Fast Food and Food Stamps

Lacye - posted on 09/09/2011

I get food stamps but I go to the grocery store and buy healthy food. Besides, none of the restaurants where I live accept SNAP and neither do the gas stations. I guess it just depends on where you live.

Brittany - posted on 09/09/2011

I recieve SNAP and I do NOT AT ALL agree with anyone being able to use their money at a fast food place. Out of anyone else, I promise you I know how expensive groceries are.

I also know the beef your eating at McDonald's came from a cow standing in knee deep crap and eating corn. Corn in cows causes disease. Would you like me to tell you what they do with the diseased cows? No?? I am going to anyway...

They cut out the infected are of the stomach. They apply maggots to eat away the infection. Once the infection is gone guess what? YOU EAT IT!

Do not make food stamps usable at fast food places, instead make them usable at Farmer's Markets and Butcher Shops.

Brittany - posted on 09/09/2011

You can go to McDonalds and get a double cheeseburger for $1.00, a Large drink for $1.00, a small french fry for $1.00. Because, I am a nut job I have memorized the price it costs to get my children a 6 piece nugget kids meal at McDonald's, simply so I do not spend more then I need to, it is $13.58 including tax.

$13.58 at the grocery store MIGHT get me a pound of 80/20 hamburger and a gallon of milk. MAYBE get me that.

I also believe grocery shopping is an art, one that must be mastered. I mean, my kids do not eat watermelon in the middle of December.

If it is not on sale, the Thompson home does not buy it. Other than a few things like, Milk.

I also DO NOT clip coupons. First off, I do not have that much time and second we, here in Alabama, have to pay an added tax to use coupons at the register on top of sales tax. I think it kind of defeats the purpose.

My family of 5 spends about $800, on average, a month for groceries. If we ate at McDonald's everyday in the following fashion :
three kids 6 piece chicken nugget meals - $13.58
three $1.00 double cheeseburgers - $3.00
three small fries at $1.00 a piece - $3.00
two large drinks - $2.00

Do all of that by 30 days - it comes out to $669.00 a month including a 9% sales tax for AL.. We would "save" $131.00 which is about three weeks of gas to drive to school on.

Stifler's - posted on 09/09/2011

My husband HAS to try everything "new" that comes out like that chicken burger with 2 bits of chicken, no bread, cheese and bacon and BBQ sauce in the middle from KFC, Shaker Fries from McDonalds, etc. It's always something gross too.

Sherri - posted on 09/09/2011

Even cheaper is Taco bell. Gross but you can get a ckn flatbread sandwich, supreme burrito, crunchy taco and a fountain drink for $5.

Now please don't think we eat these places often if we are lucky we do once every other month. Just know because of the advertising.

Stifler's - posted on 09/09/2011

I can't get my kid to eat anything and the only time he even eats most of his dinner is when it's shit food like baked nuggets or a sausage. Fast food is hell expensive here unless it's some promo deal like 2 bits of chicken and chips from KFC for $5 or something, I'm not sure about the rest of Aus but I think it's the same prices as here.

Sherri - posted on 09/09/2011

It costs $4.99 for 20 nuggets here at McDonalds. That would feed all 3 of my kids and a fry costs .99 cents. So I could feed all three of my kids for about $6. No way I could feed them for that at home. So ya it really is a heck of a lot cheaper sadly :(

Teresa - posted on 09/09/2011

So does Hawaii! I think fast food is even cheaper in other parts of the US. Which is probably a lot of where the 'it's cheaper' thought process comes into mind. It's not cheaper exactly, but when you're eating dinner in your van twice a week.... it's a heck of a lot EASIER. I DON'T get fast food much since it costs cash for me instead of food stamps, but I get tired of my kids eating Lunchables twice a week..... ;)

Stifler's - posted on 09/09/2011

Really? Australia sucks!!

Teresa - posted on 09/09/2011

Actually it's $6 something cents for 20 chicken nuggets here. Which isn't too bad if you compare it to the $5.20 rotessirie chicken that none of my kids will eat. ;)

Not saying that fast food is cheaper exactly.... just clarifying a cost point a bit. :)

Stifler's - posted on 09/09/2011

I disagree that fast food is cheaper than buying groceries. It costs like 7 bucks for 6 chicken nuggets from McDonalds and you can buy a 1kg box of them for that much at the shops. Fast food being cheaper is an illusion you might have to pay a but more at the shops for all the ingredients but you can make a hell of a lot more meals. It's just easier than cooking and no dishes that's why people opt for it.

