Appreciating that this only lasts a week

These four Challengers seem to be fairing well under the budget, but the halfway point of this week is clearly taking a toll. Sacrifices are made on little luxuries (and free food!), with this experience bringing forth an appreciation for the life Challenger's lead, not on CalFresh.  Three days down.

Breakfast- same as always > Bagel and peanut butter Lunch- Bean and Cheese burrito Snack- Banana and some broccoli Dinner- Peanut butter sandwich and grapes

The challenge is going pretty good.  My groceries are diminishing some, but I am fine for a couple of more days I think.  I will probably shop tomorrow with the balance of my allotment.

Some of the things that have to be given up in order to function within a limited budget: eating out convenience packaging junk food- including my bad favorite- soda luxury food items with high price tags

Looking forward to tomorrow being the half way point.  I am missing some of my usual treats.

-Submitted by: CalFresh Challenger

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Its day 3 of the challenge.  I have no school today, and the only thing I am doing today is studying.  Ahh the life of a student. Lol.  For breakfast, I had 1 sunny-side up egg. Then I went grocery shopping again! This time I went to Fresh and Easy and bought those $1 pack vegetables.  Sad part was that I only bought 1 item, a 2 pack of green bell peppers.  I probably wasted more money on gas then the food itself.  I really need to manage my grocery list more, but since it was near a starbucks (where I studied today), so I just stopped by.  I saw this pinterest picture of a sunny side up egg that was paced inside a sliced bell pepper I wanted to give it a try.  However, on my way home, I fell prey to Chinese fast food.  Since I haven’t spent all my weekly allowance yet and I fell short of my daily expense these past two days, I bought a 2 combo plate.  I figured it would last me the entire day! If it didn’t, I told myself I could eat another strawberry jam sandwich or cup noodles or try to make that egg inside a bell pepper. The combo plate did last me the entire day.  I had orange chicken, black bean fish, fried rice, and noodles. So far in this challenge, I have spent $16.72 (I have $17.59 left to spend for the next 4 days and extra groceries at home).  I can’t believe I am actually keeping track of every penny I have spent!  I’m not spoiled but this entire challenge makes me realize that I should really appreciate everything and the fact that I do not having to worry about how much money I have left to spend on food.

-Submitted by: CalFresh Challenger

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Day 3: Keep going...

Day three was a blur.  On my way to my early clinical, I packed my lunch pail for the worst case scenario.  On the road I had a muffin and water on my way down South San Diego.  During lunch I was invited to a potluck at VITAS but kindly declined and ate my ham and cheese sandwich outside.  For the rest of the day I had to ignore the free yummy food that was being offered and stayed strong!  For dinner I had my favorite... Sinigang leftovers.

-Submitted by CalFresh Challenger

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Day #3 of CalFresh challenge. Trying not to go over my $4.90 budget for the day I consumed a small amount of food today. This morning I had a banana, and another power bar. I find that I'm hungry a few hours later. I had a busy day today, so that's probably why. For dinner I  had a $2.99 bag of southwestern chopped salad that I purchased from Henry's and the avocado I got the night prior that I didn't use. The salad tasted good! This is difficult and really have to be conscious of what I buy.  I will go to the store again tomorrow. And see what  food option I come up with.

-Submitted by: CalFresh Challenger

Coffee is a drug...that I can't afford

We don't mean to insinuate an addiction, but it seems that the simple act of having a cup of coffee every morning matters quite a bit to your body as well as your wallet. As you'll read, some challengers have found it incredibly hard to give up their daily dose.

So at this point the biggest problem for me is I love coffee.   I didn’t figure my budget allowed for coffee, but I’m wondering how much coffee I could buy for $3.  Would that much coffee get me through the week or will I need food at the end of the week and regret buying coffee?

-Submitted by: CalFresh Challenger

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I woke up with a terrible migraine at 3:00 a.m. Now, I get migraines once in a while, but they usually hit mid-afternoon and are triggered by stress. I don’t know for sure, but I would suspect that my sudden reliance on Ramen, which has MSG, and so much sodium might be the culprit. I took medicine and tried to pull myself together for work. I ate a cup of yogurt and drank a cup of green tea at 8:00 a.m. and tried to ignore my migraine because I had a meeting I couldn’t miss. As sometimes happens with my worst migraines, I threw up everything by 10:00 a.m. Now, I had a headache and was throwing up my breakfast, without a replacement option. Sickness of any kind and no expendable income for “sick food” was a problem I hadn’t really thought about before. I would wait for lunch to replenish.

The medicine kicked in and I decided to splurge on a $.99 coffee refill at 7-11. I usually take my coffee with milk and splenda. But all the fixings looked like a dessert heaven to me. I quickly drank half the cup of coffee standing at the counter, so I could refill my cup without an extra charge. The cashier nastily stared me down, but I just shrugged my shoulders. What’s a girl with coffee deprivation to do? I am usually so polite and thankful to every worker, but I found myself becoming resentful as she judged me. Nonetheless, I refilled my cup and added every extra they had: caramel, little marshmellows, whipped cream. I knew this was the first nutrients I would keep down for the day, and that I was making a poor drinking decision worse by adding so much sugar. But, I was just desperate for something that tasted good.

