Could You Live on Food Stamps for a Week in San Francisco?

I’ve been staring at the bountiful array of green, yellow and red peppers for over a minute now. When did green peppers hop over the $1 line? I had planned to buy two green peppers, and since they are actually $1.50/pepper, I’ve been stuck in a paralysis of indecision as the seconds tick on by.

For the next seven days, I’ll be eating on a budget of $43.35 for the week — roughly the weekly allotment for a single individual on food stamps in California. That’s about $6.19 per day, or $2.06 per meal.

CalFresh, as the food-stamp program is known here, has been around in its modern form since 1977 and provides one in 10 people with supplemental food assistance every month in California. One in five people in the state lives in poverty once the state’s high cost of living is taken into account. With a poverty rate of nearly 20 percent in San Francisco County, more than 1,200 apply for the benefit every month. And not all these people are unemployed — 46 percent have jobs, and 34 percent are students.

The Food-Stamp Challenge is nothing new. In fact, FeedingAmerica.org and the Food Research and Action Center both encourage it, and a few years back it picked up enough momentum that even Gwyneth Paltrow tried it (she failed miserably after four days).

First, I’m not actually applying to take part in the program. But if I did, I’d qualify to earn my monthly budget of $192 dollars for a household of one if I made less than $24,288 per year before taxes.

I luckily make more than that, and seeing that number, I know I’m incredibly privileged to live pretty comfortably in the most expensive city in the country. I’m even more privileged to be able to buy organic produce and order in takeout when I’m too lazy to cook. When I embarked on the challenge, I didn’t just want to live for a week on food stamps but tried to do so as healthily as possible.

For me, that meant eating nutritious whole foods (no packaged junk or frozen meals) and not accepting any outside food for the week (no office snacks). It also meant no alcohol, which you’re not allowed to purchase with your benefits anyway. I allowed myself a starter kit of salt, pepper and olive oil, assuming that most pantries would already be stocked with those items. From there, it went like this.

I wake up mildly hungover after a friend’s birthday celebration the night before, and the last thing I want to do is start this challenge or grocery-shop first thing in the morning on a Sunday at Safeway. Since my cure for all hangovers involves copious amounts of greasy foods all day long, this is going to be a rough start.

So much math. And so much more time at the grocery store than I’m used to. I pride myself on being able to get in and out in under 10 minutes for a normal week’s shopping, so this has been a struggle. Plus, if you’ve been to the Safeway in the Western Addition, you already know that it’s not the most pleasant grocery store in the city. In fact, if you subscribe to Safeway nicknames, you’ve likely heard it dubbed the “Un-Safeway.”

Since I’ve twice been assaulted in said Safeway (a teenager once grabbed my ass in the checkout line and laughed in my face, and another time a woman mowed me down with her shopping cart, seemingly on purpose), I’d have to agree. I spent much of my roughly 40 minutes there hunched over my phone, switching constantly between the calculator and my list of groceries. Terrified of going over budget and having to remove items while in the checkout process (an embarrassment I wasn’t yet ready for), my total came under budget for a week, at $38.50. I still had $4.50 left to spend, so I went back and grabbed peanut butter and bagels. And thank God I did.

When I get home, I quickly make one of the bagels I got in the discount section (lots of day-old baked goods are marked way down in this hidden section in a corner, so I got six sesame bagels for $1.99) and slather it with peanut butter ($2.50, Safeway brand) because I’m starving.

I’m already hungry again, so I make the breakfast I was planning on making when I got home originally: two scrambled eggs ($3.50 for a carton of 18) and a good helping of salsa ($2.50 for a giant jar). Unfortunately, this Safeway-brand salsa isn’t great. Why is there so much sugar in it? Despite choosing the “hot” version, all this salsa tastes like to me is sweetness. I was really counting on it to impart a lot of flavor to my meals this week, so I’m disappointed that I wasted $2.50 on it.

I sauté one of the three chicken breasts ($6.60) and cook a big helping of broccoli ($1.99). It looks like I’m on some sad paleo diet, but I guess it’s pretty healthy at least. The broccoli is tasty since I used a few garlic cloves ($0.50), but the chicken breast is as blah as chicken breast gets. I’m full but not particularly satisfied. I glare at my husband, who’s giddily eating his ribeye-steak dinner — he decided to treat himself since he’d be cooking for himself all week.