Kate CP - posted on 09/09/2011

Many of America's homeless have mental diseases or disorders and are not capable of helping themselves. They live out the outskirts of society because they can't fit within societal norms. When the asylums shut down in the 70s and 80s all of the people who could manage on their own with some help were set free. The problem with that was there wasn't enough help to go around and many a mental patient will think "I'm cured, I don't need the meds any more!" and stop taking them. Then they have another episode and it starts all over again. The homeless are just piece of the giant puzzle called the social assistance program.

Sherri - posted on 09/09/2011

That is where you are wrong America. However, they have to be willing to go get the help. If they were to go to a shelter they would be able to talk to a bunch of people who would instruct them where to go and what services were available to them.

Brittany - posted on 09/09/2011

America3437,

Part of the issue is social service programs are not as easily accessible as some may think. You, usually, have to have an appointment which could be as much as 6 months in the future. They often do not tell you EVERYTHING you have to bring and then you have to mail in added information. Which once again delays the process. Every often homeless people do not have an address where they can access mail on a regular basis.

A proposed solution to this is to have three or four case workers go once or twice a month to help out the homeless. Those who run the shelters are, in most cases, respectable people who can provide accurate and correct information. That way the case workers can work without having someone breathe down their neck about it "not being fair"..

America3437 - posted on 09/09/2011

we shuld not turn our backs on people and help ALL who need and my point was homeless need but can't seem to get help!

Brittany - posted on 09/09/2011

What is sad is, fast food is way more affordable than buying fruit and vegetables at the grocery stores. What is that about?

I am not going to sit here and pretend that I am holier than though and we never eat fast food because, we do. Not so much as once a month but, we all have late nights, emergencies and other issues going on.

I wish they would re-work the price of grocery items so they are accessible to everyone.

There is a documentary called Food Inc. It is a fantastic watch. It exposes the reality of the meat packing companies, Wal-Mart and McDonald's (among other things). There was a family on there who had two school aged girls. The parents worked two jobs a piece and were struggling to make ends meet. Instead of buying groceries they eat at McDonalds 5 to 7 days a week, depending. Mostly because, the parents work so late. During the film the family takes the money they spend at McDonald's a month and go to the grocery store. They were unable to even get one full week worth of groceries. That is unacceptable.

Kate CP - posted on 09/09/2011

I never said anything about homeless people getting food stamps.

America3437 - posted on 09/09/2011

It was in reply to your statement earlier about helping all people... Oh just forget it what does it matter anyway!!!!!!

Kate CP - posted on 09/09/2011

o.O

I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.

America3437 - posted on 09/09/2011

What does it matter? It says what it says! People can now spend food stamps at fast food resturants and if homeless people can get food stamps then they are being helped,right. Now on to the single person tryin to make ends meet and feed just themselves because they chose not to have kids. How is the food stamp program helping them? I guess we have changed the face of this debate so to give respect to JuLeah and others I will leave it at that.

Kate CP - posted on 09/09/2011

"So homeless people do get food stamps? Wow! wonder where they store and cook their food? Oh wait food stamps now accepted at taco bell! Problem solved."

Where on earth did you pull that out of?

Rosie - posted on 09/09/2011

i absolutely don't agree with using food stamps at fast food or regular restaurants. which is funny to me because i don't mind so much if people use their food stamps to buy junk food at the grocery store.
i have thought in the past that junk food whenever they wanted to buy it was appropriate for people on food stamps. who are we to care what they buy? it's the smae amount of money either way right?
well, i now think that there should be a limit to how much junk should be able to be bought while on food stamps. there's to much obesity i this country and i'm not sure if i'm comfortable adding to that with my tax money.

America3437 - posted on 09/09/2011

So homeless people do get food stamps? Wow! wonder where they store and cook their food? Oh wait food stamps now accepted at taco bell! Problem solved.

Kate CP - posted on 09/09/2011

You need an address so they have a place to send the check.

America3437 - posted on 09/09/2011

@Kate,I understand your situation as my mother is very sick, works and always has,has to buy her own health insurance also and goes with out her med sometimes cause it med or food! I don't live in a bubble here and help people every day but when a woman drives into my place of business driving a shiny new car, dressed to the max in the latest fashion,gold on every finger and comes to the counter with $25 dollars worth of soda and candy with a remaining balance of $462 in food stamps I can make the assumption that she is abuseing the system!! People lie all the time to get the assistance and because My self and my husband both work full time I should feel sorry for these people? Just pay my taxes and shut up right? The system was set up to help those truley in need as I my self has been. The system was not set up to "live of off"! If this so called "system" was designed to truley help ALL people then why can't you get assistance without a physical home/address? What about the homeless vet that fought for this country But will sleep under a bridge and eat from the trash can tonight? Are my taxes feeding him?Hell no the resturant dumpster on 34th and main will be his choice tonight(wait do they take food stamps?). I wish we could change this whole system but these politicans worry to much about politics and not enough about the American people! And no,I don't think people should be allowed to use food stamps at resturants!

