Why Can't Poor People Afford Healthy Food?

[koshergrl]

koshergirl, some good points but a very real consideration for someone who is homeless is carrying food with them. A few cans of beans and you can't walk. Water poses the same problem and, amazingly, water is hard to come by if you're homeless.

And, if you're homeless, you can't get food stamps or other assistance, because you have to an address. Nor can you look for a job and for the same reason. And, if you're able to find a job, how do you bathe? take care of clothes that you have to carry with you at all times?

Also, it used to be thought that we needed to "combine" foods in order to get "complete proteins". I remember reading Francis Moore Lappe's books but that has been debunked. Its also known now that we don't need to ingest protein. We actually don't utilize/metabolize it that way. Instead, we make protein from the essential amino acids.

In addition, the ingestion of a high protein diet contributes to several of the diseases that our expensive western diet cause. Very funny is that back in the 70s, the American Dairy Assoc -a cartel of dairy businesses whose sole reason for existence is to get you to buy a product that is bad for you - did two studies that showed that using dairy products actually increases osteoporosis.

Its not just the dairy - its the high protein, high fat in what has become the normal diet in the western world. That's why the Chinese, Japanese and others are now getting osteoporosis, as well as heart disease, cancer, etc - they're eating the way the rich Americans do.

You can find an excellent discussion of those two studies in the book, Diet For A New America by John Robbins (of Baskin Robbins!). The American Dairy Assoc sued him and lost because the results of both studies are now in the public domain. Hard to find, but they are out there.

"... feeding an adolescent boy..." will put anyone in the poor house!

Yes, you can get foodstamps if you're homeless. I've issued thousands of dollars of foodstamps to homeless people, coded "homeless in ________" with a mailing address of "Gen Del" whichever town they want to say.

 

[koshergrl]

koshergirl, some good points but a very real consideration for someone who is homeless is carrying food with them. A few cans of beans and you can't walk. Water poses the same problem and, amazingly, water is hard to come by if you're homeless.

And, if you're homeless, you can't get food stamps or other assistance, because you have to an address. Nor can you look for a job and for the same reason. And, if you're able to find a job, how do you bathe? take care of clothes that you have to carry with you at all times?

Also, it used to be thought that we needed to "combine" foods in order to get "complete proteins". I remember reading Francis Moore Lappe's books but that has been debunked. Its also known now that we don't need to ingest protein. We actually don't utilize/metabolize it that way. Instead, we make protein from the essential amino acids.

In addition, the ingestion of a high protein diet contributes to several of the diseases that our expensive western diet cause. Very funny is that back in the 70s, the American Dairy Assoc -a cartel of dairy businesses whose sole reason for existence is to get you to buy a product that is bad for you - did two studies that showed that using dairy products actually increases osteoporosis.

Its not just the dairy - its the high protein, high fat in what has become the normal diet in the western world. That's why the Chinese, Japanese and others are now getting osteoporosis, as well as heart disease, cancer, etc - they're eating the way the rich Americans do.

You can find an excellent discussion of those two studies in the book, Diet For A New America by John Robbins (of Baskin Robbins!). The American Dairy Assoc sued him and lost because the results of both studies are now in the public domain. Hard to find, but they are out there.

"... feeding an adolescent boy..." will put anyone in the poor house![/QUOTE]
Tell me about it.

We had a resurgence of rickets incidence in American children in the 80s/early 90s because parents were breast feeding, and not giving their children enough vit d (usually it gets into kids via milk..) but there was a lot of bad press about cow's milk then and so everyone quit feeding it..and for the first time in DECADES children started showing up in pediatrician's offices with rickets.

Kids need milk. They need vitamin D and they need calcium, and commercial cow's milk is still the best way for them to get it.

But, I need to add...milk is a serious problem for me. I was raised on it..we drank a gallon of whole milk a day most days when I was growing up...we even had cows that we milked and when we did, we went through even more milk, and cream, and every other thing you can imagine...and I swear it has caused me more issues with my weight than any one thing. I drink milk (well I'm getting better now) like most people drink water. I drink more than the kids or anyone else...now I've got a bigger household and more kids, I just have to knock it off....

