In my previous post, I gave you, my readers, a snapshot of my very personal life. Please bear in mind, this is private and personal. I am putting myself out here in the blogosphere in the hopes that someone reading this will know that he/she is not alone. Poverty is, oddly, very isolating, yet there are so many of us. Maybe if we talk amongst ourselves and share ideas, we might be able to come up with a solution or become empowered enough to get the attention of our local government officials. My goal, then, is to create awareness of what it is to be part of this strange thing - The Suburban Poor. With this awareness, maybe we can reach out to one another and create a support system that will find solutions - not just for ourselves, but for others.
Our budget is so tight that it almost doesn't even exist. Not terribly long ago, my weekly grocery bill was over $100. I shopped at Shop N Save because I trusted the merchandise, produce, and felt the prices were fair enough. Schnucks is fine for some things, but I had to watch the sales. At that time, I wasn't especially sold on Aldi. I had tried them a long time ago and wasn't impressed. Little did I know how much all that would change.
I was never comfortable going to food pantries. I always, and still do, felt that the pantries were for people who really needed the help. I didn't want to take anything away from someone who was worse off than me. Well, we are now receiving services from our local food pantry. I have since learned that a patron can visit as many food pantries as she wishes. I was going to the Jewish food pantry and now I'm going to the one run by Ritenour. The Jewish food pantry is fantastic, really. I just felt that I was receiving enough from Ritenour and didn't want to deplete their supplies unnecessarily. As I wait for my turn, I'm astounded at how many people are receiving help from these pantries. It boggles my mind. Is this an accurate picture of the state of our country and our economy? Every volunteer I have met has been more than gracious (although, some have been rather annoying, but we won't get into that here).
Shopping the food pantry is a challenge all by itself. Meal planning on on the spot and at the mercy of whatever is available. Jack is diabetic and, yet, we seem to always receive a big bag filled with sweet rolls and potato chips. The patrons are allowed to shop through the pantry goods and each section has a sign of what your allotment is. Volunteers are nearby to help with questions or make suggestions. Okay, here's where an occasional volunteer can get rather annoying. Produce is often times moldy, half rotten or infested with fruit flies. One volunteer tried to convince me that the gray/green limp thing in her hand was yummy broccoli and I should take it. I'm sorry, lady, if it is so yummy, why don't you eat it! Yuck!
I wish there was a way to work out between the grocery stores and food pantries to create a voucher-type system that would allow food pantry recipients to get actual fresh produce. The grocery stores have to write off their produce losses anyway, so wouldn't this reduce that in some way? Please, someone who is an accounting expert please explore this idea. Not food stamps, per se, but a voucher that allows a pantry recipient to select X pounds of fresh produce each month.
As I mentioned, getting food at the pantry is a challenge in the form of meal planning and cooking. Yes, I love taco casserole, but if ground beef isn't available, I guess I won't be eating taco casserole. Same with taco chips, or salsa, or sour cream, or fresh lettuce. See where I'm going with this? One of our trips to the pantry netted us a can of almond pie filling. Now, what in the heck am I supposed to do with this? It's items like this where I rely heavily on my computer to look up recipes that call for this ingredient. Might be a good thing and an introduction to a new dish. If I have all the remaining ingredients.
Guess I'll be visiting the grocery store. The big stores are out of the question now. Just can't do them anymore. Example: fresh eggs last month were $3.00/dozen (Yes, that's $3.00) at Shop N Save, Schnucks and even Walmart. Aldi and Ruler Foods eggs are less than $1.50/dozen. I'm an Aldi convert now. Aldi must have changed their products, because their stuff is really good. Except for their pizza. Their pizza is nasty. Produce selection isn't as all encompassing as I'm used to with Schnucks and Dierbergs, but the prices are reasonable and the quality is good. The highest I have had to pay at either Aldi or Ruler Foods has been $45. Thanks to the food pantry and exploring these two outlets, my grocery bill went down by $50 to $80 per week. I'm thrilled!
Meals are more creative now. I have about three pounds of white rice I have to figure out what to do with. I still haven't figured out what to do with that can of almond pie filling. But those small stale French bread loaves make great French toast in the morning.
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