Have you noticed?!

Have you noticed?

I am a stay at home mom of soon to be 4, because in my area, I can't afford $600 a week for daycare, and if I did work a full time job, I wouldn't even make enough to pay for it. Now, my husband works, makes enough money for most of the bills and groceries, and that's about it. I went to the local DFACS office to try to get temporary food stamps, and they told me that because the father was in the home, I couldn't get them, because we make too much money for a family of 5. So we are forced to buy cheap food (nothing wrong with that) but prices of the things we need (milk, juice, fresh vegetables, fruit, etc...) are so high, we are barely making it (8 gal. milk per wk at $4 each.) I hate this. We eat chicken almost every day, cause we can't afford pork or beef. My kids eat ramen noodles for lunch or peanut butter sandwiches, cause they're cheap.

Why does it seem like all the food I can afford is junk food? Soda=2 for $1 vs. Apple Juice=$3.79

17 hours ago
I'm not saying I buy sodas alot, but I think the price of healthy food is rediculous. It's almost impossible to eat healthy on $100 a week, for 5 people. Most times, I buy the healthy stuff when it's on sale, and get less food, but healthier for my kids. And I'll just end up skipping a couple if not all my meals most days, and just eating what my kids left on their plates. I hate doing this cause I'm pregnant, but I want my kids to be healthy. I don't like to give them chips, fries, frozen meals, etc...I prefer making all my meals from scratch, nothing boxed, except for the occasional box of macaroni and cheese. I just think it's rediculous that it's cheaper to fill your body full of crap than it is to actually eat a balanced meal. Does anyone have any ideas on how I can do this? Is it me, or is it true?

Have you tried going to a local food bank or other charity like that? Unfortunately you are right on both accounts... healthier food is often more expensive (but not always) & the government does set unrealistic standards for who can get assistance & who can't. I wonder where you live that milk is $4/per gal!! Where I live it is more like $2, maybe $3. With a family as large as yours you might look into wherehouse type stores where you can buy in bulk to save some money. I wish you luck