And I feel better when I do.

 

[jack113]

How many poor people do you know? None? I thought so.

I know many poor people, I have been very, very poor at times in my life. This is basic psychology. It's why poor people are more likely to be obese than a wealthy person. It's why there are riots at the latest NBA signature sneaker release. It's why an immigrant that comes here, even more poor than the poorest American and end up wealthy and successful.

A poor person making a decision on what to have for dinner will chose mac and cheese over vegetable soup because mac and cheese tastes better, it's more expensive but it tastes better and don't they deserve something that at least tastes good? They can't afford a steak, but they can afford a block of cheese.

Really, you were poor and you spent $300 on sneakers? I've been poor, I'm not now and I have NEVER paid $300 on sneakers.


When we were poor, we didn't qualify for food stamps. We had to depend on our friends and family and the food bank to help us through hard times. Oh, yeah, we could have sold our house and had enough to buy food but then where would we have lived?

BTW, vegetable beef soup isn't cheaper, and it does taste a lot better if it's MY vegetable beef soup.

Fresh fruits and vegetables and lean meats are very expensive. So is a block of cheese, although the cheese does go further.

You will find though, that at least at our local food bank, you are much more likely to get macaroni and a block of cheese than steak and fresh fruits and vegetables. Even canned vegetables are rare, unless it's corn and that really isn't a vegetable anymore, it's just another starch.

As for immigrants coming here and ending up wealthy and successful, you do know that we have organizations, paid for with our tax dollars to show them how to work our system don't you? (I know this because I tried to get a job with one) We don't have any such organization to help our own citizens. Our government also offers them low interest loans to buy a business and lets them operate it tax free for a period of time, another benefit not afforded our own citizens. Heck, we have subsidized housing built strictly for immigrants that our citizens can't get into..and once they are in, they get to stay, regardless of how much money they make. Of course they are more successful, they get far more help.

I had a friend that lived next door to a Russian (who bought a house while on the dole) and my friend's husband was laid off from his job with no unemployment. Her Russian neighbor says to her "You need help, I'll show you how to get help" and took her down to DSHS. As they walked out of DSHS the Russian lady just shook her head and said "I don't understand a country that doesn't take care of it's own people." Yeah, my friend was turned down, as were we.

Been to your local food bank lately? It's mostly Russians and Hispanics, the poor Americans are lucky if they get anything. My husband was there when a crate of watermelon came in..the Russians surrounded it and passed off the watermelons to other Russians, no Americans got any. I was there when boxes of oranges came in, the only reason our family got any is because I have a friend who works there and she made sure to pull a box off for us before it was put out.

BTW, When I say "Russian" I mean people from the Soviet Union. No offense, but I can't tell them apart.

I don't think you know a single poor person. I give out lunches with my friend every Monday at the church to the needed. Many of those people are homeless. Some of them are families who, after paying rent, don't have enough money left for food. I talk to these people all the time and not one of them has ever spent $100 on a pair of shoes, let alone $300. Heck one of our guys came in one day, during the night, some kid stole his shoes. He walked to the goodwill in his socks and they gave him a pair of shoes and some extra socks. We've had people come into the church with shoes held together by duct tape. We have been fortunate in being able to find shoes that were donated that somewhat fit them.

So you'll just have to forgive me if I don't judge all poor people based on the way you behaved when you were poor.

I was very poor in the great depression but much happier than what people go through today. I lived in many WPA camps and worked hard for every scrap of food and few pennies the jobs paid.

I agree food stamps are abused and need better regulating. I know people on food stamps that get enough to feed their family but sell them and live off of food banks. Their is no problem if the people running the program monitored what can be bought with food stamps and the list of food had to have nutritional value but the first thing always cut with government is the help departments need to function. Their will always be scam artists that abuse welfare and it's the main reason why welfare fails. I also believe if people need help and accept it they should have to prove they are looking for work. I have always had the opinion that if you don't have a job any job is a good job and you can always look for better work.

 

[koshergrl]

Employers are more likely to hire someone without a degree who has been gainfully employed washing dishes than they are to hire a college graduate who hasn't worked in 2 years.

