If you could stock up on grocery staples

[Mrs Tiggywinkle Again]

What would you get?

Our state gave EBT cards to kids who got free lunch in school with money to “make up” for missing school lunches and breakfast while schools were closed.  Since my kids were/are in schools that have a significant percentage of children who got free lunch, every child in the school qualified despite income.  Something got screwed up with my oldest’s card and it came out of the blue the other day with $900 loaded on it.  We didn’t even know he qualifies because he attended a different school than the other kids during the 2019-2021 school years  so were definitely not expecting it at all.

So if you had $900 in extra grocery money, what staples or other food would you bulk purchase? We plan to spend it on food storage, not prepper level but I no longer trust the food supply chains and I live someplace with a short growing period.

We are gluten and seafood free.  I do buy gluten free flour.

[cintinative]

What is your freezer space situation?  

Right now the things I stock up ridiculously on when they are cheaper are butter and chicken broth.  The butter would need to go on the freezer.  

I also buy block cheese and freeze that.  

Other than that, GF pasta, GF flour (that might need to go in the freezer, depending, though. We go through so much I don't need to freeze it.)

Spaghetti sauce, barbecue sauce, ketchup

I would be tempted to buy a lot of meat and freeze that too. But we have a separate freezer so I have space.

 

 

Edited January 24, 2023 by cintinative

[Mrs Tiggywinkle Again]

More freezer space than pantry space, but we have half a cow in one of the freezers.  
I can create more pantry space if necessary.  I am just not sure what lasts long enough to put my money into. 

[KungFuPanda]

Probably a couple dozen eggs 🤣

[TheReader]

Things I'd get: 

whatever kind of flour you do use

whatever kind of sugar(s) you use

whatever thing(s) you most notice being out most often (so, for ex, we keep not being able to find granola bars of certain kinds, and trail mix)

dried rice, beans, pastas, gnocchis (whatever ones work for you being gluten free)

at least a bottle or two each of whatever good olive oil, vinegar(s), etc. that you like to have on hand (like, I try to keep red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, and balsamic, but not everyone adds it to the list when it's out, so sometimes I have to improvise - if I had back-up, that would be great)

coffee beans &/or tea bags

peanut butter in our preferred brands (we get one kind of creamy, a different kind of crunchy)

we have a deep freeze, so I'd also get meats, particularly if we had some on sale ones that we use a lot and had the space for

around here, also I'd get tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, BBQ sauce in our favorite flavor(s), stuff like that which has been hit or miss lately

oatmeal

(probably I've passed $900 by now.....)

maybe canned veggies in whatever kind of vegetable is our favorite, just for back-up use and such, especially if in a short growing period area where you can't get fresh too often/all the time anyway - possibly bump that up the list, if that's the case; I forget about that b/c we're usually able to get *something* fresh all the time

[Emba]

Dry beans last a long time. Rice, maybe, depending on how often you eat it. Sugar never goes bad if it isn’t allowed to get wet. I’d look at what shelf stable items you use most and buy those.

[cintinative]

I don't know if you can use EBT at Costco but we buy rice 25 lb at a time and if I didn't mix my own flour, I would buy their 5 lb bag of GF flour. We buy our sugar there too. I think some locations sell butter? Peanut butter, nuts, etc

I just looked and Gordon Food Service takes EBT. You can buy big quantities of some things there. Not everything is a great price though.  

As The Reader mentioned, I also stock up on canned/dry beans, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, etc. because I use those frequently.  

 

[bolt.]

I'd start with frozen meat, within reason... based on how long various things last, and which kinds of meat the family tends to eat.

Then I'd get just "one or two item/unit(s) ahead of our normal" of basically every dry good and non-perishable that was part of my ordinary groceries. By doing this, I'd double my usual holding pattern of food. Then my ongoing normal grocery money would have the role of replacing "the second to last unit" instead of replacing things when I'm out, or nearly out.

So, if I normally replace breakfast cereals when the box is gone, this plan says: buy an extra box of each kind today, keep them somewhere as a storage area, then when "the box is gone" move the 'extra' box to the place of the 'in-use' box. Next shopping trip use the ordinary budget to replace the 'extra' box in the storage area. Everything that is currently 'in use' in your pantry (if it is used on an ongoing basis) gets a duplicate of itself (or more).

