Re: The cost of food

"Lesmond" <lesmond@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message 
news:yrfzbaqirevmbaarg.jzc6y55.pminews@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> On 14 Apr 2008 22:35:49 GMT, Opus the Penguin wrote:
>
>>
>>
>>Food prices are increasing sharply, according to this article:
>>
>><http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080414/inflation_squeeze.html?.v=4>
>>
>>
>>The antepenultimate paragraph interested me in particular: "But for the
>>poorest U.S. families, the higher costs may mean going hungry. A family
>>of four is eligible for a maximum $542 a month in food stamps, which
>>never lasted the whole month before, Food Bank of New Jersey's DiChiara
>>said."
>>
>>Is there something about food stamps I'm not understanding? I can
>>understand that you won't be living in luxury on roughly $17.50 per day
>>to feed a family of four. But does it really mean going without?
>
> A lot of people don't know how to buy food.  They buy ready made meals
> instead of food staples.  They microwave dinner instead of cooking it.
>
> I feed a family of three on less than $200 a month.  And we eat well. 
> We've
> having beef teryaki stir fry tonight.

Well, Scott and I spend a lot more than $200 a  month for just the two of 
us...but we also tend to splurge on good steaks when they go on sale.  And

we drink a lot of milk and juice.

But you're right, a lot of people don't know how to cook.  When I was 
working as a security guard at Aldi and Sav-a-lot, it used to make me nuts

seeing all these people on food stamps buying frozen dinners and packaged 
dinners.  (Contrary to the stereotype, I rarely saw them buying expensive 
cuts of meat and seafood.  Then again, I was working at freaking Aldi and 
Sav-a-lot.)

Right now in my pantry, I've got rice, several types of pasta, barley and 
lentils.  I found ****k roast on sale last week for $1.98/lb and chicken
leg 
quarters for $.88/lb.  We still have a lot of beef, mostly cut up for stew

meat or stirfry from the last sale.  We've also got almost every kind of 
frozen vegetable you can imagine.  About the only thing we buy that's 
packaged is Kraft Mac & Cheese, because Scott can't get enough of that
crap. 
Oh, and I buy jarred spaghetti sauce when it's on sale, because I've never

been able to make a good spaghetti sauce.  So I guess I do buy packaged 
food. :)

Lisa Ann