 

[Againsheila]

Employers are more likely to hire someone without a degree who has been gainfully employed washing dishes than they are to hire a college graduate who hasn't worked in 2 years.

Which makes it all the harder for people to get jobs...how are you suppose to get experience if no one will hire you unless you have experience?

 

[koshergrl]

Lol..that's why it's so important to take whatever you can...and volunteer when there isn't anything that pays.

The jobs are fewer now. It's going to get worse. We voted in the guys who want us to starve and be dependent upon government. Now we're all going to feel it.

 

[jillian]

Employers are more likely to hire someone without a degree who has been gainfully employed washing dishes than they are to hire a college graduate who hasn't worked in 2 years.

Which makes it all the harder for people to get jobs...how are you suppose to get experience if no one will hire you unless you have experience?

well, when you're in school, you do internships. when you're not in school? i'm not really sure... other than to pick a field you want to be in and offer to work for free x number of hours a week.

but i'm not sure that works in entry level jobs.

and allie, you're wrong... most jobs that have any value require a degree as a minimum requirement for application. even fedex expects its drivers to have college degrees.

 

[koshergrl]

People are going to have to start migrating in order to work as well..just like the Great Depression. You go where the jobs are...or you starve.

 

[koshergrl]

Employers are more likely to hire someone without a degree who has been gainfully employed washing dishes than they are to hire a college graduate who hasn't worked in 2 years.

Which makes it all the harder for people to get jobs...how are you suppose to get experience if no one will hire you unless you have experience?

well, when you're in school, you do internships. when you're not in school? i'm not really sure... other than to pick a field you want to be in and offer to work for free x number of hours a week.

but i'm not sure that works in entry level jobs.

and allie, you're wrong... most jobs that have any value require a degree as a minimum requirement for application. even fedex expects its drivers to have college degrees.

Jobs that have any value?

I don't think you even realize what an obnoxious and elitist statement that is, or how narrow your own reality is.

 

[jillian]

I know many poor people, I have been very, very poor at times in my life. This is basic psychology. It's why poor people are more likely to be obese than a wealthy person. It's why there are riots at the latest NBA signature sneaker release. It's why an immigrant that comes here, even more poor than the poorest American and end up wealthy and successful.

A poor person making a decision on what to have for dinner will chose mac and cheese over vegetable soup because mac and cheese tastes better, it's more expensive but it tastes better and don't they deserve something that at least tastes good? They can't afford a steak, but they can afford a block of cheese.

Really, you were poor and you spent $300 on sneakers? I've been poor, I'm not now and I have NEVER paid $300 on sneakers.


When we were poor, we didn't qualify for food stamps. We had to depend on our friends and family and the food bank to help us through hard times. Oh, yeah, we could have sold our house and had enough to buy food but then where would we have lived?

BTW, vegetable beef soup isn't cheaper, and it does taste a lot better if it's MY vegetable beef soup.

Fresh fruits and vegetables and lean meats are very expensive. So is a block of cheese, although the cheese does go further.

You will find though, that at least at our local food bank, you are much more likely to get macaroni and a block of cheese than steak and fresh fruits and vegetables. Even canned vegetables are rare, unless it's corn and that really isn't a vegetable anymore, it's just another starch.

As for immigrants coming here and ending up wealthy and successful, you do know that we have organizations, paid for with our tax dollars to show them how to work our system don't you? (I know this because I tried to get a job with one) We don't have any such organization to help our own citizens. Our government also offers them low interest loans to buy a business and lets them operate it tax free for a period of time, another benefit not afforded our own citizens. Heck, we have subsidized housing built strictly for immigrants that our citizens can't get into..and once they are in, they get to stay, regardless of how much money they make. Of course they are more successful, they get far more help.

I had a friend that lived next door to a Russian (who bought a house while on the dole) and my friend's husband was laid off from his job with no unemployment. Her Russian neighbor says to her "You need help, I'll show you how to get help" and took her down to DSHS. As they walked out of DSHS the Russian lady just shook her head and said "I don't understand a country that doesn't take care of it's own people." Yeah, my friend was turned down, as were we.

