"My husband and I were planning on trying the SNAP challenge, but were defeated before we started. We consider ourselves very healthy eaters. While healthy isn't always synonymous with expensive, there are certain things in our diet that make it impossible for us to live on ~$4/day each.
"We start each day with a healthy breakfast smoothie. One ingredient is hemp protein, which costs around $30 for a package. One package lasts us more than a month, but the challenge doesn't allow us to use things that were already purchased. It makes sense, because a low-income family certainly couldn't afford a $30 investment in a food item that doesn't have any flavor if they are trying to stretch their SNAP dollars to last all month. We also add kale, bananas, blueberries, chia seeds, and almond milk in our breakfast smoothies. Those costs are adding up!
"When I think about the fact that we also eat one Braeburn apple per person per day, I know we are over our $4/day without even dealing with lunch or dinner. Braeburn are my absolute favorite type of apple, but this challenge made me notice they are also the most expensive ones in the store at $4.99/lb! The cost of the diet we are comfortable with and live healthfully on is already so far beyond what a SNAP recipient could afford."
- A dual income, no kids household from Norfolk
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