I ate a lunch of Progresso Lentil Soup. Disgusting in taste, but healthier than many of my options. It was a steal of a deal – on sale at my union CVS for $.97, but with a coupon $.75. It was more filling and better for me than Ramen, so I feel like I am making progress on food decisions.

I really wanted something fresh for dinner. So, I reached into my $9.00 kitty and spent $.50 on an avocado. I sliced half of it, cooked an ear of corn and made a fried egg sandwich. I don’t think I have ever eaten a fried egg sandwich in my life. Not an ideal dinner (cholesterol anyone?) but at least it wasn’t processed. At roughly the halfway point, I am hopeful I can do this… if they will let me return my unused Ramen to the store.

Breakfast: Yogurt ($.60), Green Tea

Lunch: Coffee!!! ($1.00), Lentil Soup ($.75)

Dinner: ½ of an Avocado ($.25), Ear of Corn ($.50), two pieces of bread ($.25), one egg ($.25)

Money left: $8.50

-Submitted by: CalFresh Challenger

The littlest things have the biggest impact

Our good friends at SuperFood Drive made some healthy and inexpensive dishes for this week and missed luxuries like other Challengers such as tea and chocolate. Ruthi makes a great point about eating alone more often, as there isn't enough to share with someone else. Since eating is such a bonding and social event in our society, this is sad that people would have to isolate themselves in the name of self-preservation. 

At a recent board meeting, we discussed meal planning, how to budget shopping for healthy foods, and tips for maintaining freshness, nutrient density and flavor. 3 days in, I am doing well, and I met with a board member this morning who would be making one of our simple, whole grain and bean dishes for she and her husband tonight.

For me, a key has been to make a large amount of whole grain (brown rice, quinoa, whole wheat pasta) that is enough for dinner night of, lunch the following day, and in certain cases, breakfast the following morning. For example, I made brown rice night one, which was combined with black beans and veggies for dinner and lunch, then I used that brown rice for breakfast the next morning (combine with cinnamon, honey, nuts, banana).

I have attached two pics of meals (one is black beans, brown rice, sweet potato, onion and spinach; the other is whole wheat pasta with finely chopped spinach, spices, pine nuts)...

Where I am struggling is I had totally underestimated the amount of time I spent in coffee shops. I have a lot of meetings out in the community so often, between meetings, I will get work done in a coffee shop. I am a tea drinker, so even without buying fancy coffee drinks, I still average $2/tea. Well, on a CalFresh budget, this is almost half my daily food allotment!! So this week, I have been looking for parks, libraries, and one day, I even parked outside of a Starbucks with my windows down so I could access internet, but not go inside and purchase a tea. I know this is a small 'struggle' yet it is in these daily routines that I am noticing the biggest awareness coming through for me this year. That, and the fact that I don't get my daily dark chocolate square. Again, something small, and one that I readily give up, but a small comfort that I enjoy most days. But dark chocolate didn't make it into my CalFresh shopping list...

So far, the meals are going well. I am not feeling too hungry, although I definitely am aware of when I want an extra serving and I have to do quick calculations to make sure there will be enough for the remaining days/meals. And lastly, I seem to eat alone more. Typically, not only would I share a meal out here and there, but I also love to invite neighbors and friends over for dinner. This week, I don't dare invite anyone else over since I am worried about having enough for the rest of the week.

Thank you for sharing the other participants' stories. It helps to know that around the county, we are all sharing in this 'challenge' together.

I will update later in the week as the cupboards become more empty.

-Submitted by: SuperFood Drive Founder, Ruthie Solari

It starts with a banana

One of the interesting and most compelling things about this challenge is how quickly a Challenger's viewpoint becomes survivalist. People who generally are very giving and generous are now hesitant to part with any food, fearful that letting any go might mean they will lack later. These decisions are an act of self-preservation, as Jenn mentions, and shows how hunger can supersede our desire to share food with others.

A friend stopped by tonight for a visit. Before leaving he asked if he could have a banana. I had to really think about my answer. I said yes partly because I couldn’t think of a hospitable way to say no, even under the current CalFresh Challenge circumstances, and partly because I wanted to be able to share. Hospitality is a part of what enacts our humanity and I didn’t want to say no. As he was eating, I found myself looking wistfully at the three bananas that remained on the countertop, hoping they will be enough.

I don’t know what sort of profound message might be rooted in this 90 second experience, if any. I’ve tried to write about it but nothing sounds quite right. I was taken aback at my initial resistance to sharing something as small as a banana.

 Thinking about it now, I realize that if I was truly living at the poverty line I likely would have said no. It would have been a choice of self-preservation for me or my family, even if it meant missing out on the gift of participating in the exceptionally human act of sharing food.

 I can’t help but ask myself, What does it mean for our society when people are forced to live so close to the bone that they have to make choices about which loved ones they can feed in the economy of scarcity?