Been to your local food bank lately? It's mostly Russians and Hispanics, the poor Americans are lucky if they get anything. My husband was there when a crate of watermelon came in..the Russians surrounded it and passed off the watermelons to other Russians, no Americans got any. I was there when boxes of oranges came in, the only reason our family got any is because I have a friend who works there and she made sure to pull a box off for us before it was put out.

BTW, When I say "Russian" I mean people from the Soviet Union. No offense, but I can't tell them apart.

I don't think you know a single poor person. I give out lunches with my friend every Monday at the church to the needed. Many of those people are homeless. Some of them are families who, after paying rent, don't have enough money left for food. I talk to these people all the time and not one of them has ever spent $100 on a pair of shoes, let alone $300. Heck one of our guys came in one day, during the night, some kid stole his shoes. He walked to the goodwill in his socks and they gave him a pair of shoes and some extra socks. We've had people come into the church with shoes held together by duct tape. We have been fortunate in being able to find shoes that were donated that somewhat fit them.

So you'll just have to forgive me if I don't judge all poor people based on the way you behaved when you were poor.

I was very poor in the great depression but much happier than what people go through today. I lived in many WPA camps and worked hard for every scrap of food and few pennies the jobs paid.

I agree food stamps are abused and need better regulating. I know people on food stamps that get enough to feed their family but sell them and live off of food banks. Their is no problem if the people running the program monitored what can be bought with food stamps and the list of food had to have nutritional value but the first thing always cut with government is the help departments need to function. Their will always be scam artists that abuse welfare and it's the main reason why welfare fails. I also believe if people need help and accept it they should have to prove they are looking for work. I have always had the opinion that if you don't have a job any job is a good job and you can always look for better work.

i would agree with you... mostly... the problem now is when people get welfare, they are required to pay it back when they get a job. you can't afford to pay it back and support yourself on an entry level (often minimum wage) job. you also could lose whatever housing allowance you get.

so there are a lot of issues to consider.

 

[Againsheila]

I know many poor people, I have been very, very poor at times in my life. This is basic psychology. It's why poor people are more likely to be obese than a wealthy person. It's why there are riots at the latest NBA signature sneaker release. It's why an immigrant that comes here, even more poor than the poorest American and end up wealthy and successful.

A poor person making a decision on what to have for dinner will chose mac and cheese over vegetable soup because mac and cheese tastes better, it's more expensive but it tastes better and don't they deserve something that at least tastes good? They can't afford a steak, but they can afford a block of cheese.

Really, you were poor and you spent $300 on sneakers? I've been poor, I'm not now and I have NEVER paid $300 on sneakers.


When we were poor, we didn't qualify for food stamps. We had to depend on our friends and family and the food bank to help us through hard times. Oh, yeah, we could have sold our house and had enough to buy food but then where would we have lived?

BTW, vegetable beef soup isn't cheaper, and it does taste a lot better if it's MY vegetable beef soup.

Fresh fruits and vegetables and lean meats are very expensive. So is a block of cheese, although the cheese does go further.

You will find though, that at least at our local food bank, you are much more likely to get macaroni and a block of cheese than steak and fresh fruits and vegetables. Even canned vegetables are rare, unless it's corn and that really isn't a vegetable anymore, it's just another starch.

As for immigrants coming here and ending up wealthy and successful, you do know that we have organizations, paid for with our tax dollars to show them how to work our system don't you? (I know this because I tried to get a job with one) We don't have any such organization to help our own citizens. Our government also offers them low interest loans to buy a business and lets them operate it tax free for a period of time, another benefit not afforded our own citizens. Heck, we have subsidized housing built strictly for immigrants that our citizens can't get into..and once they are in, they get to stay, regardless of how much money they make. Of course they are more successful, they get far more help.

I had a friend that lived next door to a Russian (who bought a house while on the dole) and my friend's husband was laid off from his job with no unemployment. Her Russian neighbor says to her "You need help, I'll show you how to get help" and took her down to DSHS. As they walked out of DSHS the Russian lady just shook her head and said "I don't understand a country that doesn't take care of it's own people." Yeah, my friend was turned down, as were we.

