Staying within the $31.50 per week allotment I knew was going to be a challenge – and so far I have managed to stay within these parameters BUT there are some other factors that have come into play and have risen higher up in my consciousness.

I took my first trip to the grocery store with the daunting task of buying enough food for a week for a total of $31. Why only $31? This is the amount that one week of food stamps would allow me. My head is spinning. I feel vulnerable, angry, tense and frightened.

We are passing through the final day of The Food Stamp Challenge and looking back. When our family of four began the challenge we wondered if we could actually have satisfying, easy to prepare meals on a very limited budget of $126. We have always been “thrifty” and we had many motivations for accepting the challenge.

I failed miserably at this challenge within the first day.

My family and I have just completed the Food Stamp Challenge. The experience taught us several things.

As the food stamp challenge came to an end, I was relieved to be able to go back to my normal eating patterns. However it was brought up to my attention that we only did this for a week, and there are those that this is their lifestyle. Not being able to help all the people is frustrating, but I’m glad to have been part of this challenge.
My experience this week consisted of the same meals almost everyday, mostly carbs and empty calories. An added difficulty was the fact that …

As my Food Bank Challenge comes to an end, I have a few reflections on the endeavor, and even more questions.

First, I was occasionally hungry throughout. I planned for snacks and fairly substantive meals that were not the most nutritious, but not terrible. This aspect was not miserable and not particularly disruptive in my daily routine, but I sit at a desk most of the day. If my job required more physical activity, I think I would have felt differently. I also wasn’t working to feed my family and trying …

Everyone seems to be satisfied with the menus. I am still planning dinner for tonight. I packed two lunches with ham sandwiches, oatmeal cake, tortilla chips and a Honeycrisp apple.

Readers of Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation will remember that he went to a doctor before embarking on a fast food diet, and carefully monitored his health while conducting the experiment of eating only McDonald’s food. Smart guy.

I was able to eat 3 meals for less than $4.50 for the week of the food stamp challenge (except for one day when I went out to dinner!) but I wouldn’t be able to do it much longer and stay happy and healthy.