Kate CP - posted on 09/09/2011

Oh, and no, I don't think food stamps should be used on fast food or junk food.

Kate CP - posted on 09/09/2011

*sigh* Every time some one says something about welfare or medicare, or social security disability and how people abuse the system I just get pissed off.

Why?

My mother in law suffered an aneurysm two years ago and is disabled. She can't work, can't drive, and can't get insurance BECAUSE she can't work. She has to buy private insurance which is really expensive and hard for her to afford on her income of just her disability checks. She doesn't qualify for food stamps. She's not old enough for Medicare and hasn't been disabled long enough to qualify for Medicaid. Because she has to buy private insurance she runs the risk of being dropped at any moment for "pre-existing conditions" that she may have forgotten to disclose at some point (this can include acne and sprained ankles, btw). People bitch about government aid being too easy to come by. Bullshit. There are people stuck in no-man's land because of the qualifying rules and there are people who just plain don't qualify for one reason or another. People bitch that it's too easy to defraud the system. The number of people who actually defraud the government aid programs is microscopic compared to the number of people who genuinely NEED the help. I always get "Oh, we don't mean YOUR mother in law. She OBVIOUSLY needs the help and she's not included in those who cheat the system." Yea, well, I don't know anyone who has cheated the system. Are there people out there who have done it? Without a doubt I know there are. But they are outnumbered BY FAR those who use the aid and genuinely need it.

Who is to take care of people who can't take care of themselves? Are we to cast them aside like we did in years past and tell them to fend for themselves and find a way to survive on their own? But GOD FORBID we actually do the decent thing by helping our fellow human beings and paying a little extra in taxes so they can eat! GOD FORBID we give some one a helping hand instead of making them pick themselves up by their bootstraps and do it on their own! It's OUR money, dammit! We should be able to squirrel it away and keep it forever and ever and never help other people out because we earned it! FUCK THEM! They can earn it themselves!

Do you conservatives and republicans have any idea how selfish and pompous it makes you sound when you say you don't want to pay taxes to help out another person in need?

America3437 - posted on 09/09/2011

To those who I have obviously offended with my post I am sorry. I was not talking about people who actually try and have just come on hard times... I am talking about those who just won't get off their ass and get a job! I relize with the hard economic times this country is under getting a job can be very difficult but if this high school drop out with no experience other than chilcare and nursing(cna) can find a job in retail then so can lazy people useing my hard earned money to buy McDonald's! My kids sure would enjoy it!!!!

Amanda - posted on 09/09/2011

She isnt trying to gross you out JuLeah, most processed meats are filled with worm meal. If your meat comes in a box, you can beat theres worm meal in it.

JuLeah - posted on 09/08/2011

1 in 7 Americans are in food stamps according to what I heard on NPR ... that's a lot of people.... maybe what we need to do is make healthy foods less expensive and do away with fast food, or only searve healthy fast food - no reason burgers can't be healthy if made correctly - use organic, use fresh ... no fillers (My sister told me they fill their bugers with ground up worms - but she might have been wanting to freak me out - it was a hobby of her when we were small)

Sherri - posted on 09/08/2011

Which I 100% agree with Emma. Food Stamps should not be allowed to be used at fast food restaurants.

Stifler's - posted on 09/08/2011

That's the argument here. Food stamps are there to ensure everyone can buy healthy food and have a decent standard of living. Spending it on fast food isn't improving your standard of living.

Julianne - posted on 09/08/2011

Yea, and I've been working since 12, full time since 16. I don't deserve a little help because the US had an economy crisis and it affected the job i had because i worked for an American company? The two of us went from getting 80+hours together to nothing. EVERYONE deserves help when they need it. Some people NEED to live off the system temporarily to get to a better place financially.

Sherri - posted on 09/08/2011

No I am on Food stamps and I don't think it should be used on fast food.

Just an FYI for those who criticize those on food stamps specifically America and Donna. We are not low life's just having a million kids living off the state. My husband works 50 hrs a week full time but had to take a pay cut when the economy hit. He took this job to get off of unemployment but he still doesn't make enough for a family of 5. So we pay our fair share in taxes just like everyone else just not enough to make ends meet.