You could even start buying a few things by the flat, instead of by 2s, 3s, or whatever: but only stuff you legitimately go through at that rate.

The longer something lasts, the larger portion size you could consider to be your holding portion.

A freezer stuffed with meat and a duplicate (or more) of everything in your pantry would definitely go through $900 in my area. I don't think you need to start thinking like a prepper with kilograms of rice and beans, flour and sugar, for the far future. Those sorts of stored staples don't tend to get used unless poop really hits the fan. A duplicated pantry changes your approach to groceries long term, keeping you safe and happy through minor disruptions and keeping plenty of your normal food on hand at all times.

Edited January 24, 2023 by bolt.

[Clemsondana]

We keep a lot of stuff on hand.  Flour, sugar, brown, white, and jasmine rice, quinoa, pasta, and an assortment of sauces (BBQ, stir-fry, mayo, ketchup, mustard, salsa, honey), cooking or olive oil, seasonings (individual spices or seasoning packets), canned tuna and salmon, canned soup, canned beans of various kinds, and dried beans for pantry items.  We keep butter and cheese in the freezer.  I find that it's helpful to have bags of frozen peppers and onions since they go in all sorts of things and can be great if I can't get to the store to get fresh, so if you have space you might get those.  If you use gluten-free mixes to make pancakes or brownies or whatever, you might stock up on those, too.  

Edited to say - it really depends on how and what you eat.  Spouse thought I was absurd when I started getting rice in 25 lb bags.  Then we realized that we use at least a pound or 2 of rice any time I make a stir fry or gumbo.  Then it seems less absurd.  On the other hand, my dad wanted to stock up the same as we did, and mom pointed out that they use 1/4 of the rice that we do (I have 2 teen athletes).  They don't need items in the quantity that I do.  One frozen pizza feeds the 2 of them.  One frozen pizza feeds my teen boy lunch.  We try not to waste, which is dependent on knowing what we'll actually use.  And peanut butter.  We eat a lot of that, and certain canned fruit is popular.  

Edited January 24, 2023 by Clemsondana

[saraha]

For me it would be rice, pasta, shortening, oil, flour, sugar, baking powder, tomato paste (can make all kinds of stuff like spaghetti sauce from all shelf stable ingredients and the little cans take up like no room), ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise (we go through an incredible amount of mayonnaise) peanut butter and canned fruit.

[Mrs Tiggywinkle Again]

We buy most of our meat locally—usually 1/2 a pig and 1/2 a cow a year.  Most of our eggs I buy locally too.

I am mostly thinking canned vegetables and fruits, frozen fruit, and the staples of flour, sugar, oatmeal and gluten free cornmeal.  I am just not sure of how long they last—a year? More?

Peanut butter, sauces, butter and cheese are good ideas. Lol that’s why I ask on here.

Edited January 24, 2023 by Mrs Tiggywinkle Again

[prairiewindmomma]

In my house:

*$100 for 4 25 lb bags of basmati rice (store in food grade buckets with dry ice to kill bugs)

*$100 for 3 25# bags of black beans 

(We eat these regularly, along with lentils, gluten free oats, chickpeas, etc.) 

canned tuna, canned soup, canned fruit in case of power outages—rotate this through meals 

meat for the freezer

The dry goods and canned stuff would boost back up emergency stock, and meat would balance out the budget. We eat a lot of fresh veggies and fruit—I would be using the SNAP money to free up other dollars towards that.

[Carrie12345]

Since you have cow in the freezer, I’d skip that!

My M.O. is to stock things that make more things. Broths and bouillons, flours, oats, sugars, yeast, salt, seasonings, baking powder and soda, vinegars, some oils, vegetables, fruits, etc.

Some things are surprising. I stocked up on stuffing at Aldi for under 50 cents a bag, because the Best Buy date is in 2025! Makes me wonder about stuffing, but I love it!

Canned chicken, tuna, etc. Evaporated and/or boxed milk (but their dates aren’t as long as I wish.) A few condensed soups. Tomato/sauce jars and cans. And all of the hard cheeses that exist.