Challenger wonders what it's like to feed kids this week, family of 5 has game plan

A college student challenger reflects on how hard it might be to satisfy a child or even children on a budget like this. Luckily, we have a mom of 3 that is documenting her experiences and shows how economies of scale work in her favor. Going back to our post on insecure living situations, buying in bulk still wouldn't work for a family constantly moving, with no place to store their extra food. Something to think about. Day #2 of Cal Fresh challenge. It's doing pretty well. Just trying to manage my budget and eats foods  that will sustain me throughout the day. It's kind of hard as a student when food is the fuel that keeps you going.  Today, I had my second protein bar this morning on my way to clinical. I didn't get to eat again until later in the morning which was when I had an apple. I had only water today. After clinical today, I stopped at the store again and purchased my dinner for the night. This consisted of 2 heads of broccoli, tofu and an avocado. I sauteed the tofu and broccoli but didn't eat the avocado. Its kinda of crazy and hard to be able to have only $4 worth of food for the entire day!  I cant imagine trying to feed growing children. They're always hungry. It would be difficult.  This does make me aware of the things that we often take for granted such as having a nice warm healthy meal.  But I have learned as an adult,  to not waste food as I do think of those who have it harder.

-Submitted by: CalFresh Challenger

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I'm starting the challenge a day late...oops.

This morning I went to the commissary (lucky to have access, I know) and the two things that immediately struck me were: 1) I'm glad we're a family of 5, because there are some definite economies of scale; 2) I have become a horribly lazy shopper sometime over the past decade. Don't get me wrong, I buy tons of fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains every week, and we cook at home nearly every night--but I don't compare prices as I shop the way I used to. I was shocked at how much money I'm likely throwing away each week, even on "healthy" foods.

Take fruit, for instance. We normally buy berries and peaches and apples this time of year, but today I opted for grapes and bananas and apples instead, for far more servings at far less cost. And the bread I normally buy? Twice as expensive as a loaf with very similar specs from a different company. Yikes.Our menu for the week:

Breakfasts: cold cereal with milk OR egg/cheese quesadillas, orange or apple juice, coffee with milk

Lunches: PBJ on wheat, apples, yogurt, tap water (in reusable bottles)

Dinners: chicken (thigh) curry with broccoli & rice, milk

                 spaghetti & turkey meatballs with green salad, milk

                 vegetable enchiladas with avocado salad, milk

                  korean short ribs with stir fried vegetables, milk

                  TBD (I still have just over $30 in my budget of $122.50 for 5 people/5 days)

Snacks:  grapes, bananas, popcorn, graham crackers

I'll follow up soon with how the family takes to the new "regime", and the challenges I'm sure we'll face...

-Submitted by: CalFresh Challenger

PB&J stuck on repeat; It's not just Milli Vanilli anymore.

Peanut butter and Jelly, pasta and sauce, bean and cheese. Clearly timeless combinations are making a comeback this week for our Challengers. Items that can be used over and over again for meals means getting the most bang for your buck. Eating PB&J everyday for lunch isn't that bad, ask any 7 year old. Also, thanks for the great tips, CalFresh Challenger!

Day two down.  I am continuing to work from the supply of groceries that I bought on Sunday.  Here is what I had to eat today:

Breakfast- Bagel and peanut butter

Snack- banana

Lunch- Broccoli wrap and grapes

Dinner- bean and cheese burrito

Feeling good and not deprived.

Some tips for eating well on a budget include:

            Be smart about where you shop, some grocery stores are just more expensive

            Go for inexpensive proteins such as eggs, peanut butter and beans.

Go for fresh produce that is in season.  Not only is it tastier, it is more often on sale because it is more plentiful at the time and the store needs to move it out faster.

Shop sales.  Look at the grocery circular that comes in the mail and see what is a good deal that week, you can save a lot of money this way.

Plan, Plan, Plan!!!!  Don’t go to the store without a list!  You will buy stuff you don’t need if you don’t have a list.

Use coupons.  I don’t because it is so time consuming, but if you have the time it is really amazing what you can do.

-Submitted by: CalFresh Challenger

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I went shopping Sunday to get my basic food together, and it’s an interesting situation.  I spent $22.95 and am pretty well set for lunch and breakfast.  Toast and fruit for breakfast (I bought bananas and apples).  Lunch all week will be yogurt, fruit and a carrot.  I only bought a quart of yogurt, so I may need to buy more yogurt or fruit as the week goes on. The $10 I have left will be needed.

Dinner is where I will really need the help. I bought eggs for Sunday dinner (toast was my side dish), so that may be repeated for another night or more.  In addition I have pasta and marinara sauce, and tortillas, black beans and jack cheese (cheaper than cheddar).  I bought some mixed lettuce ($1.99) to go with the burritos, or maybe a salad one day.

So it looks like I’m headed for a boring and repetitive week, hoping that the budget will hold.

