Living on $4 a Day with Marisha Ray | BFD | TakePart TV
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- čas přidán 24. 02. 2013
- 16% of the American population is not always sure when their next meal will be. Marisha Ray attempts to live on the amount allocated for food stamps, $4, on this intro to hunger week on BFD.
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Living on $4 a Day with Marisha Ray | BFD | TakePart TV
Many churches also have food pantries, where needy people can get food, some also offer hot meals each day, this helped me while i was looking for a job.
Thank you Marisha, this is something that a lot of people don't understand. When you are poor (We are) sometimes parents go without food so that the kids can eat (have done it). Usually until you figure out how to make it work. We found a grocery store that is employee owned and keeps lower prices, instead of a half gallon of milk costing us $4, it costs $1.90 at WinCo. I love that place, we feed a fam of 5 on 100/wk, and the only income is my husband's paycheck and VA disability benefits. The poor aren't ignorant, or lazy, lots of times we don't have access to the healthy stuff.
Those who didn't pour their stupidity into insensitive ignorant comments about the poor chose to pour it into comments about the host's looks... priorities? Empathy? What's that?
Two of the simplest but declining skills that make $4 per day (or less) work: cooking and gardening. While cooking only requires time and a kitchen, gardening requires space. But with vertical gardens, window gardens, lawn to gardens and community gardens space can usually be found. Both cooking and gardening require planning, thinking ahead and time. Cooking and gardening bring people together, enhance families and communities, increase health and quality of life.
The video demonstrated what $4 a day could buy, I don't believe the intention was to imply a person take $4 a day every day and shop. The point is $4 a day is below the standards of how many people live and below the standards of being able to provide, everyday, meals that are nutritious in all ways. I am a survivor of abject poverty while I was a child = no food at all, ZERO for days. I like the video. Children starving is REAL, support putting an end to hunger.
Currently, here in TN, it's up to 290 per month, which is less than 10/day. And since 2020 and all the turmoil and rampant gouging, it's kinda worse now. Gotta be real frugal and make your own meals on the cheap as best you can.
Marisha before she decided sleeves are bullshit
I really appreciate your compassion. I also appreciate that our government is willing to help put food on my family's table while I attend college. I look forward to the day when I can do it myself, without government help. I don't ever appreciate the terrible things many ignorant but otherwise nice people say against us who are living on food stamps. If only they knew.
My family of four does okay. I shop carefully, and stick with mainly fresh fruits and veggies, no meat or processed junk.
Generally, the best way to partition spending for food is to buy in bulk and prepare things to last. Day to day spending is generally a bad idea in most cases. But the idea is generally in partitioning things so that the food is enough.
Lmao watching this in 2021 and I was straight out confused lmao. Seeing 20 cents on sale food and ramen is insane nowadays lmao.
The portion sizes American's eat are usually 2-3 times larger than what the body actually needs to be healthy and survive. Over eating is not good for your health. Reducing portions and buying organic, as well as purchasing bulk will not only make food stamps stretch along with the food, but also cause less expense in over the counter medicines and other household products. As a side benefit, you produce less waste into the environment.
I agree that our grocery stores are inundated with junk food options, but that doesn't mean that we have to chose them. There are healthy options in there as you know ("I bought organic veg...") I think our biggest tool is self-education. It is not hard to look around and find resources for healthy eating. If food insecurity is seen as a problem for those who suffer from it, then they can and should take action. They do not have to be victims of "food giants".
Pack of fresh lean porkchops (between 8 and 12 depending on size ) for between 9 to 11 bucks could also go for chicken breasts for around the same price or cheaper just need to slice each breast into 2, 7 bags of frozen veggies (always frozen or fresh never ever caned) the mixed veggies are usually a buck a bag but even the others rarely are more than 2 bucks a bag. That comes out to what 18 bucks and dinner for 6 days with 10 bucks left for the last day and extra stuff (recommend buying some rubs for your meat). No you don't need 3 meals a day 1 is quite alright though cheap health snacks are nice when you need something extra (fruits are good for this)
That's still beside the point - the S in SNAP is SUPPLEMENTAL. There are other sources of income for an unemployed person - unemployment insurance, for one thing. Then there's TANF, Section 8 subsidies, EITC, etc etc etc. There's no end of programs for people who absolutely cannot work or have a short term need. If your whole food budget for your children is SNAP, then you're doing it wrong.