[prairiewindmomma]

If you store the flour and oats in gamma seal lid buckets and open them up regularly, you get 12-18 months shelf life. If you store them in sealed buckets with oxygen absorber packets (available from Amazon), you are looking at 8-10 years, easy.

[sweet2ndchance]

If you have Aldis there, I would probably start there and stock up on canned veggies and the like. Rice, dried pasta of your preference, instant potatoes, bullion or stock, whatever fits your dietary restrictions. Since you said you have some freezer space I'd get as much chicken and pork as I could for the freezer since you already have beef.

If it was possible diet wise, I might get a few treats and convenience foods that I don't usually splurge on just for funsies since this is extra groceries for you.

Amazon accepts EBT cards, I get bulk spices from there. Much cheaper than the little jars they sell local to us.

I don't know for sure about Costco but Sam's Club accepts EBT so I would imagine Costco does too.

[Hilltopmom]

Just don’t wait too long to use it because ours expired and we couldn’t get it renewed 😞

 

[Arcadia]

Sugar last for years even for opened packs in my home. We buy cane sugar and brown sugar. 
Flour also last for years but I do keep opened packs in airtight containers. We buy rice flour, glutinous rice flour, wheat flour, cake flour, self rising flour. 

[Mrs Tiggywinkle Again]

3 minutes ago, Hilltopmom said:

Just don’t wait too long to use it because ours expired and we couldn’t get it renewed 😞

 

With the first round I lost $150 on my daughter’s that way, which is one reason I’m anxious to just spend this one and store up.  You have 270(?) days IIRC to spend it.

I also have really fond memories of my mom and grandmother’s full pantries. Even though that was all self canned foods from their gardens lol.  

Edited January 24, 2023 by Mrs Tiggywinkle Again

[prairiewindmomma]

Unfortunately $900 sounds like a lot but could be one Costco trip for me if I am feeling ambitious. Happy shopping!!

[MeaganS]

57 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

In my house:

*$100 for 4 25 lb bags of basmati rice (store in food grade buckets with dry ice to kill bugs)

*$100 for 3 25# bags of black beans 

(We eat these regularly, along with lentils, gluten free oats, chickpeas, etc.) 

canned tuna, canned soup, canned fruit in case of power outages—rotate this through meals 

meat for the freezer

The dry goods and canned stuff would boost back up emergency stock, and meat would balance out the budget. We eat a lot of fresh veggies and fruit—I would be using the SNAP money to free up other dollars towards that.

I am very interested in this. I have recently begun keeping a larger food storage and pantry moths are the devil. I have some food grade buckets with gamma lids, but I haven't heard about dry ice. How do you do that?

Edited January 24, 2023 by MeaganS

[Carol in Cal.]

Groceries for the next two weeks first, the really good stuff.  Lots of fresh produce in there.  Gluten free treat items or trials, like crackers you haven’t tried yet.

Then navel oranges and if you can find them, Meyer lemons.  Those last a long time in the fridge. And also eggs, same principle.

Then other meats, probably packages of chicken thighs, enough to almost fill the freezer.  I’d put an extra bag around each package before freezing it.  Then fill in with those big bricks of sharp Tillamook cheddar and concentrated OJ, since that keeps a long, long time in the freezer.

Then as much TP as I could store.  

Then whatever canned stuff I normally use plus extra black beans and pintos and mild diced green chilis for bean dip/bean tamale filling.  Masa Harina and Crisco and lard.  Not healthy but they do keep a long time and can be used sparingly.  A 5 gallon bucket each of white sugar, light brown sugar, and powdered sugar, since I have alpha seals.  Basmati rice from Costco.  Olive oil keeps for a very long time if stored in the dark.  Vt maple syrup in the freezer.  Various vinegars.  

[ScoutTN]

In addition to the other good suggestions:

chocolate! 
salsa
hot cereal (besides oats)
nuts
applesauce
a few fun snacky items

[Mrs Tiggywinkle Again]

We don’t eat a lot of snacky items. Pretzels, dip and popcorn are about it. DH doesn’t like most of the gluten free processed foods like crackers or bread, but he will eat the pasta. 
We eat a lot of fresh fruit.  
 

