Inflation reached staggering new highs in recent years and food prices were not exempt from its effects, the Washington Post reported that food prices have increased by about 25 percent in the last four years, surpassing the general inflation of 19 percent over the same period, for those who receive the benefits of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP benefits).
The SNAP benefits program, formerly known as food stamps, provides monthly benefits to low-income or non-income households to provide help with food payments. This is administered by the federal government, the food benefit is paid by the state and local authorities to the citizens of the United States who otherwise find it difficult to achieve adequate nutrition levels with their own income.
The benefits are credited to prepaid electronic benefit transfer cards, which are similar to a bank debit or credit card, which beneficiaries can use in stores throughout the country or for online purchases. An online shopping pilot plan was implemented in 2017 and expanded to all 50 U.S. states by 2023, so online shopping is now available to all SNAP beneficiaries in the country.
However, if you are eligible for SNAP benefits, there are several ways to get even more out of your money this summer.
Five ways to make your SNAP benefits go further, according to the National Council on Aging
Use store loyalty programs, many grocery stores and retailers that sell grocery items offer some kind of loyalty program, you may be able to accumulate points to redeem on future purchases and take advantage of the exclusive offers and discounts that stores make, normally, you can join store loyalty programs for free to make it easy to take advantage of the savings.
Buy only store-brand items, a simple way to always save on your purchases is to purchase store-brand items whenever possible, store-brand items in most cases are a little cheaper than branded products and sometimes even better quality.
Find and use coupons, whether you find them in the newsletter of your favorite store, online or in your local newspaper, searching and making use of coupons will allow you to save yourself some money and get more out of your money… much more.
Meal planning before going shopping, meal planning can not only save you time at the supermarket, but it can also save you money, if you have a definite list of the items you need to buy and comply with it fully, it will help you to avoid impulse purchases and you will only pay for the items you really occupy.
Shop for items on sale, it’s smart to take advantage of your local supermarket’s weekly deals. Planning your weekly meals based on what’s on sale that week can give you variety and can put more money back in your pocket.
