How To Keep Your SNAP/Food Stamp Benefits Longer

Author: Edeh Kelechi

SNAP is the acronym for Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program. Its goal is to provide food to low-income, elderly, and disabled people. If you received SNAP benefits for a particular month, they should last you for the entire month. Remember, you can still store benefits on your Electronic Benefits Transfer CARD (EBT) and spend them over time. Incase of shutdown like the covid-19”, your EBT card will continue to function, and your benefit can roll over to the following month.

Here are Five Simple Tips to Help you Get the Best out of Your SNAP Benefit

1. Shop for Food from the Farmers’ Market.

Many farmers’ markets across the country have programs to encourage SNAP members to buy healthy foods. It’s also referred to as Double Dollars or Double Your Food Bucks. With this program, all you have to do is bring your SNAP card to the information booth of a participating vendor, tell them how much you want to spend, and they will swipe your card and give you twice the amount of food you paid for. It’s one way to stretch your food stamps while eating fresh and healthy food.

2. Create a Meal Plan.

Even though meal planning takes time and effort, it is one of the effective ways to make your SNAP benefits last longer. Making a meal plan can help you structure a shopping list. After creating a menu list for the foods you want to make for the week, you can shop “only” for the ingredients you’ll need and prepare enough food to last the week to avoid waste. To save even more cost, you can use the leftover from the night to prepare breakfast for the morning. 

The more you plan your meals, the easier it becomes. Another tip for meal planning is to remove the ingredients you already have from your purchase list. It will help you to minimize your shopping and save money. 

3. Make a Shopping List

Making a shopping list will help to maximize your SNAP benefits. If you want your benefits to last longer, make sure you stick to your shopping list and don’t overspend at the store. Make a list of what you need and their prices, then figure out how much you’d spend at the store. Having a budget makes it easier to stay in check. 

4. Buy in Large 

One of the favors you can render to yourself is to avoid smaller food packages when shopping. Small packages are usually more expensive and don’t last long. To save money, look for larger-sized snacks or food ingredients. You can even buy large packs and divide it into several individual packages. 

5. Avoid Items at Eye Level

Here is a trick; If you want to spend less, stay away from products displayed at eye level on store shelves because they are always high in price. Store owners usually do this because most people never look past the items at their eye level. To find more affordable items, look above or below the items at your eye level.

Conclusion

Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program is one of the best government initiatives to help low-income earners and eradicate poverty in America. If you plan appropriately with your SNAP benefits, you will live a comfortable life.