It might be supplemental, but for many people it is all they have. We lived on one person's food stamps, with some stores, I bought organic veg, we made smoothies and ate brown rice and veggies most of the time.
A dry bagel? You should've put some ranch on that.
Hey Jerry, we responded to this comment on our weekly talkback today!
We hope it helps!
That’s more than I eat a day...
Whats even worse is when it is about $4 a day per 2 people. They are very stingent about increasing a family's food stamps when I child, who is normally away from the home for educational purposes and comes home for months at a time and the refuse to increase the family's food stamps, making it $2 a day per person. A person can only live on Ramon and rice for so long.
Beans and eggs are staples in my house and eat them for one or two meals each day!
in uk the government states that people can eat healthily on £12.50 a WEEK!! £4 a day is beyond luxury in their eyes.
In Rhode Island the SNAP benefit is $200 per month per person. So roughly $6.66 per day.
The point is to be able to live healthily on said amount. if you're missing meals that's clearly not living healthily is it?
Buying day to day would be difficult, even on more than $4 per person. I would imagine it would be easier to buy in bulk on a weekly basis and prepare large batches of food that tastes good both as an initial meal and as leftovers (an example of this would be the taco meat and shredded toppings I prepared one day last week that made up the bulk of my dinner for 3 days straight -- which is one reason why I also take multi-vitamins and exercise daily, so I don't die from malnutrition or obesity).
We should never have a hunger problem in this country, but its easy to see why when so many people aren’t producing crops to actually feed people anymore. You can’t live on High Fructose Corn Syrup Alone
Unfortunately, for some families SNAP is their only source of nutrition. If you are currently unemployed SNAP may very well be the entire budget.
Oh yeah that's my Laura
So does buying produce that is in season. 3# And meat is simple: Get a freezer and ONLY buy the meat that is on sale.( Last week 50lbs of boneless skinless Chicken breasts cost me only $1.69/lbs or $85.00 and we have chicken for months.) Yes I have a 14cuFt chest freezer I feed 7 duh. Crock pots are awesome. and planned leftovers are awesome example: pasta sauce becomes sloppy joes (any meat works) becomes chili.
Okay, I know I'm late to the party. Yet I'm going to lend my two cents any how. So at $100 dollars a month that's pretty harsh, I've been on the SNAP program myself and received twice that. You went with what seem to me the fresh and whole food option, half doable at what I was getting but not realistic for what your budget (maybe). I say maybe because during the depression my grandpa enjoyed (yes, he loved it) squerll stew. and types of casseroles can last a week done properly. Just saying.
Asian stores are the best for this
Lol, I've lived off of one meal a day for a month, and really, it's not that bad. (Also, you could probably manage to get a few bucks one way or another on a daily basis, so you can make that 5-9 dollars daily.
General message from the video: being poor is difficult. Apparently we all can't even agree on that. I love america.
Being poor is easier than being rich...that why there's way more poor people
healthy food is expensive in america...
Could have been worse, but you didn't get any protein!! Meat, fruits, and veggies are soooo expensive!!
As demonstrated, fruits are extremely expensive in the northern states. So fruits get replaced by ultra fat ground beef and poorly nutritious carbs such as noodles and rice.
Great job to all working on raising awareness about food insecurity !
well said...only thing is a family of 4 X $4 = $16 a day
everything else was spot on ;-)
Buy eggs, bananas, cabbage, onions, spinach, green onions (stick in water so they grow through the week), rice, and chicken thighs, and you have a nutritious 3 meals a day staple for a week for under $21. It's easy af, I do it. $3 a day. If you can't do that you aren't trying.
that's also pretty damn good for cutting fat, all good stuff there (brown rice maybe and chuck In oats if budget allows)
James x yeah I like to switch it up a bit so it doesn't get too mundane, add in some canned salmon when I can (watch the sodium though). Dried beans are also really good and cheap, just gotta soak them overnight.
Fully agree. I myself garden and have a small orchard, 3 apple trees. My neighbour's love it as well since they get fresh applesauce and plenty of apples to eat.
