Tips To Make Your Food Stamps Money Stretch {SNAP}

Tips To Make Your Food Stamps Money Stretch {SNAP}

Living on a limited grocery budget is hard enough, but for a family trying to stretch their budget on SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), it can be even harder. With recent cuts happening to the SNAP program on November 1st, it is even more important to make the grocery budget stretch to it’s limits.

Here are some tips to make your SNAP (or limited) grocery budget go the extra mile:

• First and foremost, if you do not coupon, now is the time to start. Couponing can save you 50% or more on your grocery trip, depending on how deeply you want to get into it. There are even great apps for phones such as Favado, that help you do that in an easy fashion and allow you to price compare to make sure you are getting the absolute best price in your area. I have a whole section on how to coupon, where to find coupons etc! Head here after reading to Coupon 101! 
• Meal planning is essential to making anyone’s food budget stretch. If you know what you will be cooking, it is much easier to not go to the grocery store and buy stuff that may end up wasted. Wasted food is wasted money. -> You can read about Meal Planning tips here and make your meal planning list!
• Along with meal planning, make sure to count on, and even plan on, leftovers. Let’s say you decide to make spaghetti one night of the week. Make more sauce that your family would eat in one meal and plan to use the leftover sauce to make something like lasagna or a baked pasta dish.
• Buy in bulk. Did you know that you can use your SNAP benefits to buy food in bulk? Buying staples such as flour, cereal, spices and even pasta in bulk can save you a lot of money in the long run.
• Visit local farmer’s markets. Many in the area offer double dollars if used at these places. This means you get $2 for every $1 you spend in SNAP. That’s like getting twice the produce for the same price!
• Some foods can be grown inside during the winter, even in the most modest living areas. For instance, you can re-grow green onions in just a small glass with water. Re-growing some of you food can save you money. In the spring, plan to buy seeds with your SNAP so you can garden and grow a generous portion of your produce.
• Convert your favorite meals into cheaper versions. For instance, omit meat from a meal once in a while and kick up the flavor with seasonings instead. Going meatless just once a week can save you $10 or more, or $40 a month.
• Use rice and pasta. Don’t plan on using for every meal, but stretching your meals out into rice or pasta dishes is an excellent way to make it go longer.
• Skip convenience. You can make simple foods like brownie mix, pizza and even maple syrup much cheaper if you make it yourself. Look on Pinterest for ideas.
• If you are very concerned you may not make it, go to the local Food Pantry. They will give you canned and boxed food products that you can make meals around and stretch even further. If you’re in Michigan- you can search for your local food pantry here- http://www.foodpantries.org/st/michigan

Did you know that you can take your food items that you purchase at the Drugstores, use the points and register rewards to help you pay for those non-food items. You can read about how to do that here!