I made a big batch of egg muffins yesterday to bring to work for breakfasts, so I start today off with two of them. I used nine eggs, half of my onion ($1.18), one red pepper ($1.50) and half a bag of spinach ($3.50). I’ve made a very similar version of this before, and they’re good and packed with protein. I also make myself a cup of black tea ($2.49 for 20 tea bags). I decided that coffee was too expensive, so tea will have to do this week.

This is normally when I’d reach for the free almonds at work, so it’s no surprise that I’m getting hungry. I prefer to eat lunch closer to 1:00 or even 2:00 p.m. (nothing is worse than eating your lunch too early and seeing the long stretch of the afternoon looming down on you), so I cut one of the bagels in half, toasted it and slathered it with peanut butter. I love peanut butter and bagels more than most things, and I’m already worried that this week might ruin both for me for a while.

Yawns start coming in fast and long. I guess it’s time for another cup of tea. Black tea has less caffeine than coffee. Luckily, with my 20 bags of tea, I can afford to have two a day. On another note, have you ever really watched yourself full-face yawn? It ain’t pretty.

It occurs to me that it may not be the lack of coffee that is making me yawn. I’m probably sugar-crashing hard from that bagel and maybe even the peanut butter, too, since it sure isn’t natural peanut butter (a.k.a. it’s packed with sugar too). Damnit, white carbs, you do it to me every time. Time to eat my bowl of brown rice ($2.00), sweet potato ($2.37), chickpea ($0.99) and broccoli. I feel pretty full after this one.

These tacos are actually pretty damn good. Cheese and a quality, fresh salsa would make them better, but all in all, I’m very satisfied with this dinner. I toasted the tortillas, added a small squeeze of my precious lime ($0.34) and chopped up a healthy handful of cilantro ($0.99) to make this hearty heap of black beans ($1.88), chicken, peppers and onions not only filling but also tasty. I’m becoming less Gwyneth-Paltrow-ashamed of my lime and cilantro purchases, and I don’t care who knows it!

Egg muffins, we meet again. Egg muffins, you’re pretty satisfying as long as I don’t let you get cold before I finish you. Egg muffins, I still wish I could cover you in Cholula.

I walk back over to the fridge and check to make sure that all the food I brought for the week is still there. I feel weirdly protective of the meals I’ve brought in, since it’s literally all I’m allowed to eat. I’ve never once had a coworker eat anything of mine from the office fridge, but now I’m irrationally terrified they will.

I start to get hungry already, so it’s bagel-with-peanut-butter time.

There’s that blood-sugar crash again.

Rice bowl, round 2.

I often meet friends on Tuesday nights, and we usually order in, or somebody cooks. Since I can’t participate, I wolf down another round of tacos before heading to my friend’s apartment. At least I don’t have time to ponder how much better they’d be with cheese this time. They know I’m doing this challenge, so luckily the meal isn’t as tempting as it could be (thanks, friends, for not ordering pizza), but I find myself lusting after their La Croix much more than I normally would.

I give longing stares at the insides of coffee-shop windows as I walk to work. Followed by egg muffins. Tea. Boredom.

Will just half a bagel and peanut butter lessen the sugar crash?

I decide to take a walk as a break from work. I’m tasked with grabbing a couple of lemons while I’m out for a photo shoot. I decide to go all the way to the Trader Joe’s near my office to take advantage of a longer walk. I’m greeted immediately upon walking in the door by a basket of $0.29 limes, and rage courses through my body. How are limes so cheap here?! And oh my God, the lemons for $0.49!

I quickly run over to the display of peppers. There are the $0.69 green peppers I thought I’d find! OMG, is that a $1.99 jar of Trader Joe’s–brand salsa? I sprint to the meat display and find chicken breasts for the same price as at Safeway. Phew. But look at that ground turkey for $2.79! I could have bought two pounds of ground turkey for less than what my 1.5 pounds of chicken breast cost.

Now, I chose to shop at my local Safeway because I can walk there from my apartment. But it appears I could have doubled my haul at T. J.’s, and taking the Muni there for $2.50 might have been worth the savings.

Thinking about how I should start shopping at Trader Joe’s more while I eat my third lunch of rice, chickpeas, sweet potatoes and broccoli. I definitely need to take a break from this meal, so I’ll cook something tonight to eat for lunch tomorrow. Probably beans, rice and salsa?

I’ve never wanted to attack the office M&M’S stash more than I have right now. I’m going to have two glasses of water and see if another half of a bagel is in order.

More tacos. They feel like they’re getting more bland by the day.