-Submitted by: CalFresh Challenger

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Day two

For breakfast I had some toasted bread, an apple and a cup of coffee. For lunch I made myself a turkey sandwich (again)from the food I had left over from yesterday and for dinner I made myself some flour breaded chicken and some white rice. I bought one small skinless chicken breast, so I cut it up in strips and then dipped it in flour and fried it and then made some white rice to go with it. It was easier today since I was at work most of the day. I do have to say it is hard going grocery shopping and having to look at the price first to see if I can afford it. For example, when I bought the chicken I had to made sure it did not go over $2.00. I also bought a couple of apples and a small bag of rice. The lady at the meat counter must of thought I was weird when I kept telling her it could not be more than two dollars. Well, will see how day three goes.

-Submitted by: CalFresh Challenger

It's hard to say "Na" to Sodium this week

With Top Ramen selections and back-to-basic foods being bland by our society's standards, we've noticed some heavy Sodium laden items being eaten this week. For our Challengers, this extra intake will only last a week and won't do much harm. We can't help but think of the ramifications of consuming extra sodium on a daily basis for months or even years. This Challenger also brought up a great observation of her obsession over food during this week. 

CalFresh Challenge Day 2:

I woke up hungry and desperately wanting a big cup of coffee. I settled for a cup of green tea. I was proud of my breakfast: yogurt and a piece of toast with peanut butter. I did drop the bread on the floor on accident. Normally, I would just toss it in the trash. But, looking at my sad little loaf of bread, I just blew on it and claimed the 3 second rule.   Still, I couldn’t help but stare at my daughter’s fresh mango. Not being able to eat what I want is tough.

By the time I made it in to work, I was afraid I would start snapping at folks thanks to my lack of coffee. I just used one green tea bag (over and over) and kept convincing myself it was “almost as good.” I actually had an internal debate with myself over whether I should just go to 7-11 and buy a cup of coffee. But, I was afraid if I used a dollar today, I may need it later in the week. I only have $10 left and I know I have to do one meal out, so I stopped myself. The insecurity over “how much money is left” is starting to weigh on me and dictates every decision I make.

I notice I think about food a lot more now. This is the opposite of a diet, it is becoming a food obsession. I keep looking at my bag of food and wonder if it will last the week. Lunch was Ramen again.  There are many days when I work through lunch, but today I sat with my Ramen and plotted stealing my assistant’s fruit. I think about how I could scam or steal food all the time. Seriously. I have come to the conclusion that if I had to live on food stamps for my life, I probably would do some pretty unethical things for a good meal.

I rushed home from work at an early hour (for me) because I was so excited about my dinner. I knew I would have enough time (rare) to actually cook. I steamed half a pound of broccoli, boiled 1/3 a box of pasta and cooked a single piece of chicken. What I would normally look down upon as a subpar dinner, was absolutely delicious. I didn’t have sauce for the pasta, so I drenched it in Tapatio hot sauce and put garlic salt over everything. I am a little concerned about my sodium levels… but, I am full and happy. So, who cares for today?

Tonight I am heading to a friend’s birthday at a bar. I have decided that since the challenge does not speak to alcohol (and you CAN’T purchase it with food stamps), I will only drink if someone pays for it. Or, maybe I will drink out of other people’s glasses. (I am joking of course)…

Breakfast: Peach Yogurt ($.60), bread w/ peanut butter (roughly $.75), Green Tea

Lunch: Ramen ($.25), Green Tea

Dinner: ½ lb Broccoli ($.75), 1/3 box of pasta ($.35), chicken breast ($1.00), Green Tea

-Submitted by: CalFresh Challenger

Lead me not into Dollar Menu temptation...

The ease and seemingly cheap option of ordering something from a fast food dollar menu is cropping up in some of our entries. We're very proud of our Challengers for resisting this temptation, amidst being tired, cranky and hungry. This Challenge isn't just about how cheaply you can eat, but how healthy you can eat under fiscal restraint. We believe in you, Challengers! Today gave me a chance to reflect on the necessity of making meals.  You can’t possibly eat out or grab take out on this type of budget.  This meant that I needed to wake up earlier to make breakfast and prepare lunch.  Then when I got home this evening, I did not want to make dinner.   I was exhausted and had a headache.  Normally, I would order take out or eat a meal that I had frozen previously.  It seems silly to comment on having to wake up earlier and make dinner when I was tired.  However, I can imagine how difficult this would be on an every day/week/month basis.  It would be so easy to just buy something off of the dollar menu at some fast food restaurant or eat some other inexpensive processed food.

Personally, we did much better today than yesterday in staying within our budget, even if we were still a little bit over.  Between the two of us, my husband and I ate two eggs, a Cliff bar, a banana, and two cans of diet soda for breakfast for a total of $2.01.  We ate quite a bit more for lunch and snacks: apples, grapes, baby carrots, graham crackers, wheat thins, and leftovers from dinner for a total of $4.58.  For dinner we (three of us) had bone in and skin on chicken breasts, diced tomatoes, rice, salsa, and broccoli for a total of $3.17.  We shared two servings of ice cream for an after dinner snack for $0.50.  This brings us to a total of $10.26 for the day, which is slightly above our daily budget but much better than yesterday.

