinner, also good for the budget. $0

I had $.20 can a of chili- $.20

Afterschool snack – $5.50

Jack and CJ had cereal, $1.50 ( 1 bowl of cereal each with milk – box of cereal $1.99, gallon of milk $2.19)

CJ  also had Special K crackers – $2.00

Quinn is on a field trip for school for the next two days and not here but we’ll act as if she is and add $2 for her after school snack.  Just to keep us honest.

Dinner – $11.28

CJ had a baseball game and I didn’t want to blow a bunch of cash at the concessions.   I decided to bring dinner to the park.  Jack helped me make the chicken nuggets and burned himself  which led to him dropping the tray full of nuggets.  We lost 1/2 of the bag.  Based on our budget for the week this is almost a tragedy.  We made the rest of the bag which was enough for Jack, Jeff and Kylie.  CJ was playing baseball so he didn’t get any and I sacrificed my chicken nuggets for the good of my family. – $3.99 for the bag

I also brought chips – $1.79 for the bag, a bag of apples but only Jeff and I ate apples – $1.00 and 4 packs of fruit snacks for the kids ($1.00), ketchup ($.50), water (I filled up bottles so that was free) and 3 diet cokes ($3.00)

Here’s a pic of our gourmet dinner:

Cj had a yogurt when he got home and he was given a Gatorade and chips at the game. $2.50.  And I made up for my chicken nuggets sacrifice with a bowl of cereal $.75.

We now have only $73. 71 left for the 4 days left in the week.  At this point it is clear that we are not going to make the entire week within our budget.  I have realized that I stock up on enough things that I don’t have to spend over $175 each week because at least once a month I do spend more.  That stocking up shopping trip allows me to spend less than $175 the other weeks …what these few days have taught me is that if I didn’t have the ability to stock up monthly, I’d be screwed.

Oh SNAP- Day 2

Today we spent a total of $26.94 on food. So I am still over but much closer to my goal of $24.85/day.

Here’s how Day 2 broke down…

Breakfast was pretty much the same as yesterday, except Jeff only had a yogurt which cost $.39, so our breakfast totalled – $5.74

No morning snack  today so that also saved us a bit.

Lunch: $3.49

Jack made a box of pasta which he ate with parmesan chese- $.99 for the pasta/$.50 for parm – $1.49

I finished yesterdays corn bread – $0.00

Jeff had an Aldi frozen meal $1.99

Afterschool snack – $3.31

We finished off the cookies from yesterday. $0.00

CJ  was obscenely hungry so he also broke into a box of special K crackers which he polished off – $2.99

Jack and Quinn finished off the rest of the pasta that Jack made earlier.  $0.00

Another pitcher of crystal light iced tea – $.32 for the pitcher.

Dinner –

I made BBQ turkey Joes for dinner which cost $9.99

2 pds grd turkey meat $5.98

1 green pepper $.67

1 onion $.30

1 bottle BBQ sauce which I got couponing for $.16

Hamburger buns $.89

Salad – Romaine, tomato, cucumber $2.00

In the interest of full disclosure I have to add an additional $4.00 for dinner.  Jack, Kylie and I went to a PTA meeting at Kylie’s school and the kids ate pizza and I had a diet coke.  Since we are not supposed to be eating out on this I am adding the cost of their 2 pieces of pizza and my diet coke to our total.

We did much better today but were still a few dollars over.  We now have only $97.79 left for the rest of the week.  No longer feeling so confident we are going to make it…YIKES!

SNAP Challenge Day 1

Today we spent a total of $49.27 on food.  I thought it sounded pretty good until I did the math.  If I have $174 to feed us for the week, I should only be spending$24.85/day.  I was wayyyyyy over budget.  Sheesh that was easy.

Here’s how it broke down…

Breakfast – $6.45

CJ & Kylie went through 1/2 box of Cinnamon French Toast Stix from ALDI- the box costs $1.99 so their breakfast was $1.00.  They each drank water.

Jack had mini pancakes – he probably ate 1/2 of the box by himself.  It’s amazing how skinny he is considering the way he eats, but I digress.  The pancakes are also from ALDI.  The whole box was on special for $1.69.  He added pancake Syrup which we had on hand but I’ll add $.50 for that…making his breakfast total $1.35.