Oatmeal ($2.49) is a nice change. I was surprised to find while shopping that steel-cut, organic oats are the same price as regular Quaker Oats, so at least this is something I would normally buy. I wish there were fruit or honey or nuts or cinnamon in here to make this a little more exciting, but at least it’s not egg muffins.

I’ve started noticing “EBT Accepted Here” signs around town. A corner store near my office displays it proudly in multiple windows.

I realize that I forgot my Tupperware of salsa to “dress” my beans and rice. This lunch is going to be very dry and terrible. Wondering if I should just try to survive the day on egg muffins and my bagel and peanut butter.

Yep, going to see if I can avoid the rice bowl without feeling like I’m starving. It should be fine since I can eat all the egg muffins I have left.

Full bagel and peanut butter going down the hatch. Since I have only two more days, I get a little liberal with my usage. Terrified of, but at this point not caring about, the sugar crash that will likely come in about 45 minutes.

More tea! Caffeine cutoff be damned. Going rogue here.

I glance over from my desk at the jubilant weekly happy hour happening. They’re making martinis. Martinis! I mumble excuses about needing to go to the gym after work and jet out of there fast.

Hopefully, I’m not ruining tacos for myself.

Want to make popcorn very badly. Brushed my teeth to stop myself.

Oatmeal again. At least it’s not egg muffins.

Tea. Wished it was the latte my coworker is drinking right now from Vive la Tarte.

Time to really finish off those damn egg muffins. They seem to be shriveling up with each passing day, which is kind of gross. On Friday, I usually treat myself to more indulgences, such as pastries or fancy coffee, and it’s likely that my body remembers that and is hungry because of it.

I wonder if this is the longest I’ve ever gone without eating cheese?

I knew today and tomorrow would be the hardest days. I usually eat out most of my meals on weekends, and I definitely enjoy a few cocktails to go with them. My fifth and final night of tacos just isn’t as satisfying as I want it to be. I wish I was having a slice of pizza from the Mill. Or some BBQ from 4505. God, even a salad (a salad!) from Souvla would be amazing right now.

While my husband finds a movie for us to watch, I scroll through brunch menus in anticipation of Sunday morning. Pathetic.

I make two fried eggs and half of my last bagel. I feel proud of my runny yolk.

Rice and beans and salsa and cilantro. Bored. So very very bored.

Hungry. Final half of a bagel and peanut butter. I see the light at the end of the tunnel, and it shines like bacon fat.

The last half of the last chicken breast and the rest of the broccoli. I. AM. DONE.

I’m at an improv show and decide to celebrate my accomplishment with a beer even though that’s cheating. But oh the flavor! The carbonation! A drink that isn’t tea or water! Swoon. Bliss.

I force my husband to get up so we can be the first people in line for Zazie brunch. I down a latte and eat every bite of my poppy-seed pancakes slathered in lemon curd and topped with strawberries and snag several bites of his croque madame. It’s good to be back — with a little more perspective.

So can you do it? Of course you can. But if you truly enjoy food, variety and spices, it isn’t easy. And shopping organic and local is likely out of the question. CalFresh allows you to shop at farmers’ markets with your benefits, but not only does it sound complicated (you have to get vouchers to use while you’re there from a farmers’ market manager), but also it would likely eat up your entire budget.

But it’s stressful. It’s stressful while you’re at the grocery store planning, and it’s stressful to portion your food while fearing that you’ll run out. It’s perhaps most stressful to try to stay healthy. I certainly can see why frozen meals and junk food (all eligible items) are appealing—they provide variety, big (processed) flavor and, likely, joy. The ability to buy “junk” such as Doritos and energy drinks might be exactly what a recipient needs that day—a view I’d previously wavered back and forth on—so who am I to judge? I also reach for the M&M’S on a particularly stressful day.

It’s worth noting that many critics of this challenge say that its construction is flawed — the benefits are meant to be supplemental, and the program should simply “stretch food budgets, allowing individuals and families to afford nutritious food.” While that’s nice in theory, if you live in San Francisco on these benefits, you’re likely not going much outside the CalFresh budget for food.

In today’s political landscape, programs such as SNAP are at risk. We need to continue to fund programs like this (not propose a $220 billion cut, like the Trump administration did this year) so families, students and seniors in need (and yes, more than 80 percent of those in the program nationally have at least one job) can make ends meet. Especially in expensive locations such as the Bay Area. If you’re earning less than $24,288 per year before taxes ($2,024 per month — the minimum amount to qualify), you’re likely barely scraping by.

Could You Live on Food Stamps for a Week in San Francisco?

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