[Hellion]

So as of now I get 721$ a month from SSI the full amount, 300 goes to rent so I end up having a little over 400$ left the rest of the month 40-50 of which goes to my phone.

Right now I am getting like 22$ in food stamps, which really isn't much at all and so as of now I have been getting what I can with that, spening a little of my SSI money on food but still don't seem to have enough funds to actually go grocery shopping, get some stuff to actually last the month...and my weight is down 10 pounds because I can't get enough to eat. I live at my moms house so there is some food her and her boyfriend buy but not really much stuff I eat...and I am not always at my moms house but don't really have stuff I can bring with me as snacks.

So to everyone here that might have some knowledge on the topic, do you think I should be confident they can raise it a bit so I can afford more food....or is it a better idea for me to just figure out a way to make it work as is such as then spend 200 of SSI money on food and have...200 bucks to work with for everything else aside from what I mentioned in the first paragraph every month. Hmmm do I want to starve or be able to afford to do some of the things I enjoy and things like furniture and stuff for my living space that I actually sort of need. I mean if that's it for my life....essentially constantly being too broke to do anything at all what's even the point? Unfortunately being on SSI its not like I can go get a job and get more money...So just really hoping I can go to the EBT office and that having 400 left after paying rent is a low enough income for me to get an amount of food stamps that might cover a grocery shopping trip.

But yeah I was trying to just wait it out till I got my SSI stuff all figured out, and then address the food stamps issue again and thought I was doing ok just eating what I can at my moms house and what not but apparently its severely effecting my weight as I am down to 88.8 pounds my normal range is 95-100 pounds.

[Hellion]

guess I am just whining....sorry to waste the time of anyone who read this....

I guess I wouldn't have anything to say to someone struggling with losing weight they can't afford to lose over not being able to afford enough food either...what a whiner.

But if anyone does have any potential advice, or words of encouragement i won't complain....otherwise perhaps I will have the mods get rid of this since it depresses me to see 45 views and no responses aside from the potential eye rolling at my pathetic whining people reading may have indulged in.

[hannabee]

We have food pantries here that lower income people can utilize. Or some churches are quite willing to help, but obviously you have to ask. Good luck!

[Hellion]

Originally Posted by hannabee

We have food pantries here that lower income people can utilize. Or some churches are quite willing to help, but obviously you have to ask. Good luck!

I may have to look into something like that in my area, didn't really think of that...but I'd think they'd have places like that since I live around the city of denver. But yeah I don't know if i can get more in food stamps, so something like that would be helpful if not and even for the rest of this month...I would just have to look into if I qualify for any I suppose. Guess I was just kinda shocked about finding out I was losing significant weight, so kind of freaked me out and makes me feel like i have to gain it back quicker then I'd be able to get stuff cleared up with EBT.

[hannabee]

Actually, if you are able, you could probably volunteer and eat for free and not affect your SSI or food stamps at all!!

[Mrs. Mania]

My brother-in-law lived in Denver and got the majority of his meals at soup kitchens there. Not pleasant,but filling! It's harder to get food stamps these days for sure. He is on disability $900/month and just got his food stamps reduced from $15 to $0!

[unaluna]

Are you using coupons? They used to come in the newspapers, but now they are online or in the grocery stores. Can you give your mother or whoever x amount for "board" and have them do shopping for you? Who cooks in your house? Its unclear to me how you budget or plan your meals, and maybe thats part of the problem?

[Hellion]

Originally Posted by hankster

Are you using coupons? They used to come in the newspapers, but now they are online or in the grocery stores. Can you give your mother or whoever x amount for "board" and have them do shopping for you? Who cooks in your house? Its unclear to me how you budget or plan your meals, and maybe thats part of the problem?