We were lucky this week because there were many great deals at the grocery store.  Bone in skin on chicken breasts were on sale for $0.99/lb and most of the fruits and veggies that we bought were $0.99/lb.  It was even a little disappointing knowing that I wouldn’t be able to stock up on the sales due to the limited budget.  I always thought that if people would just stock up during sales, they would be able to eat on a low budget.  However, I realized that stocking up can be very difficult on a fixed budget.

-Submitted by: CalFresh Challenger

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Okay, so today was able to go from 5am until 1pm without eating. Is that what I would do if on food stamps? Had a banging lunch that I spent what I didn't spend yesterday on. I think the secret is to keep yourself so busy that you "forget to eat." I thought that people who said that were ridiculous, but now I know it works. I'm starting to suspect that anyone who says that is on a very limited income and that's their coping mechanism. I really want a little dinner but I don't have any money. Is panhandling allowed in this challenge? I don't think I saw a rule on that?

So I'm hungry. Gonna fill up on ice water, read, and hit the bed early. Would do something fun but energy is a little short today. I do have a 99 cent bag of carrots that I could use sparingly throughout the week? Gosh, this would be so easy if I allowed myself to eat off of the McDonald's dollar menu, but NO! That is so unhealthy and then I would have medical bills.

-Submitted by: CalFresh Challenger

College students and noodles in cups, it's real

College students get a bad rep for staying up all night, sleeping excessively and eating noodles in cups too often. But on a budget of $34.31 for a week, we can recognize their pragmatic approach to saving money. Juggling school, work and trying to eat on  a small budget is no easy task and we're glad we have a few student Challengers to represent the percentage of CalFresh recipients who are students as well. CalFRESH!  Today is the first day of my week of eating on the proposed budget of $34!  My family is visiting in town so by the time I woke up, it was too late for breakfast.  I finally managed my way to the grocery store to make my purchases.  I first made a list of potential dishes that include soup, tacos, chicken and my favorite, Sinigang.  Buying the bare necessities for all dishes, I was able to make the cut.  My ultimate buy – 12 Cup of Noodles for $2.50!

Day 2

Today was my clinical day at the hospital and brought lunch there for the first time.  I packed a Cup of Noodles, half a muffin and pudding.  After a few hours of work, I enjoyed my lunch and felt good not spending money at the cafeteria.  For the ride home and rest of the day I had some cheddar cheese to keep me company until dinner.  For dinner I made Sinigang which will be lasting me for a whopping three days!  Making a list of meals for the week has definitely made it easier to stick to the budget.

-Submitted by: CalFresh Challenger

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Today I didn’t really have chance to eat much today.  I’m actually thankful that my schedule was full, if not I know I would have been hungry.  My breakfast consisted of just a banana (29Ȼeach) while I headed to school.  I had a chocolate jello pudding, strawberry jam sandwich with 1 slice of bread.  For my afternoon snack, I had a banana and another strawberry jam sandwich with 1 slice of bread. For dinner (thankfully its late at night, 9pm) I am having top ramen with an egg.

My grocery list for today is 18 eggs ($2.78), 1 loaf of bread with 18 slices ($2.28), and strawberry jam ($2.78).  Since Sunday I have spent a total of $9.84, but I still have some extra supplies left.

Since I don't have school or work tomorrow, I will try to eat something more extraordinary than cup noodles! But its definitely helps when you're too busy to think about food.

-Submitted by: CalFresh Challenger

"this really isn't a good time, Hunger..."

Jennifer speaks to a larger point about hunger being inconvenient this week. Her situation mirrors that of individuals and families with an unstable living situation, constantly moving locations. We can speculate that a portion of these people might want to make home cooked meals, but don't have to facilities to do so. That seems like the meaning of frustration to us. Thanks for the great perspective, Jennifer.

This is my second time doing the CalFresh Challenge but this year, the challenge has taken on a completely different form. “There could not be a worse time for me to do the challenge!” I brashly commented to a friend a week ago. The Challenge’s dates just so happened to land on a week that I am floating around, staying at different people’s homes. It’s only 2 weeks as I wait to move into my new studio but it sure is exhausting not having more than a few days’ worth of clothes in my car and sleeping on different friend and family’s couches each night.  The idea of adding huge budget restrictions to my eating and not being able to eat out at my convenience instantly added an enormous feeling of stress. I even contemplated not taking part of the challenge this year.

