General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsAnyone here (besides me) on Food Stamps?
And are you willing to say how much you get?
I get $95 a month. That's about $20 a week.
I'm on SSI, and after all the bills are paid, I have about $50 in spending money (like for personal stuff) a week.
PoliticAverse
(26,366 posts)madamesilverspurs
(15,784 posts)I currently receive less than the monthly average -- for 2008.
pnwmom
(108,925 posts)some idiot's proposing that able-bodied adults must work 20 hours a week (at jobs, training, or volunteer work) to qualify for food stamps. So, to get food stamps you'd have to be willing to work for $1 an hour.
madamesilverspurs
(15,784 posts)Social Security and food stamps. I'm in the process of re-qualifying, always an edifying and pleasant experience (yes, that was sarcasm). I was told to be available for a phone interview tomorrow, had to rearrange a couple things to accomodate that; God help you if you inconvenience them with a scheduling request. Won't know for a couple of weeks whether my benefit will increase, decrease, or stay the same.
Meanwhile, after rent and bills I typically have well less than $75 to cover OTC meds, incidentals, and food when the stamps run out (they typically stretch 2-3 weeks).
I'm in my third decade of dealing with this, and in all that time there has been one occasion wherein I was greeted by name. We no longer have case workers, we have technicians (further de-humanizing we clients). As a matter of course, we are treated with suspicion and impatience.
For the benefit of right-wingers reading here: My refrigerator and stove came with the apartment. My microwave came from friends who were remodeling, my big box-like television from other friends who were upgrading to flat screen. My clothing comes from Goodwill and other thrift shops. Welcome to "high on the hog".
raccoon
(31,091 posts)gopiscrap
(23,674 posts)138.00 a month for 3 of us
SummerSnow
(12,608 posts)(family of 4). When he got his current job and we reported the income they sent us a letter saying they were reducing our food stamps down to 25 dollars a month. when we were up for re-certification we didn't bother. so the case closed. it cost my husband $25 a week to go back and forth to work.
bhikkhu
(10,708 posts)for my family of four I got $390 per month, which we were pretty happy with (though the cost of living is low here).
madrchsod
(58,162 posts)my wife had to go on fmla due to my extended illness this winter and spring. we have received food stamps,heating assistance,mortgage payments,and weatherization. now that she is back to work our stamps will be done next month.
if it wasn't for those programs we would be out of our home and god only knows where we would be today.
like a dumbass i didn't sign up for medicare supplemental. i think i owe somewhere around 100,000 dollars in hospital bills because the last bill i received was around 500,000 dollars. good luck collecting that!
silvershadow
(10,336 posts)Lady Freedom Returns
(14,120 posts)But that is with no job what so ever. With the little thing I got to pay off everyone so I can go home, I, right now have been dropped. Apparently a part timer that is single with no kids, don't qualify.
Family is pissed because they were hoping to get part of them. hehe, makes me happy that part of their little idea has been nipped!
Hydra
(14,459 posts)$150. If I wasn't providing for her, she would have starved years ago.
I'm pretty sure that's the whole point. It makes me furious when RWers and Gov't people talk about how people like her are making us broke. SNAP and other programs are chump change to what the Dept of War and NSA are getting.
RebelOne
(30,947 posts)When I checked, it seems that I am only eligible for $35 a month.
Tree-Hugger
(3,364 posts)We are a family of 4 and we get $476 per month. I always think that is a lot, but we always end up with a zero balance for a week before our balance rolls over again. We have some dietary restrictions in our family and food prices keep going up and we somehow can't keep up....and I cook from scratch!
We are up for re-evaluation next month and I am terrified. 6 months ago, my husband had two jobs. Now he has 3. We're no better off with that 3rd job thanks to bullshit that keeps coming up (car, etc). However, that 3rd job means we'll have less food stamps and it's a horrifying thought. If things don't improve for our family soon, I don't know how we'll make it.
It's the worst position to be in.
Jamaal510
(10,893 posts)and it really sucks because with the little amount they pay, I can barely pay my apartment rent and the Internet, and be able to have food to eat. Without financial aid from my college, there is virtually no money for me to sit on in case of a rainy day.
Shampoobra
(423 posts)Sometime around 2003, I was getting $120 a month in "food stamps" (which was really a state-issued debit card that allowed for food purchases only ... the use of paper coupons, or stamps, had ceased by then). I was also getting $360 a month in "cash" (another state-issued debit card that allowed for cash withdrawals at ATMs).
Those figures, adjusted for inflation, come to:
food: $152
cash: $457
http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl
The figures might look high, but I wasn't getting any other monthly income at the time ... no SSI, no unemployment payments, etc.