[Annie G]

I’d shop sales for the next six-eight weeks and stock up on things that are on sale and that will last. So when pasta sauce and pasta goes on sale, I buy that.  It goes a lot farther if you can stretch it buying on sale or in bulk.  Check sell buy dates when buying, for sure!
But like so many people learned when pandemic stocking up happened, don’t buy stuff you don’t usually eat. 
I’d also buy things you know you’ll need, like cake mixes if that’s how you usually make family birthday cakes, or cooking oil, salad dressing, pan spray like Pam, canned veggies, noodles, whatever YOUR family eats.

I buy and freeze butter when on sale, as well as freeze one cup portions of milk and buttermilk.

[Ausmumof3]

Olive oil, tinned tomatoes and fruit, oats, sugar and breakfast cereals, replenish the spices cupboard. Curry pastes and coconut milk. Cocoa powder and whatever hot drinks your family uses. If it can be used for this stuff Band-AIDS, dettol, hydralite, paracetamol. Vitamins if they’re supermarket ones? Toilet paper and tissues. 

$900 would only be 3 weeks of groceries here so wouldn’t be hard to use.

[Arcadia]

If I need to spend fast instead of waiting for sales, for fresh fruits I would be aiming for cherries, pomegranates, pomelo, strawberries, mangoes, tomatoes and avocado. Those are the pricier fruits that we eat and would easily hike up our grocery bill. 

[DawnM]

I would buy 2 weeks worth of just regular food......splurge with steaks, salmon, salads, cheesecake, baked potato fully loaded, etc.....then do some stocking up with the rest.

Dried fruits

rice

beans

flour

sugar

yeast

oils

grains

shelf stable almond milk

canned goods, lots of them

 

[kbutton]

 

2 hours ago, prairiewindmomma said:

. We eat a lot of fresh veggies and fruit—I would be using the SNAP money to free up other dollars towards that.

I agree. I would also use the card for a portion of my groceries for a while vs. all at once if it won’t expire right away.

If your dates are good, and your local farmers market takes EBT, consider leaving a bit on your card for that this spring and summer.

2 hours ago, Carrie12345 said:

My M.O. is to stock things that make more things. 

Yes, and what you buy depends on what you make the most. If you make chili once per month, buy a couple months of ingredients. If you make tacos, then whatever taco ingredients are shelf-stable are fair game. 

For purely emergency storage, buy things that can be eaten without cooking (major disaster) or with easy cooking methods you know will work for you ( this varies by family and region). For economic emergencies or inconveniences, any food you eat that can be stored is fair game.

Below is what we try to do on the regular. I would shop regular store sales at rock bottom prices and then use stores that have lower prices but no sales (Aldi) to round out what you can’t get on sale over the next couple of months.

1 hour ago, Annie G said:

I’d shop sales for the next six-eight weeks and stock up on things that are on sale and that will last. So when pasta sauce and pasta goes on sale, I buy that.  It goes a lot farther if you can stretch it buying on sale or in bulk.  Check sell buy dates when buying, for sure!
But like so many people learned when pandemic stocking up happened, don’t buy stuff you don’t usually eat. 
I’d also buy things you know you’ll need, like cake mixes if that’s how you usually make family birthday cakes, or cooking oil, salad dressing, pan spray like Pam, canned veggies, noodles, whatever YOUR family eats.

I buy and freeze butter when on sale, as well as freeze one cup portions of milk and buttermilk.

[Soror]

Our stock up items-.

Basmati or jasmine rice 

Gluten free oats 

Sugar

Honey.

Maple syrup.

Various pasta regular and gluten free.

Flour regular and gluten free.

Tinned tomatoes- various kinds; green chilis, coconut milk

Black, pinto, kidney, white beans. Chickpeas and lentils- black beans the most 

Olive oil and coconut oil 

Yeast. 

