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Eating Well on Limited Dollars
By Patrice Powers-Barker, OSU Extension, Lucas County
The Truth Contributor
Many Americans are feeling the negative effects of the
government shutdown. In general, there are many unknowns
which can be stressful for everyone. For some, the shutdown
may be staining their household finances and food budget.
For many people, feeling stress might encourage them to
reach for comfort foods that are high in sugar and fat and
low in fiber and vitamins. Unfortunately, a diet with high
sugar and high-fat food doesn’t help stop the stressful
situation.
With hopes that the US government will be open again by the
time this article is published, the tips offered here are
for stretching the food budget throughout the year – no
matter what your current financial situation.
For those who are on
furlough, if you have school-aged children who are not
currently receiving free or reduced school breakfasts and
lunches you may be eligible to apply for these school meals
due to current income situation. Please apply at your
school.
For those who qualify for
SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) previously
known as “food stamps”, the February 2019 SNAP benefits have
been issued onto the electronic benefits card in January. It
is important to ration and conserve as much food money as
possible throughout the month of February. Look at how many
SNAP dollars you have on your card and decide how much to
spend at each grocery trip to last until March. If you are
not a SNAP recipient but believe you qualify, you can
contact the Lucas County Department of Job & Family Services
at 419-213-8800 or online at
https://co.lucas.oh.us/858/Job-and-Family-Services .
They will take applications but it is important to know that
benefits have already be issued for February.
For those who are
fortunate to have enough money for food and are looking for
a way to help others, now is a good time to add extra food
items to your grocery list and/or money to donate to a local
food pantry or soup kitchen. It is not uncommon to find
outreach services at places of worship and community centers
and many are preparing for an increase in need in our
community. If you are not yet connected with an outreach
site, it might be helpful to find one near you and contact
them to find out their greatest needs. For those who are
looking for resources as well as those looking for where to
donate, United Way’s 211 is a good place to start. You can
dial 2-1-1 on the phone or go online at
http://referweb.net/211toledo/
Sometimes paying for convenience of prepared foods is worth
the extra cost but now is a good time to consider how much
extra money you’re willing to spend. Planning and preparing
meals takes time but it often pays off at the cash register.
Start at home. What food is already available? Are there any
foods in your cupboard or freezer that you forgot about? If
you use the donations from an emergency food pantry, what
foods can you get there? Can you use that food as a starting
point for planning a meal? What other foods would you need
to go with it to make an inexpensive recipe? Although
recipes like casseroles or beans and rice might be snubbed
as basic, they can be altered to your own tastes and are the
type of recipe that can feed a family and limit the cost of
expensive ingredients.
When writing the grocery list and shopping at the store
consider some of these good buys:
·
Oatmeal is an easy breakfast food and it can also be a
healthy, inexpensive ingredient for other foods like
pancakes and muffins. From a health standpoint, oats are
whole grains with the benefits of fiber.
·
Although fresh fruits and vegetables are associated with
healthy eating, canned and frozen produce can be just as
healthy. Compare the cost of different types of fruits or
vegetables. Canned fruit, packed in juice is healthy and
might cost significantly less than the fresh option. There
are local vegetables (also available at the Saturday morning
Toledo Farmers Market) that store well throughout the cold
months and you might find a good deal. Some examples of
these vegetables are onions, carrots, potatoes, and
sometimes greens.
·
Meat is often a more expensive option compared to other
protein foods like eggs or beans or peanut butter. Consider
making more recipes using these basic ingredients to save
money at the store.
If you would like more detailed information about eating
healthy on a limited budget, OSU Extension offers SNAP-Ed
(Education) classes in Lucas County. In February there is a
series of three classes titled, “Shop Smart, Eat Healthy.”
This is free and open to anyone who qualifies for SNAP
benefits, although there is a limit of 16 participants due
to space. The series of three classes will be from 5:00 –
6:00pm on February 5, 12 and 19 at the Promedica Ebeid
Institute, 1806 Madison Avenue, Toledo, Ohio, second floor
above Market on the Green grocery store. Please RSVP for the
series by email to
marketonthegreen@promedica.org. Information for this
article from Illinois Extension and local Lucas County
resources. |
