#government shutdown

[dreamforrest]

With SNAP and WIC programs being paused until further notice, I wanted to share that TooGoodToGo is a great way to get bread, bakery items and even prepared foods for cheap. It was created to reduce food waste. As it’s grown, restaurants and stores continue to be added.

[miss-americanbi]

hey if it’s your first time being food insecure because of snap benefit cuts, hi! this ain’t my first rodeo and i’ve got tips.

1. dried beans and rice are infinitely cheaper than the canned/microwave stuff. just wash, soak (in the case of beans!), cook, and you’re done!

2. on that note, beans and rice, when eaten together, make a complete protein that is easily digestible by your body. if it comes down to it, you can live off that alone for a good long while.

3. when shopping, prioritize ingredients over premade meals. a frozen pizza is just one pizza, but flour, tomato sauce, and cheese can make many pizzas.

4. dry pantry goods will get infested if you’re not careful. adding a dried bay leaf to dried beans, rice, flour, etc. works wonders for keeping out weevils and other nasty stuff. adding a few drops of peppermint oil to a spray bottle filled with water will keep mice away if you spray it on your baseboards, too.

5. canned veggies is veggies. canned fruit is fruit. you ain’t too good for it, so get those micronutrients if you can.

6. potatoes are super nutritionally dense and a good source of fiber. use them to stretch meals. just don’t store them next to onions because they’ll sprout way faster.

7. coupon clip like a crazy person, and get ready to use the math skills you swore to leave behind in high school. saving pennies starts with getting the most for your dollar. if all cabbages are $1.00, get the biggest cabbage you can find. if tomato sauce is cheaper by the ounce in a quart jar compared to a pint jar, get the quart if you can. be smart with how you spend.

8. lentils are a great way to stretch any kind of ground meat. they’re really cheap and if you’re like me and can’t cut meat out of your diet completely for health reasons, they help it last a lot longer.

9. portion control is so key. if a meal is meant to make four servings, make it last four servings. it’s better to be a little hungry four days in a row than stuffed for two and starving for two. weigh it out if you have to.

10. never say no to free food. whether it’s potlucks, community events, religious gatherings, or student food pantries, a free meal is one less you have to cook for yourself. pro tip: hit up wednesday night suppers at churches, shabbat dinners at synagogues, and sikh gurdwaras pretty much any time for a free (if not really cheap) meal. you might have to endure some proselytizing, but as long as you’re respectful and mind your business, you’re golden.

[xerserise]

Important! Check your SNAP balance!

A federal judge ordered that SNAP be *fully* funded by today. My card now has my November benefits added, despite normally getting them on the 9th of the month (today is November 7th). My housemate's card is normally filled on the 3rd, was not filled as of our shopping day on the 5th, but has now been filled with their full monthly benefit amount.

[edit: SCOTUS has put a block on that order, and only some states used the opportunity before the block to send out full or partial funding to EBT cards]

[second edit: The shutdown is over, as of November 12th. SNAP is funded through September 2026, along with some other stuff, but other aspects of the government are only funded through January. Expect more arguing over budgets and possibly another shutdown in February that will affect anything that didn't get fully funded in the resolution that was signed into law on the 12th.]

[atalanta133]

Government shutdown on October first, you know what that means!

[onlytiktoks]

Full video:

[animentality]

[profeminist]

sailormoonwisdom

"if you see someone stealing food, no you didn’t.—food is a right, not a privilege. with snap benefits suspended, people are no longer trying to get by…they’re trying to survive.there is power in community. we must take care of each other when the government fails us.

i am not encouraging theft!!! i’m just saying that compassion always triumphs over capitalism. if you can donate, donate. if you can help, help. when survival is criminalized, solidarity becomes revolutionary."

[liberalsarecool]

Congress should lose their paychecks and benefits until they do their job.

Republicans should lose their jobs.

Voting matters.