Good advice CB

Edible underwear is expensive so during the shutdown please do without.

Rice is a good stretchable staple, helping to balance out the big bag of potatoes...

Dried beans and peas are good, too. Inexpensive, long shelf life, lots of versatility, recipe-wise.

It is nice for everyone to support these pantries. I will often drop off a hundred lbs of potatoes or 50 lbs of rice. These are not that expensive and really help these centers.

Make healthy food in larger batches and freeze leftovers in portions. Much healthier than frozen meals and better tasting.

I was a single mom for many years and have lived below the poverty level most of my life. Aside from a year when i could not work due to the severe illness of one of my children, I have never used government assistance to buy food - not that I have anything against doing so. At this point, extreme frugality is such an ingrained habit with me that I would have to sit for a while and think about how the things I do to save money in the grocery store make all the difference.

I have never been one to believe in "restricting" SNAP purchases. I do, however, take issue with one product. Energy drinks. "Monster" comes to mind. Even if they buy one a day for a month it could cost up to 100 dollars! Oh the healthy meals I could make for 5 on that!