Should I be embarrassed to use food stamps?

Question

I am a 30 year old college student, going back to school after several years, But I am on summer break right now. My job I have been working since I started school just let me go with out warning. I am really having trouble paying rent, electric, phone and truck payment and pay for food at the same time. My sister signed me up for food stamps knowing I would never do it on my own. I am single no kids so I am just supporting my self, and have been eating popcorn and butter sandwiches till I find a new job. I live in upstate NY where many people live on welfare and will never get a job, like server welfare trash. I have always said work hard America millions on welfare depend on you. I have no problem with some one with a family working the whole life and losing their job and needing food stamps to get bye, but most those people are to proud to sign up for it. I am so embarrassed to walk threw the line with food stamps, Should I be. How do people feel about this. I start a new job in two weeks making good money I just need a little help to get bye for 2 – 3 weeks. I know I shouldn’t care what other people think but the truth is I do, and think a lot of other people do as well weather or not they would admit to it.

Answer 1

Everyone's situations are different. You gotta do what you gotta do.

DS

Answer 2

I have mixed feelings.  First, I'm wondering why your sister can't give you a few bucks to go out and buy food.  Second, I'm a college student myself.  I understand that the summer can be rough, especially without loans to get you by, but if you can get food stamps, every student out there should be allowed to get food stamps during the summer.  It's just not fair.  Especially when I'm paying taxes on my own summer job.  Finally, will the paperwork even go through by the time you are ready to go back to work?

Ask your landlord and utility companies if you can postpone payment for this month, and buy something other than popcorn and butter.  Ramon noodles are cheap.  15 cents a pack.  Try those out. There are also peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

Edited: Thank you for clarifying your situation.  I am a little more sympathetic to your situation now.  

As for black people getting food stamps and having LCD TVs in all rooms of their home, I don't doubt it.  Some people know how to work the system.  What's sad is no one is watching the people of all races (I heard through a friend about people in her trailer park milking the system) using these public services.

Ugh.  Want to hear something frustrating?  I work in a retail pharmacy.  You have NO idea how irritating it is to pay taxes and then have someone on welfare complain about their $1.00 copay on their child's $60.00 medication.  Some of these individuals are the same people who will slap a candy bar on the counter and use their food stamp money to pay for it.

Answer 3

be grateful for the help, there are also food banks...

I have been out of work due to an on the job injury, with no income and no medical help from the place of injury; at the time husband was laid off with unemployment and son was part time on min wage....the $ were not there..

we applied and were the only Caucasians in the room and the only ones denied...we spent precious $ on gas to go to all the food banks, we are vegetarian also so that got really strange...

do not let it bother you, you have put into the system with your taxes, etc. so now you will get some of the help back...

good luck...

Answer 4

Do you have the credit card thing in NY or the actual stamps. In Pennsylvania, we have a green card with the work ACCESS on it which is used to retrieve everything from food stamps to welfare to Medicaid. I used to work at a supermarket, and all you did was push the EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer) button on the pin pad and swipe your card. It appeared to other people that you were just using a debit card. In fact, the only people who actually knew that it accessed food stamps were the people who were on food stamps and the cashiers. I can't count the number of customers who asked me what the EBT button was for.

In five years of working in supermarkets I can only remember two times that I was disgusted with someone on food stamps. The first time, I had a woman close to 400lbs with her two young daughters come in. One daughter was a bit chubby, the other a normal weight. This woman bought $150 of Ben & Jerry's and paid for it with food stamps. The second time it was a couple and their two children, who were all very nice, but chose to buy $200 worth of crab legs, lobster, and shrimp with their food stamps. In both cases my only complaint was that they were unable to even manage their food stamps properly.

I generally saw a few people a day with food stamps, some with welfare benefits as well, and only was offended those two times. Most cashiers see it often enough from all different kinds of people that they let go of any prejudices quickly enough.

Every once in awhile there was a customer who was so obviously unkempt and dazed that it was obvious they were a drug addict on food stamps. I'm sure other customers thought so as well. If your appearance is neat and clean and you are well-spoken, no one else in the line is going to suspect that you are using food stamps.

When shopping, choose healthful, inexpensive, meal-type foods. No one wants to see their tax dollars wasted and being careful with them will reinforce that you are just down on your luck.

When checking out, remember that basic products such as shampoo, toilet paper, and dental floss will not be paid for with food stamps. The first time you buy these things you may want to go when the store is not busy in order to ask the cashier if they need to be rung up separately. Some cash registers automatically sort out the nonfood items and you pay for them at the end with normal means. To other customers this will look like you paid for part of your order with one credit card and the rest with another. If you need to ring them separately or it still makes you nervous, you may choose to buy them at a different time.