Been to your local food bank lately? It's mostly Russians and Hispanics, the poor Americans are lucky if they get anything. My husband was there when a crate of watermelon came in..the Russians surrounded it and passed off the watermelons to other Russians, no Americans got any. I was there when boxes of oranges came in, the only reason our family got any is because I have a friend who works there and she made sure to pull a box off for us before it was put out.

BTW, When I say "Russian" I mean people from the Soviet Union. No offense, but I can't tell them apart.

I don't think you know a single poor person. I give out lunches with my friend every Monday at the church to the needed. Many of those people are homeless. Some of them are families who, after paying rent, don't have enough money left for food. I talk to these people all the time and not one of them has ever spent $100 on a pair of shoes, let alone $300. Heck one of our guys came in one day, during the night, some kid stole his shoes. He walked to the goodwill in his socks and they gave him a pair of shoes and some extra socks. We've had people come into the church with shoes held together by duct tape. We have been fortunate in being able to find shoes that were donated that somewhat fit them.

So you'll just have to forgive me if I don't judge all poor people based on the way you behaved when you were poor.

I was very poor in the great depression but much happier than what people go through today. I lived in many WPA camps and worked hard for every scrap of food and few pennies the jobs paid.

I agree food stamps are abused and need better regulating. I know people on food stamps that get enough to feed their family but sell them and live off of food banks. Their is no problem if the people running the program monitored what can be bought with food stamps and the list of food had to have nutritional value but the first thing always cut with government is the help departments need to function. Their will always be scam artists that abuse welfare and it's the main reason why welfare fails. I also believe if people need help and accept it they should have to prove they are looking for work. I have always had the opinion that if you don't have a job any job is a good job and you can always look for better work.

So how old are you? Everyone I know who lived through the great depression is gone.

 

[jillian]

Which makes it all the harder for people to get jobs...how are you suppose to get experience if no one will hire you unless you have experience?

well, when you're in school, you do internships. when you're not in school? i'm not really sure... other than to pick a field you want to be in and offer to work for free x number of hours a week.

but i'm not sure that works in entry level jobs.

and allie, you're wrong... most jobs that have any value require a degree as a minimum requirement for application. even fedex expects its drivers to have college degrees.

Jobs that have any value?

I don't think you even realize what an obnoxious and elitist statement that is, or how narrow your own reality is.

really sweetie, you think you can get an internship at a mcdonalds?

please.... save it. i spent my time off of school when i was younger working in supermarkets... in between internships... and then doing merchandising for food distributors.

elitist my butt...

 

[koshergrl]

I worked 2 years as a cook/bartender/waitress after working 5 years as a legal assistant.

My work had real value. It had a lot of value to me because it meant I could pay my rent and put food on the table. And I beat out at least one college grad who had zip job experience.

A job that has a minimum requirement of a degree isn't going to hire someone with a GED who has never worked in the field. My point is that people who live somewhere other than, say, NYC, may find themselves looking for work that is below what they view as their paygrade.

And those employers aren't going to give a shit about their diploma. They want to know if they are capable, and if they are willing, to do the work. A political science major who graduated, went home for a year to wait for that perfect job, then goes out and tries to get jobs working in a manufacturing plant or a restaurant isn't going to find they're considered any more employable than a 35 year old high school dropout who has worked 15 years in a corn packing plant.

 

[PoliticalChic]

" Specifically, we are taught to think that the black obesity problem is in large part a matter of societal injustice. The story goes that the rise in obesity among the poor is due to a paucity of supermarkets in inner-city areas. This factoid has quite a hold on the general conversation about health issues and the poor, for two reasons. One is that it sits easily in the memory. The other is that it corresponds to our sense that poor people's problems are not their fault — which quite often they are not — and that reversing the problem will require undoing said injustice.

The trouble is that it is impossible to truly see a causal relationship between inner-city obesity and the distance of the supermarket when you live, for example, in New York.