But, of course, I quickly remembered what the challenge was about and remembered how deeply I empathize with the situation of those I assist with CalFresh applications. Many of my clients are technically homeless, not having a permanent resident for at least 90 days. Some sleep in the streets, some in cars, some in shelters, and some at their brother or aunt’s house until a family member can find work again after being suddenly laid off. These situations are, of course, incredibly stressful. And then, on top of negotiating housing and working or looking for work, there comes the very fundamental need to feed ourselves, to sustain ourselves and our families. Cooking big meals to eat over a few days is a great way to stretch a dollar but can be very difficult to do in transitory times. I found myself bringing home my very well thought-out grocery items from the store last night and as I put them away in small gaps in the fridge and cupboard, I suddenly got nervous and anxious at the idea of the friend I am staying with eating something without knowing what the consequences are for me. Really, I would like to share a meal with her to hank her but with this budget, I simply can’t. Stacking the cans in the kitchen nervously, I remembered a recent client in my office crying. “And then my son comes home to visit and he eats all the pasta I make. And I don’t know how to tell him to stop”.

The CalFresh Challenge is only week. My unstable housing situation is very temporary. Feeling nervous and anxious just for a few moments, however, vividly reminds me of how vital this program is to those who struggle with food insecurity due to a plethora of reasons including high rates of unemployment, an economic recession, low-paying jobs, age, disability and the high cost of living. 76% of SNAP households include a child, an elderly person, or a disabled person. With proposed cuts for this essential nutritional assistance program, our most vulnerable population suffers. Unfortunately, food insecurity isn’t a mere week for them but rather a greater reality that programs such as SNAP aim to solve and are essential as we continue to find solutions to poverty and hunger in our society.

Submitted by: Jennifer Seneor, CalFresh Outreach Manager with Feeding America San Diego

Breakfast for 3 at $4.50 is a great deal...unless it's half your daily budget

This week's challenge is what the name implies: challenging. It requires you to think completely different about food. We applaud this Challenger for sticking to the guidelines, despite accidentally splurging. It only serves to make it a more true to life experience. We are a household of two adults and one toddler.  Our toddler eats half of his meals at daycare, and when at home eats about a quarter to a third of what we eat.  I adjusted the allowance in accordance with this and came up with approximately $73.17 to spend for the week.

Unfortunately this morning we forgot about the challenge and bought doughnuts! This deducted $4.50 from our total weekly budget, which hurt a lot more than I would have thought.  It was a little bit of a shock to realize that such a simple and quick treat (at a seemingly low price point) could have such an effect on our budget.

In addition, I can see how miscommunication can also easily derail a budget.  We have some leftover food (sausage, produce) that must be eaten.  I can’t stand wasting food.  Therefore I had to deduct that amount from our budget as well.  I never would have included pricy Italian sausage, and Cliff bars in this week’s limited budget.

Due to the doughnuts, sausage, and other leftover more expensive food our total for today came to $13.93.  Yikes, well over the average CalFresh SNAP benefit amount.  With these mistakes I need to come up with a meal plan and shopping list that will suit our needs.  Now, the challenge will be to see if we can keep the total for our meals at or under $9.87/day to meet the weekly budget.

It is difficult knowing that I have to stick to a specific amount.  We normally have a budget for food, but not necessarily a strict budget.  This week we will give up our protein powder, individual sized coffee, fresh fish, chocolate, and basically any other luxuries.  I look forward to finding out if a healthy diet can be obtained with such a low budget.

Getting back to the basics, creatively

It seems most Challengers are finding basic foods to be the cheapest and most versatile. Foods like Beans, bread, spaghetti, and peanut butter to name a few. We can't help but notice the lack of meat being bought for this week. Just something to ruminate on...(Pun intended).  I survived my first day! Luckily, I was pretty busy with errands, chores & homework/studying, so it wasn't as difficult as I thought. I'm pretty sure I am going to attempt the same menu today. I'm trying to save my huge batch of spaghetti for later on in the week, but we'll see how that goes.

Flashback: growing up as kid, my parents were working 24/7, so to be honest, I am kind of used to eating soups, pbj's, and oatmeal. They used to call me "Tin-y" because I was so "thin/skinny." I would come home from school and make myself a pbj or ham sandwich. As a child, you don't realize that there are so many people out there who eat like this because they have no other choice. It's an eye-opener & it feels great to be doing this. I think more people should be aware and learn that "wasting" food is literally such a waste! My dad always taught us to finish all the food on our plate, and I am teaching my kids the same lesson. :)

                                  -Submitted by: CalFresh Challenger

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I decided to go grocery shopping yesterday so that I would be prepared for today, since I could not use any of the foods that I had at home. I went ahead and bought a loaf of bread($1.00), a carton of eggs($1.99) and a some turkey deli meat($1.99). So for breakfast I made myself some french toast. I used two pieces of bread and one egg. For lunch I made myself some egg drop soup. All I used was some boiled water, chicken flavor bouillon, some ginger, soy sauce and one egg. For dinner I had a turkey sandwich with some egg drop soup that I had left over from lunch. I found a tomato in my garden, so I cut some up and put it in my sandwich. Today since I was home all day it was harder than I thought. I am used to grabbing snacks throughout the day. Hopefully tomorrow that I am at work it will be easier. I don't tend to snack as much at work as I do at home. I still have some eggs, bread and turkey meat. I will see what I can buy tomorrow for about $4.00 to add to what I had left over today. I will have to be creative with my meals. Will see how day two goes.