Quinn and I had Smoothies- Milk ($2.19/gallon – you have to go to ALDI for milk, no hormones and the cheapest anywhere), ice, banana ($.15) and frozen strawberries ($2.69 for the bag, we used 1/4 of the bag) in a blender.  $1.50/each

Jeff had cottage cheese which I got with a coupon deal for $.45 for the container, apple sauce ($.99/jar) and a banana ($.15). $1.10 total

Snack – $1.50

Jeff and I snacked on corn bread which I made from a Jiffy box .$45/box plus eggs and milk.  I’ll say the cornbread cost $1.50/total.

Lunch: $4.20

I am not counting the kids lunch in my calculations because if we were truly SNAP recipients, they would be getting free.reduced lunch.  However, I am homeschooling my oldest so I will count his lunch which was frozen chicken nuggets ($3.99 for the bag)  – he had a lot so I’ll count it as $2.00

I had salad from a bag- $2.99/bag & salad dressing and more corn bread.  $2.oo

Jeff had chili and corn bread. (remember the $.2o cans of chili I snagged?) $.20

Afterschool snack – $13.32

Quinn was making cookies for a party and we all had quite a few of those cookies which were not only off my diet but clearly out of budget.  I don’t  have the energy to figure out what the individual ingredients totaled (and I have not even yet finished day 1, try to imagine how I’d cope if I had to be this diligent all the time).  I will go with $10.

I spent $2 on snacks for CJ & Kylie at our after school activity and I bought myself a diet coke for $1 – $3.

I also drank crystal light iced tea all day which cost $4.99/container but I got it for a B1G1 – each package has 8 powder mixes – $.32 for the pitcher.

Dinner – $25

Jack made pancakes.  We were at Walmart and spent $25 on groceries which included the ingredients for the breakfast ingredients Jack was making for dinner as well as $10 worth of snacks that I had to buy for Kylie’s softball team.  I will have to account for Kylie’s snack somewhere so it might as well be with today’s dinner.

I’d like to reiterate I really thought this would be easy and that I would come in under budget.  OOOPS!  I now have only $124.73 left for the rest of the week.  OH SNAP!

Oh SNAP!

Have you heard of the SNAP Challenge?  I just learned about it and starting today, my family and I will attempt it.  SNAP is the fancy name for the food stamp program.  It stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.  The SNAP Challenge is a way to see what it is like for the millions of low-income folks that are on food stamps.  The idea is that for one week, my family will live on the same food budget that a SNAP recipient does.  We will learn firsthand about what it is like to try to get by on the average SNAP benefit.  I will need to budget carefully and keep in mind that if I run out of money by Friday, we will just have to go hungry until the next Monday morning.  Obviously, we will not truly understand the daily difficulties that SNAP recipients face.  But this challenge will give us a little but of insight.

I found the guidelines for the SNAP challenge on the Chicago Food Depository website –

Challenge Guidelines

1. Each person should spend a set amount for food and beverages during the Challenge week. That amount is $35/week or $5/day for all food and beverage. (I have seen this amount online as low as $29/week)
2. All food purchased and eaten during the Challenge week, including fast food and dining out, must be included in the total spending.
3. During the Challenge, only eat food that you purchase for the project. Do not eat food that you already own – this does not include spices and condiments.
4. Avoid accepting free food from friends, family, or at work, including at receptions, briefings, or other events where food is served.
5. Keep track of receipts on food spending and take note of your experiences throughout the week.
6. Invite others to join you, including co-workers, reporters, chefs, or other elected officials.
7. Share your SNAP Challenge story. Post updates on Facebook and Twitter and tag them with #SNAPchallenge.

I learned that there are some things you can’t buy with your SNAP allotment.  Off limits are paper products, medicine, alcohol, cigarettes, energy drinks, magazines or hot, prepared food.  You can buy meat, produce, canned items, baby food, cereal, milk and microwaveable meals.

Since there are 6 of us in my family, my weekly allotment would be $174.  I used the $29/week amount since I live in Georgia and I am assuming since the cost of living is less here than in Chicago, the SNAP allotment will be less too.  As of this writing, the amount does not seem too bad to me particularly now that I am a coupon fiend.  I usually spend about $150 – $200/week on groceries.  It just depends on the week.

However, I have the freedom that many people don’t have. If I need to spend more in a week for whatever reason, I do, without even thinking about it.  And that is the difference.  I do have weeks where I spend much more.  Maybe we are having a party, or I’m just really hungry.  Who knows why?  The thing is that I can.

Except, this week, I won’t.  This week, I am committed to not going 1 penny over the $174.  This week, I am going to get a sense of what it means to truly be on a restricted food budget and I am going to see how hard it is to feed my family healthily.  And since I can’t use all of the things I have stocked up on by couponing, this may be a bit more difficult than I imagine.

Wanna join me in this challenge?