Well a lot of times my mom cooks dinner at my house...before everything got all messed up with getting a bit over 400 initially with the SSI, had to report to them I was paying rent of 300 a month to get them to raise it to the 721$ full amount. During this they reduced my food stamps from like 250 to 18 dollars, so I went there and told them I would be starting paying rent in the next month and they said in that case they could give me more in food stamps...but then only raised it to 22 dollars when the impression I got is I'd at least get maybe 50 to 100...but I think it might have to do with SSI raising my amount even though there is still the rent...

but yeah before that i would get groceries a lot of stuff to snack on and some stuff to cook meals as well as bottled spring water since I honestly feel somewhat better over all when drinking that rather than the filtered city water in my house. Its kind of hard for me to cook full meals and plan them and what not and its hard for me to eat a lot at once so I was doing my thing and eating a meal or two and snacking throughout the day....but since they cut those I haven't been able to afford stuff to snack on(and I don't mean junk food, just even fruit, vegtables, pickles, veggi chips, sandwich stuff like meat, spinach and cheese) and my mom and her boyfriend have been going on a bunch of camping trips and not really doing as much grocery shopping as usual...the other week I pretty much was living on canned chili, got creative with it by adding black beans and some canned tomatoes/jalapeneos and stuff

Not sure what you mean about giving my mother x amount of board, I am already paying her 300 dollars of rent to live here....so that part isn't an issue its just the food thing.

[hannabee]

Save the bottled water money and I would go buy one of those filtered pitchers, as they really work. Maybe even at a thrift store? I would try to make soups, especially crock pot ones as they can be healthy and cheap.And, they go a long way. Add some crackers or French bread for a great meal.

[Hellion]

Originally Posted by hannabee

Save the bottled water money and I would go buy one of those filtered pitchers, as they really work. Maybe even at a thrift store? I would try to make soups, especially crock pot ones as they can be healthy and cheap.And, they go a long way. Add some crackers or French bread for a great meal.

We have a water filtration system, which is preferable to drinking the water straight...still doesn't have the mineral content and what not of the spring water and doesn't taste as good. That said I don't really even have food money let alone bottled water money currently in the first place....as of late I am usually more concenred with getting a little food than bottled water unless I am out and about and thirsty then I might get a cheap bottle.

Also soup is good idea, however still having trouble affording ingredients for stuff like that....and not so sure it would go a long way at my moms house since it would be hard to keep people from eating it all as left overs. But yeah wont really have that figured out until I figure out what is going on with the EBT if they don't raise it I will have to grocery shop as cheap as possible and perhaps supplement it with food shelf places if I qualify for that. But yeah 20 bucks a month wouldn't even get me a week of soup I don't think.

Also though I admit sometimes due to my mental health crap I am not really up for cooking or much of anything....so I also kind of have to have things that don't have to be prepared and cooked to snack on or I simply do not eat enough, there are times I am hungry but can't get any motivation to make anything...also its hard for me to get started on anything including cooking. I actually feel rather self concious about it I'd think I'd be able to cook for myself and what not efficiently but nope. Then again if I could do all that stuff everyone else seems able to do efficiently I probably would not be on SSI.

[hannabee]

Sorry, guess I misread about the bottled water and sorry leftovers don't last very long, you have a challenge to be sure!
You have to make sure EBT knows all of your expenses, including any co pays for medicine, etc. Have your Mom say that you help with utilities as well as the rent. In California, it gets pretty tricky to get the correct amount you are entitled to. Keep after them, for sure!!

[Hellion]

Originally Posted by hannabee

Sorry, guess I misread about the bottled water and sorry leftovers don't last very long, you have a challenge to be sure!
You have to make sure EBT knows all of your expenses, including any co pays for medicine, etc. Have your Mom say that you help with utilities as well as the rent. In California, it gets pretty tricky to get the correct amount you are entitled to. Keep after them, for sure!!

Yeah I will just have to hassle them some more, I have kinda been putting off going to the EBT office since its kinda stressful and a long weight, but I have to do it sometime.