If I had freezer room- meats, fruits, nuts, veggies, butter, cheese

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[cjzimmer1]

In my pantry storage (stuff that will last a year or more) I have

spaghetti sauce

pasta

noodle/rice mixes (think rice a roni or Knorr's)

mac and cheese

salad dressing

canned oranges (or any other canned fruit you like)

olives/pickles

jam

hot chocolate mix

mayo, bbq sauce, ketchup mustard etc

boullion, salt, peppercorns

canned coconut milk

any other sauces or condiments you may use (such as stir fry sauces or Worcestershire sauce)

ramen/rice noodle packages

freezer pops (the ones that are shelf stable in long clear tubes which have saved me innumerable times when a kid got sick and I have no popsicles )

Jello

For 6 months+ items

crackers

chips

juice

rice, flour, sugar (these will last longer but I don't like to push it because I worry about bugs)

peanut butter

nuts

chocolate chips

gingerale (again sick kid item that I never want to be out of)

granola bars

 

My freezer stash (storage duration will depend on if you have a self defrosting freezer or not.  The self defroster feature makes things deteriorate much faster.  Without it most of my stuff will last for a year or more).

blueberries

grapes (frozen grapes are some of my kids favorite snacks)

bananas 

strawberries

french fries

assortment of meats

butter (I wrap it in plastic and then in a zip lock to help prevent absorbing odors)

quick food/snacks for those times I just don't have it in me to cook.

cooked beans (I buy dry beans and cook up 4-5 pounds at a time and then freeze, much cheaper than buying the canned ones)

broth (every roast or hunk of meat gets boiled after pulling the meat and the broth gets frozen till I make soup, beans, or just needed for another recipe)

 

 

[gardenmom5]

We stock. Things we use

Basic dry/canned  food staples

Flour

Sugar

Canned tomatoes, tomato paste

Beans

Rice 

Pasta

Salt

Oil

Baking soda/powder

Yeast

 

 

[TechWife]

5 hours ago, Mrs Tiggywinkle Again said:

  Something got screwed up with my oldest’s card and it came out of the blue the other day with $900 loaded on it.  We didn’t even know he qualifies because he attended a different school than the other kids during the 2019-2021 school years  so were definitely not expecting it at all.

So if you had $900 in extra grocery money, what staples or other food would you bulk purchase?

In this situation l’d buy absolutely nothing. I highly recommend that you get on the phone and/or show up in offices until you have a clear understanding of whether or not he is due that money. Get receipts. If the card is indeed “screwed up,” then it’s up to you, as he one holding the money, to insist on a resolution. To do otherwise might constitute fraud.  If he is not due that $900, then at some point that will be figured out and if it has been spent, you will be on the hook to repay it. You could then expect them to confiscate tax refund money and/or garnish wages. You could also be on the hook for paying interest on the “loan.”

[Mrs Tiggywinkle Again]

32 minutes ago, TechWife said:

In this situation l’d buy absolutely nothing. I highly recommend that you get on the phone and/or show up in offices until you have a clear understanding of whether or not he is due that money. Get receipts. If the card is indeed “screwed up,” then it’s up to you, as he one holding the money, to insist on a resolution. To do otherwise might constitute fraud.  If he is not due that $900, then at some point that will be figured out and if it has been spent, you will be on the hook to repay it. You could then expect them to confiscate tax refund money and/or garnish wages. You could also be on the hook for paying interest on the “loan.”

It was an oversight that he didn’t receive it earlier, not a mistake that he received one.  His school has universal free breakfast and lunch through NYS as it’s a designated special needs school, so he qualified for the benefit despite household income. 

[GoVanGogh]

I would get nut butters, alternative milks (hemp, coconut, etc.), gf oats, canned pumpkin (bc it is versatile), nuts, lots of fresh produce to eat now, canned tomatoes to make sauces and soups, dried beans.

[TechWife]

13 minutes ago, Mrs Tiggywinkle Again said:

It was an oversight that he didn’t receive it earlier, not a mistake that he received one.  His school has universal free breakfast and lunch through NYS as it’s a designated special needs school, so he qualified for the benefit despite household income. 

Okay, thanks for setting me straight! I’m glad to hear this!

I think others have had great ideas for you. So much depends on storage, so maybe pacing the purchases through to the expiration date might be helpful. I’ll also chime in and say that, since this is unexpected & unbudgeted funds, maybe think about having a reasonable for you, yet special dinner or a special treat you might not ordinarily be able to have. 