-Submitted by: CalFresh Challenger

This week's soundtrack brought to you by Stomach Growl

Eating healthy snacks throughout the day is a great habit to have, but Challengers have found that they can't eat as frequently as they like if they want to stay under their daily budget. For most, this means a confused stomach who's response is a low grumble until it is fed.

I'm blogging my first day participating in the CalFresh challenge. As I didn't have time today to go to the store and stock up for the entire week, I did do out and buy a few items for my meals today. What I bought were 2- simple truth protein bars, minestrone soup, croutons and a banana. I've had water all day.  I ate the protein bar and banana before work and by the time I left, my stomach was growling. It is hard to start the challenge.  I will try and continue to prepare as well balanced meals as I can on the allowance I'm given. I like healthy eating so I hope I'm able to maintain it. I have included my first days food supply and plan on getting to the store tomorrow to stock up for the next couple of days or the week.

-Submitted by: CalFresh Challenger

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My schedule this week doesn't permit me to go to the store and plan meals. I don't have time to cook this week, nor a place to store something that needs refrigeration so I don't get sick. But I want to do the challenge. The secret . . . put off eating in the morning as long as you can! I got up at 7am, and went until 10am when I forced myself to eat because I'd be out of the house until 6pm. The menu, ice, water, and bananas as a smoothie. I wanted to do milk, but thought that would take me over the  budget. Lunch was a dollar and eighty cent soup. Dinner was a whole bag of frozen peas with tons of salt, and a 69 cent bag of chips. Not my usual diet, I had to cut out the splurges like a non-water drink to go with my meal, maybe a carb or protein to with the peas, and the more expensive soup that wasn't Split Pea and Ham.

-Submitted by: CalFresh Challenger

Breakfast: It’s what’s for dinner

Sometimes you have to go against tradition in order to make things work. In some of our Challenger's cases, this meant making an AM meal in the PM. It's a creative use of limited resources and a healthy one at that!

When I agreed to attempt to live on a food stamp budget for a week, I knew it would be tough. But, I didn’t realize that one of the toughest challenges would be time. In order to maximize my $34.31 budget for the week, I had grand ideas of going to a farmers market and two or three different stores to capitalize on weekly specials. In my first lesson of the working poor, I was reminded that the Saturday Farmers Market would be impossible to get to if I was scheduled to work, which I was. So, I woke up this morning on a budget with no food. My kids had breakfast at the hotel I had to speak at this morning. The total bill was more than my allowance for the week, so I just watched. However, when I went to speak at the Teamsters Union political meeting, there was a full buffet of breakfast. I declined to eat, joking with the server that I only eat bacon and there was only sausage out.  When the server, who is also one of our union members, went and brought me a small plate of four pieces of bacon, I was embarrassed and shocked. In order to not be rude and because I was incredibly hungry, I ate the bacon. So, I started the challenge on a bad note: eating stolen bacon. Oops.

I finally did make it to the grocery store around noon, armed with coupons and a throbbing headache thanks to my lack of caffeine. I am not a patient person and hate grocery shopping on the natural.  But, I never imagined how demoralizing it would be to walk through the produce section searching for some type of fruit and vegetables that wouldn’t break the bank. I quickly walked past the berries and peaches, my favorite fruits, because of the price.  I had flashbacks of myself as a child asking my mom “Whhhhhhyyyyyyy?” couldn’t I have one of those pretty white peaches. Now I know why she would rush through the produce section. I settled in on a few oranges, a couple of ears of corn and a pound of broccoli – combined, that would be $3.50.

I spent a lot of time in the coffee aisle, but I just couldn’t justify the cost. So, I decided I would buy some green tea in order to deal with the caffeine withdrawal. $2.79 for 20 tea bags and I knew I could steal some splenda from 7-eleven if I just bought a single cup of coffee on Monday.

I realized quickly that noodles, soup and pasta would be the most cost effective staples of my diet this week. So much for my low-card diet. I also bought cheap white bread and peanut butter. I found a great deal in the frozen section, individually wrapped pieces of chicken, salmon & scallops - $1.00 per serving. Finally, I decided I needed something kind of healthy, so I bought yogurt for more than I would have liked to spend.

In all, I spent $24.76 – leaving myself almost $10.00 for the week. I’ve never thought so much about food as when I have to think about how much everything cost. I took my kids to pizza tonight, hopeful that I could grab a slice for $2.00.  But, the cheese slice was $2.50, so I decided I would make dinner at home. I won’t starve this week, but I certainly will lack in creative meals and vitamins.