But yeah may be able to say that, I mean I imagine some of it does end up going to utilities as well as rent, I also have a more expensive phone bill than I did last time I went and talked to them.

[JoeS21]

Have you asked or figured out what the food stamp office takes into consideration when figuring your amount? I saw that you are in Colorado, but here in Massachusetts they take into consideration, medical expenses (including psychological and prescriptions), if you pay for heating or cooling/air conditioning, electricity, if you have kids and how many, and your rent. If you haven't already done so, figure out which expenses they are willing to consider and gather evidence of all of those.

More budget information would make it easier to help reduce your budget, if that's something you would like help with? I'm not sure where you're spending the most money other than a fairly cheap rent and reasonable phone bill. Regarding the phone, you may or may not be able to reduce that bill even more if you call 211. Some states have free (very limited) phone service for qualifying people. In Massachusetts we have Safe Link, a completely free service (participants even get a free phone), but I checked and it's not available in Colorado. Maybe something similar is.

Good luck!

[Hellion]

^If I remember right they consider what you are paying for rent/utitlities, your phone bill, and medical expenses which currently for me is only meds since medicaid covers the rest when making a determination.

Also aside from the rent and phone bill, I have to pay for bus fare and sometimes gas money which can add up, a co-pay for my meds and as of late food(since Its not coming out of food stamps really except 22$ worth) then of course stuff that can vary from month to month like needing new socks, or having to get toiletries and feminine products ect, or shoes, clothes.

[JoeS21]

Originally Posted by Hellion

^If I remember right they consider what you are paying for rent/utitlities, your phone bill, and medical expenses which currently for me is only meds since medicaid covers the rest when making a determination.

Also aside from the rent and phone bill, I have to pay for bus fare and sometimes gas money which can add up, a co-pay for my meds and as of late food(since Its not coming out of food stamps really except 22$ worth) then of course stuff that can vary from month to month like needing new socks, or having to get toiletries and feminine products ect, or shoes, clothes.

Okay, I'm an extremely thrifty person so I have some ideas. Some may seem too extreme or not worth while for some people, but here goes:

1. I frequent online "free stuff" forums like Fat Wallet so I can get lots of samples of lotion, deodorant and other stuff to reduce the money I have to spend on toiletries. In fact, not only do I check it every few days or so, but I also search it for stuff I use the most.

2. For socks, underwear, and much clothing as possible, I study Black Friday and Day after Christmas Sales ahead of time. I use the best sales to stock up for the entire year on stuff like socks and underwear.

3. If I were a female, I would go places where feminine products are available for free and put a few extra in my purse each time. Healthclubs and graduate schools are two good candidates I've been told. You can sometimes find a free week's pass online to try out a healthclub.

4. If you are disabled, elderly or a student, find out if there is a discount rate on your bus pass. If you have significant medical problems, read policies about any disability pass to see if it could possibly apply to you.

5. You may or may not be able to go to a bunch of counseling sessions, buy a larger supply of medications, or schedule all your upcoming doctors appointments in one month to boost your medical expenses and show that to the food stamp office to get a better amount of food stamps. If they only check once and approve you for the year, this MIGHT work for you.

6. Check to see if any local farmers markets or grocery stores have a program where you can get double or triple the value for your food stamps. Boston's has farmer markets where you can trade in food stamps for double the amount of money in "bounty bucks" which can be used to purchase food at the markets. If you go on a cloudy day, merchants might drastically decrease prices or just give stuff away if it starts raining.

7. Make a list of non-perishable food you use on a regular basis and stock up when it goes on a good sale.

That's all I can think of for now. Good luck!

[H3rmit]

I hope you can get the extra food stamps. Keep us posted. I wish I could give you a pile of stuff from our garden. There are some good frugal tips above. Many more are available. Looks like you need to use the highest value basics so you get more calories overall. Well, that's what I would do. I would hate to be hungry and losing weight!!! Potatoes are about the cheapest source of calories. Also canola oil. Do you like potatoes? Do you know how to cook beans from scratch (dry beans)? Do you have transportation to go to a store with best prices? Walmart has the best deals on dried black beans, chick peas, kidney beans and all that, where I am.

