SNAP, which stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, is indeed a supplemental program. Yet, aid is often insufficient to help families and individuals meet their monthly living expenses. According to a 2018 Urban Institute report, SNAP benefits fall short of covering the cost of a low-income meal in 99% of U.S. continental counties and the District of Columbia.
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For those receiving food assistance, budgeting is essential. With bills for healthcare, housing and child care needing to be paid, many Americans have become masters when it comes to stretching their SNAP Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards.
As part of The Receipt, a series documenting an anonymous reader’s week of grocery expenses, Bon Appétit asked a 24-year-old scholar living in San Francisco to report their weekly food and EBT spending. “Half of the fun of feeding myself as a medical student is trying to finesse as much free food as I can,” they said.
This student qualifies for a $291 EBT per month (just under $3,500 a year), which falls in between the national average of $181.72 per person and $343.00 per household, according to Pew Research.
While we don’t know if the reader has a scholarship or how much money they have provided or saved up besides the “several thousand in a Roth IRA,” we do know that this person uses a couple of smart techniques to make their SNAP benefits last.
During the week in question, the Bon Appétit reader only did two grocery runs, but admitted to stocking up on basic food staples to maximize their monthly SNAP food benefits. “I always have staples like bread, pasta, rice, nut butter, eggs, mayo, and multiple forms of cheese in my fridge and pantry,” they said.
The life of a student is a social one, and this student spent $66.12 on restaurants and cafes during the week of reporting. “With EBT, it’s really hard to justify eating out,” they said. “If I’m too busy or lazy to prepare something, I’ll get cold prepared foods from the grocery store (sushi, sandwiches, salads, all of which EBT can cover) instead of takeout.”
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As a pescatarian, the reader hasn’t any other strict dietary restrictions and will cheat with meat occasionally. However, they plan meals ahead of time to efficiently allocate their SNAP benefits, when they can.
Still, their grocery total for the week was only $59.62, $51.62 of which was paid for by EBT. That doesn’t seem like much, but these amounts are for a week eating very thriftily. Using this weekly average for the month, the total would be $206.48, leaving a bonus $84 dollars left on their EBT card.