Fairway has been thriving in West Harlem for 15 years, with gorgeous, accessibly priced produce practically spilling out onto the sidewalk. Plenty of local black people shop in it. It's a walk away for many, and for others, there is even a shuttle service. It is not inaccessible to poor blacks and Latinos in any way.

But let's not fall for the idea that for poor black people and only poor black people, kale and apples being sold four blocks away are out of reach."
The Root: The Myth of the Food Desert : NPR

 

[koshergrl]

Really, you were poor and you spent $300 on sneakers? I've been poor, I'm not now and I have NEVER paid $300 on sneakers.


When we were poor, we didn't qualify for food stamps. We had to depend on our friends and family and the food bank to help us through hard times. Oh, yeah, we could have sold our house and had enough to buy food but then where would we have lived?

BTW, vegetable beef soup isn't cheaper, and it does taste a lot better if it's MY vegetable beef soup.

Fresh fruits and vegetables and lean meats are very expensive. So is a block of cheese, although the cheese does go further.

You will find though, that at least at our local food bank, you are much more likely to get macaroni and a block of cheese than steak and fresh fruits and vegetables. Even canned vegetables are rare, unless it's corn and that really isn't a vegetable anymore, it's just another starch.

As for immigrants coming here and ending up wealthy and successful, you do know that we have organizations, paid for with our tax dollars to show them how to work our system don't you? (I know this because I tried to get a job with one) We don't have any such organization to help our own citizens. Our government also offers them low interest loans to buy a business and lets them operate it tax free for a period of time, another benefit not afforded our own citizens. Heck, we have subsidized housing built strictly for immigrants that our citizens can't get into..and once they are in, they get to stay, regardless of how much money they make. Of course they are more successful, they get far more help.

I had a friend that lived next door to a Russian (who bought a house while on the dole) and my friend's husband was laid off from his job with no unemployment. Her Russian neighbor says to her "You need help, I'll show you how to get help" and took her down to DSHS. As they walked out of DSHS the Russian lady just shook her head and said "I don't understand a country that doesn't take care of it's own people." Yeah, my friend was turned down, as were we.

Been to your local food bank lately? It's mostly Russians and Hispanics, the poor Americans are lucky if they get anything. My husband was there when a crate of watermelon came in..the Russians surrounded it and passed off the watermelons to other Russians, no Americans got any. I was there when boxes of oranges came in, the only reason our family got any is because I have a friend who works there and she made sure to pull a box off for us before it was put out.

BTW, When I say "Russian" I mean people from the Soviet Union. No offense, but I can't tell them apart.

I don't think you know a single poor person. I give out lunches with my friend every Monday at the church to the needed. Many of those people are homeless. Some of them are families who, after paying rent, don't have enough money left for food. I talk to these people all the time and not one of them has ever spent $100 on a pair of shoes, let alone $300. Heck one of our guys came in one day, during the night, some kid stole his shoes. He walked to the goodwill in his socks and they gave him a pair of shoes and some extra socks. We've had people come into the church with shoes held together by duct tape. We have been fortunate in being able to find shoes that were donated that somewhat fit them.

So you'll just have to forgive me if I don't judge all poor people based on the way you behaved when you were poor.

I was very poor in the great depression but much happier than what people go through today. I lived in many WPA camps and worked hard for every scrap of food and few pennies the jobs paid.

I agree food stamps are abused and need better regulating. I know people on food stamps that get enough to feed their family but sell them and live off of food banks. Their is no problem if the people running the program monitored what can be bought with food stamps and the list of food had to have nutritional value but the first thing always cut with government is the help departments need to function. Their will always be scam artists that abuse welfare and it's the main reason why welfare fails. I also believe if people need help and accept it they should have to prove they are looking for work. I have always had the opinion that if you don't have a job any job is a good job and you can always look for better work.

i would agree with you... mostly... the problem now is when people get welfare, they are required to pay it back when they get a job. you can't afford to pay it back and support yourself on an entry level (often minimum wage) job. you also could lose whatever housing allowance you get.

so there are a lot of issues to consider.

That's not one of them.

You do not have to pay welfare back. Where the heck do you get this stuff? Is this what you and your manhattan friends talk about over martinis?

