What are some unconventional things I can get?
Any "tricks"?
It doesnt buy dog food, can I get to make my own?
Ive already made some "bug out buckets" and stocked up a bit for "deep pantry"
Beef/chicken to make jerky?
The mex market sells raw fajita mix etc at the deli i get that alot
Im sure a bunch of yinz are on the SNAP … how do you make it feed your whole family? I work a lot (trying to pay billz ya know) so i can primarily cook on the weekends, then feed on leftovers all week.
I do have the ability to can and pickle. I assume vinegar would be covered as well.
Stretching SNAP benefits… how can I take full advantage?
byu/BeerJedi-1269 inFrugal
Posted by BeerJedi-1269
12 Comments
Buy family packs of meat when they’re on sale and freeze the extras. Lots of food banks will give you produce if you volunteer
I guess I’m surprised to see someone on snap benefits making jerky and buying prepared seasoned meat. If I was on snap I’d be buying large cuts of meat and seasoning myself. Jerky would be on the bottom of my list.
Check out your local farmer markets. A lot of them will have deals with your snap benefits are worth twice twice as much. In my area it’s 1 wood token is $1 but equals $2 with EBT.
Lots of rice. Works for both people and dogs, same goes for eggs.
I’m not stamps myself, but have single friends/ones with kids and/or dogs, and that’s their main go-to.
Also, it’s probably going to be much cheaper to buy veggies to make your own fajita mix. While I understand that you may not have the time/good knives to do it yourself, they definitely include labor in the cost.
Look for state programs. For example, New York Double-Up Bucks will give you fresh fruit/veggie vouchers up to $20 per day matching fresh fruit/veggie spend. I typically buy a little over $20 worth of fresh produce and get $20 in vouchers I then use later in the week for more fresh produce.
Also check out r/povertyfinance
We made our own dog food with rinsed canned chicken, rice, and usually some frozen dog friendly veggies.
Remember that dog food is taxed, so making your own will have even more savings than just the food itself.
Upvote for yinz alone. I love regionalisms.
The big thing most people don’t seem to know is you can buy fruit and vegetable seeds or starter plants with SNAP, if you have the capacity to garden.
Look up “BARF” for dogs, with this method you feed your dog all sorts of things originally meant for human consumption. A common combo is boiled rice, carrots and cheap cuts of meat such as chicken liver or chicken hearts. You boil the meat, mix it with the rice and carrots and top off everything with a raw egg. Some dogs like eating unsweetened plain yoghurt.
BARF is not cheaper than buying dogfood, but since the ingredients could be used to cook meals for people, they should be covered under SNAP.
Buy bulk chicken at Costco it can be about a dollar a lb