JuLeah - posted on 09/08/2011

Nothing wrong with having food stamps - the system is there for a reason ... every culture has some such system because it is important

It is a limited amount that people get, I am not sure how anyone could eat at a fast food joint and have enough left over for the rest of the month

Donna - posted on 09/08/2011

hey whats wrong with having food stamps? i work my ass off wipin asses 8-12 hrs a day. i dont sit on my ass all day doing nothing living off the system. Although that would solve my babysitter issue lol. Plus in nys you cant buy hot foods that have been pre cooked, or even mcdonalds.

America3437 - posted on 09/08/2011

No one is saying people don't need help sometimes but to live off the system is what I was referring to! Everyone needs a helping hand sometimes just some take advantage of it!

Julianne - posted on 09/08/2011

Not all people abuse the system. The company i worked for went under just after i got pregnant and both my boyfriend and i were out of a job because of it. I had to go on assistance and i was stereotyped and discriminated against because of it. I haven't been on assistance for over a year, seriously, there is a huge difference in the way i am treated now by the general public. I hate when people generalize all people on assistance. Some people just need help and its bad enough their ego is slammed by their inability to provide, they don't need people discriminating against them because of it.

I don't think food stamps should be accepted at restaurants. You can feed a family of 3 for a week on just two trips to a restaurant.

Dana - posted on 09/08/2011

Uh...while that may be the case in some situations, not everyone is abusing it. My sister's husband lost his job unexpectedly. It was a lifesaver for them for those few weeks that it took for him to find another job. And they didn't have to jump through hoops to get assistance.

America3437 - posted on 09/08/2011

I'm just fed up with the whole SNAP program anyway! It is no longer used to help those tryin to support their family or the single mom tryin to feed her kids. Now days you just need to have 30 kids by 30 different guys and not work or even try to better your situation in anyway and the US Government will give you $800 a month food stamps. Really it's a joke! I am tired of supporting the low life's of America and having to jump through hoops to get any help if I were to need it!!!!

Amanda - posted on 09/08/2011

It is never acceptibale for tax payers money to pay for someone elses Mc Craps, or taco bell! Im not even going to go into the dabate of whats healthy or not, its just not ok for someone else to use others hard earned money to buy their kids junk food.

Dana - posted on 09/08/2011

I think it's absolutely ridiculous to allow those on food stamps to use them at fast food restaurants.

Fast food should be viewed as a treat and if you can't afford the "treat" on your own, then you shouldn't be spending any kind of money on it. People can make a more nutritious burger, french fries, chicken nugget meal, pizza, taco, etc...at home anyhow.

And the problem with allowing this is that there are a lot of people who wouldn't view this as a once in a while thing, they'd eat there ALL the time.

Ashley=) - posted on 09/08/2011

Let them be..come on.If they want a burger let them..its there right to buy what they want.As it is for many who are not on stamps etc.
Many people i see are working and with there own hard earned cash still feed themselves and kids fast food.So i don't think its just people on stamps.If you want to restrict them, restrict all parents on what the feed there kids.

Beautiful - posted on 09/07/2011

I have been on assistance before. I dont think its right that ebt is being accepted in resturaunts or fast food places or gas stations. Im all for getting help when its needed, but to waste that help is just not ok in my book. If people want to waste money on fast "food" junk thats their business... but if thats the case they need to get their money else where. I already feed my family healthy non packaged/frozen processed meals, if i were to be able to get assistance id be feeding them a whole lot more of that healthy home cooked food.



Edited to add---- I dont think parents should be restricted on what they feed their chidren,thats nobodys business, . But when on assistance its not their "money" its tax payers money and honestly in this economy there arent too many working people that are able to take their families out like that so I dont think it should be allowed with ebt.

Teresa - posted on 09/07/2011

From a personal perspective.... that would be awesome. ;)

I currently have a LOT of food stamp 'money' available, so to be able to use that instead of cash on the $20ish/month I spend on fast food would be awesome. ;)

JuLeah - posted on 09/07/2011

Katherine ... gas stations? Ohhh, for the food like items they sell there? Ha, I was thinking for gas ... sign me up

Katherine - posted on 09/07/2011

I just heard about this on the radio. I disagree totally. They have everyone accepting EBT now. Gas stations too even. I'm on EBT, but I think going fast food is going too far.

Charlie - posted on 09/07/2011

Well yeah they have a right to kill theselves but not their family...children dont have a choice.

Stifler's - posted on 09/07/2011

I think it's unnecessary to be able to spend your food stamps at a restaurant. I don't care about pre packaged food or soft drink but really? It's not an economical use of your welfare.