Im watching this in 2023....sadly prices are much higher now.....
thats about $10-$15 worth of shit in Australia
Wow, someone's never been poor before. People don't have a $4 limit on their ebt cards, you know. Any idiot knows you don't buy the bagged salads. You buy the head of lettuce. Way cheaper. Yogurt? Buy the plain generic and add frozen fruit to it. You can buy a rotisserie chicken chicken and most grocery stores and get 3 or 4 meals out of it. Plus, like Ojisan649 said, SNAP is meant to SUPPLEMENT your food budget.
First of all, unless you are eating Brown Rice and cooking dried beans, rice and beans is not a healthy staple. White rice and canned beans? simple carbs and high in sodium. Most Americans think they are cooking when they are really heating overly processed foods. Eating real food on a food stamp budget is a labor intensive job that requires skills most don't have , as well as a good market close by. If u qualify for snap you have no extra $ to add to a food budget.
Girl you are all over the place!
I feed a family of 7 (2 adults, 5 kids 12,11,10,10,10) we eat fresh fruits and vegetables daily, we have rice,noodles,potatoes (both sweet and white). And Meat So much meat I had to cut back the servings of meat. Yeah it only costs $500-$525.00 per month. My math says that is $2.50 per person per day... So sorry about the food deserts, and empty calorie foods. The trick is simple#1 Just Eat Real Food. #2 Buy bulk (20lb bags of rice are between $10-$15) Beans work at about $1.25> per lbs.
well i mean they give you a monthly amount, right? Basically to eat well, you would need to pre-plan, and buy ingredients that can make several meals. I mean, 89 cents and a 3 dollar jar of sauce is dinner for 3-4 days if you arent a fat-ass about it. Sliced bread is about a buck a loaf, and american cheese is what, 3-4 bucks for 20 slices? oscar mayer ham is about the same, sooo with 10-12 dollars you've got dinner for 3 days, and supplies for atleast 10-12 sandwiches, depending on the bread size, but i mean, another buck and you've got 10 more sandwiches. Not to mention rice is super cheap as well. To eat cheap you arent gonna be able to afford to eat less starchy or low carb foods, but i mean, i bought 2 bags of potatoes for 3 bucks the other day, and fried potatoes are kickass. Eggs? whats a dozen eggs, a buck fifty? CHEAP. basically to eat cheap, stop being lazy and cook for yourself, it usually tastes better (well not the shitty sandwiches) and its not as inconvenient or difficult as people think
Marisha has lost so much weight
Yeah, its horrific if you look at stuff this old.
Do be blunt, she had tits back then.
That's odd, I was about to say she looks hecka skinny
So, I am a cashier at a grocery store and I check out hundreds of people a day. Now I know there are the people who are on food stamps that are barely getting by, but the majority of them are doing just fine and spending anywhere from $200 to $300 a month.
I think food stamps should be mandated like WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) you can only buy fruit, veggies,milk, juice, and whole grains. Not chips, candy, cakes, sodas, or Monster Energy drinks.
live4ever4022 I agree with your statement, but I would also include some forms of protein. Basic peanut butter or even turkey or chicken.
Food stamps are called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for a reason - it's meant to be SUPPLEMENTAL, not your sole source of nutrition. The idea that somehow SNAP is meant to be your entire daily food budget is absurd. Also the idea that you have to spend that $4 all at once each day, rather than spend it over the course of a week or month (where you can buy more bulk items) ignores the reality of shopping - some items last a while (that ranch dressing isn't a 1 day supply)
I think the general sentiment is clear: $4/day is sufficient in most situations. In my mind the question is: Why aren't these families learning how to cook/shop/plan like the vast majority of us who are commenting on this video? Is it really our responsibility to legislate basic home economics? (Mom of 4, single income, feeding 6-$2.34 per day, per person.)
this was actually a bad approach. like the typical person who never cooked before would do.
better youd buy basics first. big packs of rice, potatoes, beans or pasta. youll need a hand full of spices next. then oil for cooking, soy sauce and flour for sauce. for the rest of the week you spend the money on protein and veggies on sale. there should be even room for bread, coffee and milk.
I could never use the full allotted amount when I was on food stamps. Once my benefits were ending I had around $500 on my card that I had to use or lose. I went on a shopping spree and I had to bring a friend to help me pick out all the excessive food that I didn't typically buy. Marisha Ray doesn't know what she's talking about.
Wonder where see got her numbers? I've seen a lady pay for a whole shopping cart full of steaks....