 

Edited January 25, 2023 by TechWife

[Mrs Tiggywinkle Again]

1 minute ago, TechWife said:

Okay, thanks for setting me straight! I’m glad to hear this!

I think others have had great ideas for you. So much depends on storage, so maybe pacing the purchases through to the expiration date might be helpful. I’ll also chime in and say that, since this is unexpected & I budgeted funds, maybe think about having a reasonable for you, yet special dinner or a special treat you might not ordinarily be able to have. 

 

I emailed his school social worker when it arrived in the mail because I was so confused. I thought the program had ended, but my other kids who got it before are in private school and homeschooled, so it could be ongoing and I wouldn’t know.  It didn’t make any sense to me so I asked lol.  It was some kind of paperwork oversight.

[elegantlion]

When my family had EBT, you couldn't use it on non-food items, so no TP, feminine products, toothpaste, or vitamins or anything like that, which was frustrating. 

We don't have extra freezer space, so I would stock up on

 peanut butter, cheese, almonds, saltines (which we go through), tortilla wraps (SO uses them a lot), olive oil, spices, coffee and more coffee, applesauce, honey, gluten-free pasta, pesto sauce, canned chili, rice, salmon, ham, frozen blueberries. 

We'd also spread out a couple of trips to Aldi for fresh produce. 

[Grace Hopper]

Without reading all the replies…

chicken, beef and vegetable broths

coconut milk

canned tomatoes & tomato paste

rice, quinoa, pasta (dry grains)

beans and peas (dry)

spices like salt, pepper, cumin, etc

Boneless chicken if there’s freezer space 

oils & vinegars

probably some other canned soups, fruits and vegetables

 

Wow this is telling - I don’t buy a lot of dry/boxed goods. Maybe add in some nuts and dried fruit? Granola bars and meat/jerky?

[prairiewindmomma]

5 hours ago, MeaganS said:

I am very interested in this. I have recently begun keeping a larger food storage and pantry moths are the devil. I have some food grade buckets with gamma lids, but I haven't heard about dry ice. How do you do that?

Place about 3-4” of grain or beans into the bottom of a 5 gallon food grade bucket (to prevent the dry ice from freezing to the bucket and cracking it). Add 2-3 oz of dry ice. Fill the bucket to about an inch from the top, hammer on the lid.

[popmom]

6 hours ago, prairiewindmomma said:

If you store the flour and oats in gamma seal lid buckets and open them up regularly, you get 12-18 months shelf life. If you store them in sealed buckets with oxygen absorber packets (available from Amazon), you are looking at 8-10 years, easy.

hmmmm... when I find a great deal on organic flour, I buy a bunch and put in in my freezer. I'd much rather do what you are saying though and free up that freezer space. So if you use oxy absorbers, how often do you open the containers? I could store bulk and just open often enough to refill 5lb containers?

Edited January 25, 2023 by popmom

[prairiewindmomma]

5 minutes ago, popmom said:

hmmmm... when I find a great deal on organic flour, I buy a bunch and put in in my freezer. I'd much rather do what you are saying though and free up that freezer space. So if you use oxy absorbers, how often do you open the containers? I could store bulk and just open often enough to refill 5lb containers?

This depends on how quickly you cycle through a 25 lb bag. If that takes you a few years, I think you are better off storing it in 5 lb increments with their own oxygen absorbers. Right, once you reintroduce oxygen you have to take it back out again…you will lose freshness. But, if you cycle through 25# in a few months, then go for it.

Oxygen absorbers are great for things like bulk buying spices and storing them in mason jars, or for big restaurant bags of pasta, separated out into plastic bins.

—-We used to live in the middle of nowhere and did bulk buying every other month, and then we would make big co-op orders of wheat, beans, etc. twice a year.

[Resilient]

Unrelated to food choices, but one thing to consider for freezer foods is how often and for how long the power goes out where you are, and do you have a generator to keep the fridge and freezer going? 

Reason I ask: We lost a freezer and two fridge/freezers worth of food during a 3 day power outage a few years ago.  Had to toss every last bit of it, which cost far more than what we saved by buying it early.  Of course, the $900 is "free" so that's a different situation.  Maybe use $900 cash to get a great generator and just buy your regular food on the EBT card, if you don't have a generator.  