 

[syrenn]

Because its too expensive.

Do you know that it is cheaper to buy a jumbo bag of potato chips and a 2 litre bottle of coke than it is to buy a loaf of bread and a bottle of water?

Ever got those catalogues in the mail with the latest specials from your local supermarket? How many times do you see soft drinks, chocolate, chips and cakes discounted, sometimes by up to 50%? Compare that to how many times you see a price reduction on healthy foods, like apples, oranges, bananas, and bottled water.

In KFC the other day, it was cheaper for me to buy a burger, a piece of chicken, three wings, a small popcorn chicken, a regular chips, a regular gravy and a can of Pepsi than it was to buy a salad and a bottle of water. I wanted a salad and a water, but when I compared the prices, I wondered why I should spend more money on a healthy item when I can get the unhealthy food a lot cheaper?

How many other families see this problem? How about no discounts on junk food, and discounts only on healthy foods?


I never used to understand why people claimed they couldn't afford healthy foods, but I understand now, because its true.

Nonsense, they are just too lazy to put in the effort. A bag of flour and some yeast will bake a number of loaves of bread for about 50cents a loaf. Of course it takes a couple hrs to make some up and that's a lot of missed tv time.

Perhaps it's time for school classes to once again teach people how to shop efficiently and put in a little effort to prepare a meal.

How much does that bread maker cost?

why would you need a bread maker to make bread?

 

[syrenn]

Because its too expensive.

Do you know that it is cheaper to buy a jumbo bag of potato chips and a 2 litre bottle of coke than it is to buy a loaf of bread and a bottle of water?

Why the hell are you buying water when you can get it for free? And you can buy 5 lbs of potatoes for less than 3 dollars. So tell me how a 10 oz bag of chips at $4 is less than 5 lbs of fresh potatoes.

If you believe water from the tap is free, you are deluded. You pay your water bill, don't you?

water from the tap is far less expensive then bottled.

 

[koshergrl]

And housing allowances...if you're referring to housing subsidies, are based on your INCOME. You don't "lose your subsidy" when you work a min wage job. Your subsidy may change, based on an increase in income, but until you hit the income standard (which is well above minimum wage) you don't "lose" housing subsidies.

 

[koshergrl]

Why the hell are you buying water when you can get it for free? And you can buy 5 lbs of potatoes for less than 3 dollars. So tell me how a 10 oz bag of chips at $4 is less than 5 lbs of fresh potatoes.

If you believe water from the tap is free, you are deluded. You pay your water bill, don't you?

water from the tap is far less expensive then bottled.

There are some places where the tap water seriously isn't palatable/safe to drink. Phoenix in the late 80s....I drank it anyway, but I was one of the only people who did. The water had to "settle" and there was layering when it did...and flakes.

On the other hand, growing up I used ditch water to bathe in and cook with....ditch water that was heated to a full rolling boil (on a wood stove ) and kept there for at least 20 minutes.

Public water in our country is almost without exception perfectly fine to drink straight from the tap. When in doubt, boil it. Most impurities will boil out, and most bugs will die.

 

[Againsheila]

Why the hell are you buying water when you can get it for free? And you can buy 5 lbs of potatoes for less than 3 dollars. So tell me how a 10 oz bag of chips at $4 is less than 5 lbs of fresh potatoes.

If you believe water from the tap is free, you are deluded. You pay your water bill, don't you?

water from the tap is far less expensive then bottled.

I have two autistic kids. I drink filtered water now and highly recommend it for everyone. Bottled water is better if you have fluoride in your water because most filters don't filter that out. Yeah, tap water is far less expensive, it also has carcinogens in it and other poisons as well. Several years ago, when the only way federal way got it's water was through underground wells and kept in water towers, some birds got into the towers and there was a sickness that went around. Some children died. I'm big into bottled or filtered water now. You really can't trust the government. They knew for weeks about the birds and did nothing. They also swore up and down that the birds had nothing to do with the sick kids or the ones that died. I have no idea what the outcome of the lawsuit was, I suspect there was gag order and it was settle out of court.