If it were me, I'd consider dumpster diving, though I know a lot of places have made their dumpsters inaccessible, as dumpster diving for expensive high quality food was a thing a few years ago.

Best Dumpster Diving Denver 2010 - Between S. Broadway and Acoma St., south of Evans - Westword

[Yoda]

I think benefits are dependent on each state's policy so I would have no idea if you can get more. In the city where I live you can get subsidized housing that costs ~15% of your monthly income. Would you be willing to move to similar to cut costs?

Getting dried beans versus canned beans is more cost efficient. Fresh fruit/vegetables are expensive; bananas are the best buy here. We sometimes go to Little Caesar's pizza when they are closing and if they have pizza left they will sell them for about a $1.

[Hellion]

Originally Posted by JoeS21

Okay, I'm an extremely thrifty person so I have some ideas. Some may seem too extreme or not worth while for some people, but here goes:

Not bad ideas though no way in hell would I involve myself in black friday sales...I don't really want to get trampled or have a mental shutdown due to being overwhelmed by all the chaos, but looking for stuff on sale in general or getting stuff if they have a sale going on isn't a bad idea...but not if its like a crazy rush like black friday.

I have on occasion gotten free things from sites of that nature, but its not consistent by any means but could be useful. Problem with socks though is somehow they end up getting lost so even buying a years supply I'd still have to buy more when I lose half of those, but I do generally look for stuff like that on sale....and have gotten a lot of clothes from thrift stores not so much socks and underwear though.

May have to look into the other things you mentioned.

[Koko2]

My impression was that you can still work part-time while on SSI, up to a certain income cap.

[Hellion]

Originally Posted by Koko2

My impression was that you can still work part-time while on SSI, up to a certain income cap.

Well the whole reason I am on SSI is because I cannot hold a job...and I think that is more if you are trying to get off SSI then you can start working part time up to a certain amount while keeping your benefits for a time...but once you are able to make enough they can kick you off.

But yeah if I could hold a part time job I'd be doing that, and wouldn't have bothered going through all the hassle to get SSI in the first place...not sure I'd be doing much better financially though in that case.

[ChipperMonkey]

Sign up for Victoria's Secret catalogs, sign up for the Pink program, etc. I am CONSTANTLY getting coupons for free panties and such. The front says "with purchase" but the back, in fine print, always says "no purchase necessary in store". I must get at least a catalog or two a week, and I'd say half of them have coupons in the center. They also send out booklets with coupons as well. Just a few days ago I went to the store and was able to get 5 panties for free. If I do this a few times a year, I'm pretty much set!

[~Christina]

Thanks for this !!!!

[Hellion]

Originally Posted by ChipperMonkey

Sign up for Victoria's Secret catalogs, sign up for the Pink program, etc. I am CONSTANTLY getting coupons for free panties and such. The front says "with purchase" but the back, in fine print, always says "no purchase necessary in store". I must get at least a catalog or two a week, and I'd say half of them have coupons in the center. They also send out booklets with coupons as well. Just a few days ago I went to the store and was able to get 5 panties for free. If I do this a few times a year, I'm pretty much set!

Yeah I suppose being more resourceful would help...take advantage of coupons...lol if I can seriously get free undergarments via victorias secret catalogs or at least a major cost reduction I would...seems like the have things I would like better then a package of underwear from wal-mart. But yeah I guess looking into various catalouges and coupons different companies offer could certainly help me supplement my budget and what not.

[Can't Stop Crying]

Hellion - I don't know what to say...I wish I could help. Your pain and struggle is so real....I can listen though

[unaluna]

Originally Posted by ~Christina

Thanks for this !!!!

If i see somebody with "pink" written across their butt in giant letters, i'll know it's you!