I'm still bitter. haha

[Mrs Tiggywinkle Again]

1 minute ago, Resilient said:

Unrelated to food choices, but one thing to consider for freezer foods is how often and for how long the power goes out where you are, and do you have a generator to keep the fridge and freezer going? 

Reason I ask: We lost a freezer and two fridge/freezers worth of food during a 3 day power outage a few years ago.  Had to toss every last bit of it, which cost far more than what we saved by buying it early.  Of course, the $900 is "free" so that's a different situation.  Maybe use $900 cash to get a great generator and just buy your regular food on the EBT card, if you don't have a generator.  

I'm still bitter. haha

We have a generator that powers the whole house, though in almost two years we’ve never lost power.

I lost a half a cow in our old house that way, and when we moved there was a generator here that I insisted be negotiated into the sale. I am also still bitter. And that was 2014 when we lost it.

[Faith-manor]

You could get five dozen eggs with that money! 😁

Seriously, does your family eat a lot of tomato based products like tacos sauces, spaghetti sauce, etc. ? The reason I ask is that there is a prediction that inflation will continue due to water/irrigation issues in California. If you have pantry space for jars and cans, that might be a good idea.

Dried fruit is always expensive so if that is something your kids eat, I would buy a bunch extra. Dried fruit in sealed bags will last a very, very long time.

I don't know what all can even be purchased on an EBT. Coffee and tea comes to mind if that is allowed and you use a lot. 

[Kalmia]

To be sure we can cook many different meals from scratch we stock up in categories: fats, sugars, grains, beans, meats, vegetables, fruits, cooking supplies, spices & salts, drinks

It may look different for everyone but for us this means:

Fats: coconut oil (in jars or other containers) and butter (in the freezer)
Sugars: cane sugar, maple syrup, honey
Grains: oatmeal, whole wheat flour, white flour, einkorn flower, rice, popcorn
Beans: Black beans, pinto beans, refried beans (canned)
Meats: (all in the freezer) whole chickens, boneless chicken breasts, whole turkeys, turkey breast, hamburger, pork chops
Vegetables: (in the freezer): broccoli, peas, corn, green peppers. (in jars) jalapeño peppers (in our cold basement) potatoes, onions, garlic
Fruit: (in fridge or cold basement) longer storing variety apples, dried cherries, dried apricots
Cooking Supplies: Powdered milk, baking powder, baking soda.
Spices & Salts: All the spices! Sea salt, Himalayan salt, and pickling salt
Drinks: Tea
 

 

Edited January 25, 2023 by Kalmia

[Faith-manor]

One other thought. If you don't have to use the whole balance rapidly, could you just do most of your regular, weekly grocery shopping on it freeing up grocery money to use on something else?

[Resilient]

5 hours ago, Mrs Tiggywinkle Again said:

We have a generator that powers the whole house, though in almost two years we’ve never lost power.

I lost a half a cow in our old house that way, and when we moved there was a generator here that I insisted be negotiated into the sale. I am also still bitter. And that was 2014 when we lost it.

We do too, re: generator.  Our neighbors can even plug into it.  🙂 

I'm bitter all they way back to 2008.  

[Melissa in Australia]

On 1/25/2023 at 9:34 AM, Ausmumof3 said:

Olive oil, tinned tomatoes and fruit, oats, sugar and breakfast cereals, replenish the spices cupboard. Curry pastes and coconut milk. Cocoa powder and whatever hot drinks your family uses. If it can be used for this stuff Band-AIDS, dettol, hydralite, paracetamol. Vitamins if they’re supermarket ones? Toilet paper and tissues. 

$900 would only be 3 weeks of groceries here so wouldn’t be hard to use.

These are the same things that I was going to reccomend.  Plus rice 

 They are the things we stocked up on

 

[Ausmumof3]

6 minutes ago, Melissa in Australia said:

These are the same things that I was going to reccomend.  Plus rice 

 They are the things we stocked up on

 

I tried to go back and add rice and pasta but the forum was playing up and wouldn’t let me edit! Must be a good list 🙂