Breakfast: Stolen bacon

Lunch: Cup O’ Noodles soup ($.25), cup of Green Tea

Dinner: one orange ($.50), one egg ($.25), two pieces of bread ($.25), a cup of Green Tea (reusing the tea bag from lunch)

-Submitted by: CalFresh Challenger

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So, I hit the store and did some shopping for the challenge.  Wal-Mart is a good place to get groceries at a good price and shopping sales is always good.  I also went to Sprouts for my produce.  Produce that is in season is also often on sale, so I picked up some things on sale and that was a good plan.  I will have to shop again later in the week, as I have not spent my full stipend.  But here is what is in the cupboard right now to work with:

Bagels    2.50

Peanut Butter    3.28

grapes (3.5 lbs)    2.46

bananas     1.39

broccoli (2.11 lbs)    1.86

tortillas    3.39

Cheese    2.99

Bread    1.99

salsa    2.25

beans    2.25

eggs    1.99

Total so far: 26.35        Left to spend: 8:55

From my stock this was what I ate today-

Breakfast: Bagel with Peanut Butter

Snack:    Banana

Lunch: Broccoli wrap with salsa and grapes

Dinner: Eggs and toast and a banana

What did I not have that I might usually?  My morning tea.  It is the one expensive habit that I decided to forgo for the challenge, otherwise this is a pretty average day for me.  I looked at my grocery receipts from previous weeks to see if I thought I could do this.  I shop and cook for a family of five and we are usually within the dollar range of the challenge.  I am just doing this myself, the rest of the family is not involved. So, since the rest of my family is not doing it I am losing the "economies of scale" advantage in my shopping.  I still think it is doable and will report throughout the week.

-Submitted by: CalFresh Challenger

As Visions of Ramen Dance in Our Heads

And so it begins... I went to the store this morning to spend only 34.90 on food for the week. Currently in nursing school with an upcoming exam during the week, I didn't have much energy to think about anything else, let alone food to eat for the week. I wanted to be creative, but I am already stressing about studying, studying.... Oh and some more studying! So far, I came up with some Top Ramen that I'll be having for dinner every night. Lol. So creative, I know :P Submitted by a CalFresh Challenger

Day 1 and Already Wondering: What if this was my life?

Today is the first day of the CalFresh Challenge. I made a menu and went to Food 4 Less to see what kinds of deals I could find. I noticed more frequently how often I had to choose between less expensive items loaded with additional sugars and chemicals, and the more expensive but healthier foods. I spent almost the entirety of my weekly budget for the ingredients for my black bean salad, red lentil hush puppies, yogurt and cereal, peanut butter sandwiches and a few snacks. Before starting the Calfresh Challenge today I thought about what it would mean if I actually were eligible for CalFresh Benefits. Not only do people trying to get enough food to eat face the challenge of hunger, but there are financial worries that go along with it.

The income limit for me would be $1,180 gross income per month: 130% of the Federal Poverty Line for my household of one. I estimated that I’d pay about $200 in taxes each month, which would leave me with no more than $980 of net income. I went through my budget to figure out what I would have to eliminate. Some of you may be all-too-familiar with this exercise: No more gym membership, internet or cable. I’d need to find a less expensive plan for my cell phone (which would likely mean less chance to communicate with people via text and email). I’d have to eliminate any sort of savings (both for emergencies and retirement) and I wouldn’t have anything left over for “luxuries” like holiday or birthday gifts for others, travel to see my family or clothing.

Even then, I’d still be about $300 over budget and likely have to limit or eliminate my health care coverage (I wouldn’t be able to afford my current copay unless a less expensive plan was available); I’d need to renegotiate the repayments of my education loans or ask for a deferment (which would be helpful in the short term, but the interest on my debt would still accrue making it harder to pay off in the long run). If I was able to do both of those things I would have just enough for rent and electricity, car insurance and gas to get to work only, and my telephone. There would be no money left over for food or personal care or anything else.

When I ran the numbers in our CalFresh calculator, it told me that with the modified budget I’d created, I could potentially qualify for about $98 per month in CalFresh benefits.  Not enough to last the month but it would still be helpful.

This was just an exercise on paper for me. But for many people these are the impossible choices they are forced to make. They are the real situations of real people who need real assistance like CalFresh. The nonpartisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities review the SNAP program (the federal name for CalFresh and has credited the Program for doing exactly what it is supposed to do: responding in times of need by expanding and it will, they have shown, shrink automatically as the economy improves and less people need help. Over 84% of benefits go to households that contain vulnerable populations: children, seniors and people with disabilities. (Find more stats about CalFresh here) The SNAP/Calfresh program is vital to low income people and needs to be strengthened, not cut, so that it can continue to successfully decrease and eliminate hunger.

Submitted by Jennifer Tracy, Executive Director, SDHC

Challenge Eve Musings

It's the night before the CalFresh Challenge begins, and like me, you might be standing in front of the refrigerator wondering, what am I going to do with this food?  Now more than ever, I appreciate my ability to stock the refrigerator, never giving a thought to "what will happen if I run out ," or "how long do I have to make this last."

As I give away food to roommates I feel a pre-emptive hunger pang. Hopefully my shelf on the fridge doesn't look too empty after my $35 trip to the grocery store... but then, that's part of the Challenge...

Are you up for the Challenge?

Think you can live on a CalFresh budget for one week? Join us in accepting the Challenge September 9 - 15, 2013! Check out the guidelines to get started.