Dual Challenges for February

This item maybe should have gone in the January decluttering challenge but it didn't. I have a mess of loose recipe's I have printed out over time that need to be written up and placed in my personal cookbooks. When it comes time to look up a recipe it can be a real pain in the rump, many times I just run to the computer and print out another copy as I am too lazy to keep looking. We also have family favorites in various cookbooks that are also a pain trying to remember what book they are in or what page the recipe is on. Anybody else have some recipe's written on a napkin, or the back of an envelope? For the month of February I intend to get this hot mess in order. A clean out of cook books is also in order! Want to join in?

The other challenge is to live on the average amount of food stamps per person in the US which is $127.00 @ a month. Total for hubby and I will be $247.00 a month or $67.00 a week. Could your family do that?

I've been giving some thought over what folks would do if they were suddenly thrown into unemployment that are not use to living on a set amount of money each month for food. Maybe they are use to eating out for the most part, or they just make quick trips to the store if they decide to do some cooking. They don't have a stocked up pantry other than maybe some box meals, chips and snacks. How could they make ends meet where eating is concerened?

If you watch news very often you are well aware that 1 in 7 US citizens are on food stamps. In addition over 10 million families receive WIC. Many studies show that families on public assistance are overweight leading to medical problems now and later in life.

So that got me thinking, could one of the reasons so many poor families are overweight is due to lack of good food, not enough money to purchase the right foods, or do they just not know how to shop/cook health meals? With so many families receiving food stamps why then are the local pantry's servicing so many more people since the recession (BTW I think the recession is still going strong) Do their food stamps just not cover the cost of food they need?

Rather than continue to do the pantry challenge this month I have decided to start a Food Stamp challenge. The thing that put me over the line in making this decision was yesterday we received a paper bag from the Boy Scouts for donations to our local food bank.I think somebody upstairs is telling me something.

I am going to have to change a few of my ways on cooking, shopping and eating!

I haven't used a meal plan in a VERY long time. I can't really remember how long it has been as our pantry and freezer stays pretty full. I can pull what I need when I need it from home. We have a GREAT variety to choose from.

The other thing I will have to change is grocery shopping. Right now I only purchase what is on sale using coupons where I can and stocking up. The only thing we need weekly is milk, eggs and fruit. I study the sale flyer on line and come up with my plan of attack each week for stocking up and rotating food. Big change is a comin!!

So here are the rules if you want to join in.

Recipe book - just pull out all those loose recipes and get them organized. I plan on working in the evenings or early morning when there are not so many distractions.

Food Stamp challenge

1.) You CAN NOT use any of the food you now have on had other than spices and condiments!!!! NO CHEATING!!!!

2.) If at all possible keep your food from this challenge separate from your regular pantry/freezer items. I am going to clear out a space in our freezer to do part of this. Finding a cabinet in the kitchen to store the other food is going to be a challenge in itself as my kitchen is full to the brim of things I really do use. I think by keeping this months food separate it will keep us from cheating by falling back on our pantry's

3.) The other exception is Birthdays, Anniversaries or Sunday dinner. In our case we feed 12 for Sunday dinner!

4.) Lets use Monday's as our check in day. Post on your own blog and make sure to leave a comment linking your blog up so the rest of us can cheer you on. If you don't have a blog then make sure and keep us all updated on how you are doing in the comment section here.

Hop on board if your feeling froggy, if not follow along with the rest of us as we shut down our pantries, freezers, or stock piles.

BTW, this challenge is NOT meant to offend anyone!!!! Playing like you are poor and really being poor are two different things. Been there done that! Sometimes by walking in another persons shoes turns the light on in our own hearts and minds.

Off to do some rearranging in the kitchen, I plan on hitting the floor running as Friday is my grocery day.