I'm afraid I cannot agree with the content of this video at all. When I was working at a lower paying job, I lived on about $35/week (which works out to $5/day) in groceries and I ate WELL. Like MrsPatio666 said, you just need to learn to cook, shop smart, and don't eat crap. I have a full article on my Facebook page on how to eat well on $30 a week, and that includes meat, seafood, dairy, even treat items like chocolate.
And your point is?
Are you insinuating that living that way is easy? Or that the people stuck in that situation are always at fault, because you made it out? I'm not sure what your comment is trying to prove exactly.
Video is extremely misleading. $4 a day would suck but the government isn't literally giving them $4 everyday. Also, people should look up Langar kitchen. That will leave you in awe. I love you Marisha but this video was a stretch. If people want to truly help, don't point out what's wrong with the world, do something to change it.
People who are arguing that $4 is or isn't enough don't understand the program, including the writer of the script for this video. Food Stamps are SNAP benefit. The S in SNAP stands for Supplementary. Chances are, if you are on SNAP, you are also on Welfare or some other assistance. The point is the program is no intended to be the sole source of assistance and not even the sole source of food. The program itself is an odd duck in that it is funded by United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Services rather than one of the human services agencies. That all being said, it would be wonderful if there was one government agency that took care of everything of this nature, rather than sundry different ones with their own expensive bureaucracies.
all true Reckless... but, as a supplement program only helps to the $4 a day. If you make more than that, well you're SOL.
Xan Tee people should also look up food banks.
Public benefits may not cover all bills, so SNAP may be the only funds supporting food, Personally keep benefits to only purchase healthy foods, no junk food. Also community gardens that people can volunteer their time if they truly don't have other jobs, such as unemployed. Those gardens can give them the nutritious food they need. I see a lot of poverty and some of it is by bad decisions, so it would be better to give those people trying to get on their feet some work programs in gardens and soup kitchens so they can get fed without relying on benefits, It would also deter people from being lazy because they get benefits and use it to purchase junk food and other unimportant items. I feel proactive in this approach, but yes SNAP is not enough to provide. But there are better alternatives to purchasing food than your grocery store or super wal mart. Check out film "Just Eat It" and it will make people feel why food prices are kept high.
i have a solution: let the starving eat the obese
this chick bought horribly... i can feed myself for a week on $15 and not buy stupid ramen and what not. Beef vegetable soup is really cheap and good for you and you can spend 7-8$ on it and have it for the whole week
If a man is starving, do you give him a fish so he may eat but a single day, or teach him to fish so he may eat for the rest of his life? Teach these people to get jobs, shop and cook!
Nicki Lecuyer teach the people managing those jobs to hire people that, while smart and qualified, never had the money or enviroment for a full education.
Briefly, some common misconceptions about poverty in America:
www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/03/10-poverty-myths-busted/
A deeper dive into the misconception we often have about poverty in America, and why they persist:
www.wnyc.org/series/busted-americas-poverty-myths
I wish the answer were as simple as what you suggest, but unfortunately it is not.
If the busted series wasn't wrenching enough, here's an illustration of how hard it is to make it out, even if that person is a brilliant kid that's a super focused straight A student:
revisionisthistory.com/episodes/04-carlos-doesnt-remember
A fishing license costs about $50 and a fine for fishing without a license is between $50 and $100 plus $5 per fish and can include up to 30 days incarceration.
@@stefaniefrost3093 yeah it's some bull, big brother always needs a cut
On that note though, it's free to fish the ocean
You are ignorant and it makes you sound disgusting.
Folks this video seems to me to be irresponsible propaganda. I think snap/ foodstamps are a great program, taking $4 to the store to by 3 meals and comparing that to $4/day in foodstamps is irresponsible to the cause of hunger week. If a family is getting at least $4/day/person that is more than enough to provide healthy well balanced meals everyday. I did it on just under $2/day/ person. I was working as an assistant manager not even making enough to scrap by, we budgeted $100 every two weeks for food and without resorting to shopping at any discount grocers we were able to provide healthy meals with fresh meats and fruits/vegetables for a family of 4. Sure I worried about eating, a growth spurt from either kid might mean less to go around, but we made it through that tough time with out our kids going hungry, my wife and I are still fat asses so we obviously didnt go hungry either. The point is if a familyis being helped with $4/day/person for food hunger should not be an issue. Where hunger is an issue is with the homeless, the upper poor class who make too much to qualify for help, and those folk who can get help but have too much pride to take it