Finally, be careful in which cashier you choose. In some areas, food stamps are not all that common, and the teenager who's been working at the store for a week may not know how to ring them up. I can't count the number of times a clueless new cashier shouted across the registers to me that they needed help with food stamps. If you've been shopping at the same store for awhile, you probably recognize several regular employees. Anyone over the age of 30 and who has been there awhile will likely be discreet.

Answer 5

No -- believe it or not, many people on food stamps are in the same situation as you, not all are "serve welfare trash".  With gas prices soaring, the mortgage market crashing, utility bills rising, even people with good jobs are feeling the pinch.  BUT, I do understand how you feel.  

A few years ago, my husband lost his job because of his health.  He received long term disability (an insurance he paid for through his employer), but it was only 60% of his regular pay.  Our family income was reduced by 40% overnight, and the doctor bills were mounting.  It took another two years before he was finally approved for SS Disability Benefits.  We never applied for Food Stamps, I didn't know we could until afterwards -- but if I had known, I would have!!!!!  Desperate times require desperate measures.  If we had applied and been approved, it would have only been for a very brief period.  Thankfully, our church helped with a lot, and we eventually "paid" them back.

Answer 6

I would just go to the store at off times, like later in the evening, or in the afternoons when people are at work. That way it's less embarrassing. I don't think you should feel anything, but it's okay to feel embarrassed. It is embarrassing to be in a financial pinch, but it doesn't make you a bad person. It will pass, so just do what you have to do and don't worry about what anyone thinks. If you feel people are judging you, maybe make a joke like "I can't wait until I start my new job!" I'm sure you'll see a look of understanding, especially in this economy. Good luck.

Answer 7

You have nothing to be ashamed of.  You have been eating popcorn  and butter sandwiches and here you have the opportunity to eat healthier.    When you start your job you can stop.  What's embarrassing about accepting help when you need it?

Answer 8

Does the opinion of others feed you? No.  Will you ever see these people again once you get through the grocery line? Probably not.  If you did see them again would they remember you as the person using food stamps.  No.  People live their own lives, have their own problems and frankly regardless of what they are thinking of you for that split second they see you use your food stamps in the grocery line they forget almost immediatley once they get up in line and start getting their groceries rang up.  Who cares what your situation is, you don't need to explain yourself anyone.  Do what you need to do to survive and to h*ll with anyone who judges you.

Answer 9

it should be fine as long as you dont use it as a crutch for the rest of your life.

Answer 10

Your are advised to use food stamps. It's the smart thing to do.

Answer 11

Do you want to eat or not??? It's not like you're gonna need food stamps for the rest of your life -- it's just temporary, right?

Everybody goes through a rough period every now and then.Besides......you're not in a small town where everybody knows everybody. You're in NY - nobody cares.

Get your food, eat and be happy until that first check comes in.

Answer 12

Food stamps are there to be used, and everyone's situation is different, so don't worry about it.

Answer 13

Try to be proud of the fact that you are in school, and are studying to improve your life.

Answer 14

Go ahead and use them, you need them! And you have every right to have them. I don't blame you at all about being embarrassed about using them, I had to use them 20 some years ago and found it very embarrassing. Just go to one of those late night or all night grocery stores and stock up on whatever you need to get you by for the next few weeks. Do it late at night or very early in the morning. And yes, you will feel embarrassed at the checkout, but it will be done in two minutes and then you can get out of there with as few people as witnesses as possible. Keep in mind that when you start your new job, depending on their payroll schedule, it could be close to a month before you actually get your first paycheck. Take care and hope the new job and school go well for you.

Answer 15

Do not be embarrassed.   Use them temporarily until you are back on your feet again.

I am curious, though, as to how your sister signed you up for them without your knowledge or consent.    I find it hard to beleive that they allowed her to do that.

Answer 16

No, not at all!

Answer 17

No yu shouldn't be. Be proud of everything that you do, unless you are doing wring, and last I checked, it's not against the law to use food stamps.

Answer 18

That's what food stamps and other government programs are for: temporary assistance when you really need it until you can do it on your own.

Don't be embarassed.  You used (and didn't abuse) the system as it was intended to be used.

Answer 19

When you start work you need to immediately stop taking food stamps. I have been in very bad situations also and desperately needed food but I never applied for food stamps because I have no kids.

Answer 20

Yes you should. It will spur you to be on them only as long as you have to be. That said, welfare is a wonderful thing to help someone get by until things pick up (and it looks like you won't need them long), but too often people either get comfortable on them or feel like welfare is owed to them, if you continue to be embarrassed to use them it is because you think people should be able to support themselves, which should be the universal thought. Go ahead and used them until your fist paycheck so that you eat properly and then be proud that you are back on your feet. Good luck.

Answer 21

No. if you are in need use them till you get back into working and can manage on your own.

Answer 22

Tell us this - are you in a public library, using the computer?  Or are you still paying for internet access at home?

I would be embarrassed if I was still paying for my cable modem, while using taxpayers' money to pay for my groceries...

Answer 23

only if you're too embarrassed to eat.