Living-off-the-government non-guilt

Last month, we were approved for food stamps. Even with my full-time job and Tim's part-time job, our income is under the poverty level and we qualify (even though in my opinion, the poverty line for a family of three should be a bit higher). We have few big expenses except rent and health insurance (even through my company, for just me and Tim it's $200 a month, if we have Anakin on it'd be around $800), but we want to remain debt-free. We are trying to recover from the expensive summer study abroad and pay off credit cards, so money is a little tight but not too much so. We are officially giving away our car so we will no longer have to pay insurance, gas, or registration; I try to only buy things used (Roxie, for example was a steal from someone on KSL but since we didn't have a camera at all I thought it was warranted). We've been selling our belongings left and right to simplify and reduce as well as make a little extra money. I'm also starting to take a few online classes to complete pre-reqs, which can really add up since I can't get grants or loans for them.

Overall, I would say we are living pretty frugally (though we have splurged recently on Tim's Kindle and my Roxie though both were much wanted, thought about, researched and are being much used). We cook all of our meals at home and I only eat leftovers for lunch at the office. But. I still feel a little guilty with the extra help from the government. In the short run, it's really going to alleviate the pressure that I was feeling all summer and since about not. spending. money. on. anything. In the long run, I hope it helps us pay off the student loans we've taken out and save a little bit for the future, since who knows where that will lead us? Additional school is a big possibility, and since neither of our degrees are particularly marketable, we probably will not be finding jobs that match our skills for a while. I like having a little cushion as well so we can give to charity as we see fit (this is actually one of the most gratifying things for me working, that I have a little extra money to donate to others).

I don't know the point of this post. I feel like I had to get it out there that we were officially using food stamps like it's some dirty little secret in our life or something. And then justify it to myself so I don't feel quite so awkward about it. The first time I went to the store to buy things, I really felt like I was doing something wrong, that the checkout workers at Sunflower would not possibly let me leave with that many groceries. But on the other hand, grocery shopping for basics but being able to throw in a few exciting treats (frozen berries! Annie's whole-wheat bunny crackers! red peppers! salad dressing!) was kind of like Christmas for me. But none of you probably even care or do not see it as a big deal at all. I think being raised with a "those lazy people mooching off the government" mentality (and having friends/family that really oppose us using Medicaid/food stamps/etc.) has something to do with it.

On a very positive note though, having $200/month to spend on food has been AWESOME. I usually keep my budget to $100 and we eat beans, rice, cheese, more beans, lentils, and vegetables (healthy, but a little boring). I mostly still buy unprocessed whole foods, but I love being able to splurge on healthy snacks for Anakin like delicious organic whole-milk yogurt and Dr. Praeger's frozen pancakes. Mmmmmm. He also has a new passion for Lara Bars. He was eating one the other day when we went to vote, it looked like a chocolate candy bar and I got a lot of second glances as he devoured it :) Tim is starting to look healthier every day as well with the now abundance of quick snacks for him to eat for extra calories. Our pantry is now full of granola bars and our fridge is full of cheese and yogurt and tofu and whole-milk chocolate milk. It bodes well for his weight gain attempts and his marathon-training schedule.