Foodstamps, Cash Flow and A Couple of Legal Loopholes

Something to keep in mind when money is very tight: Sometimes a coupon plus foodstamps will let you cover items that cannot be paid for with foodstamps alone.

I have been going to CVS Pharmacy this week. The price on 2 liter sodas is the best I can find and I keep getting coupons for $3 off my next shopping trip with them if I spend at least $15. When buying a mix of food and non-food items, I am finding that the coupon comes off the non-food items first such that I can sometimes pay entirely in foodstamps (if the non-food items total less than $3). I have seen this with coupons on other occasions and it often comes in very handy. Trying to stretch not just my budget but my actual cash money is always important.

Also, these days I take my empty soda bottles and recycle them. The foodstamps cover the CRV. This means when you buy bottled drinks with foodstamps and then recycle the bottle for cash, you are legally turning a small portion of your foodstamps into cash. As far as I know, this is the only legal means to convert foodstamps to cash. I wish I had realized that when my bank account was locked up and I was living on a combination of food stamps and found money for a whole month. That would have made a noticeable difference in my life.