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Gwyneth Paltrow abandons food stamp challenge
- Thread starter Makai
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HoodWinked
Member
its clever if this is what she intended to do from the beginning but if she was actually trying to make an effort to go a week and couldnt do it thats kind of pathetic.
but seems like the first is more plausible since what kind of a statement is she promoting if she is successful? low income households you're doing it wrong?
but seems like the first is more plausible since what kind of a statement is she promoting if she is successful? low income households you're doing it wrong?
BronsonLee
Member
The lesson was literally that most people would try this and fail
Cory Booker -barely- made it, and he readily admits that. And he went whole hog in with the plan.
adamsappel
Member
I don't think Paltrow illustrated anything beyond her own wealthy cluelessness. The food she bought was ridiculous.
Bullshit. Your shakers of salt and pepper do not last you years, or else you eat incredibly bland meals. I'm not saying they are prohibitively expensive, but they do cost something and do need to be replenished. Also, are salt and pepper the only spices the dirty poors should be allowed? What other spices should they be stealing from restaurants?
Spices have a bulk cost, not something you factor into a meal cost. I think your cost and serving estimates are low.
You're right. She should have grabbed a shopping cart.
J'aime Fils-Aime
Neo Member
That's the important thing. People are so cynical about things made to raise awareness about issues that don't affect many of us because they aren't executed perfectly or because they waste water (as if these people cared about conserving water in the first place), but I personally believe the world could use more empathy, and sometimes it helps to "play a game" where you see how difficult it would be to live off a limited amount of money.
Sure, self-righteousness is fun, but how does that help raise awareness for issues like ALS, food stamps, etc.?
FrenchToastDisciple
Member
Being on SNAP myself, 31 dollars a week for food is doable, but you start to loose your damn mind a few months in because of the monotony of your diet and start buying stupid bullshit that balloons your grocery bill.
Walter White Walker
Member
No. You can get a container of, say, parsley for like $3.50 that'll last for a long time. If you want to go really cheap you can buy this one brand - I think at either Albertson's or Fred Meyer - that's $1 and it's in a really big plastic bottle that would go for even longer.
The spices at eye level and in glass bottles tend to be relatively expensive, but just look down and you'll see the stuff that's not only cheaper but is often on sale. They really don't cost much and last a really long time. McCormick has an entire range of spices that are economical.
I also buy a fair amount of different varieties of Mrs. Dash and those are cheap, too, and on sale all the time.
umop_3pisdn
Member
It's only a week, she could have fasted for that time and have been fine.
Matt_
World's #1 One Direction Fan: Everyone else in the room can see it, everyone else but you~~~
the point is you shouldnt have to fast or eat shit to live with it
NintendoGal
Member
Also the dollar store has herbs for cheap, though you have to be careful there because the salt is way overpriced compared to a grocery store.
Big Lots is also a great place for cheap spices.
Deified Data
Banned
Exactly. It's not a failure if demonstrating how hard it is was your intent. If anything staying true to the diet and saying at the end "See, that wasn't so hard" would be counter-productive.
adamsappel
Member
Fine. I will concede on the spices. Paltrow still wasted a significant portion of her budget on fresh cilantro.
BennyBlanco
aka IMurRIVAL69
I could make $31 work.
The Dollartree down the street has packs of 8 hotdogs for $1 and 8 buns for $1. One bottle of ketchup is $1 and one bottle of mustard is $1.
That means I could get 112 hotdogs, ketchup and mustard for $31, with $1 left over for taxes and whatever.
Two hot dogs each meal, that's 56 meals, good for ~ 18 days.
Not the greatest food, but hey, if you're desperate at least you won't starve...
The Dollartree down the street has packs of 8 hotdogs for $1 and 8 buns for $1. One bottle of ketchup is $1 and one bottle of mustard is $1.
That means I could get 112 hotdogs, ketchup and mustard for $31, with $1 left over for taxes and whatever.
Two hot dogs each meal, that's 56 meals, good for ~ 18 days.
Not the greatest food, but hey, if you're desperate at least you won't starve...
umop_3pisdn
Member
Absolutely. I'm just saying that it makes her four days seem more sad or more like poverty tourism or whatever. But it's good if this does raise awareness, but being able to do something for a week doesn't seem like a big indicator of hardship.
This is why ramen noodles and Digorno triple packs exist. If you want to be fancy with it, you can throw in some bread, sandwhich meat, a couple of cans of soup, and maybe some microwave egg rolls to last you an extra week.
Wag
Member
I got food stamps at one point. The most I ever got was ~$47 a week. It wasn't really enough to get myself through the month, but it did help.
I don't know what the fuck Gweneth Paltrow is thinking, but nobody on food stamps eats like that (I know I sure wasn't), and I'm relatively health conscious.
I don't know what the fuck Gweneth Paltrow is thinking, but nobody on food stamps eats like that (I know I sure wasn't), and I'm relatively health conscious.
The thing is, when your weekly budget is so low you won't ever spend it on things like limes ad parsley.Assuming that I already have some basic spices at home (salt and pepper), this is what I would do. Prices are what I saw yesterday when I bought groceries. Plus I'm Asian so some of the things I get will be different from your average US diet
2x3lb onion bag= $1.80
2kg tomatoes = $3.00
10 pound russet potatoes =4.00
Indian aata flour 5kg= $6
1 cauliflower = $2
1 eggplant. = $1.49
1 large spinach bag = 2.49
2x frozen okra bag = 3
Split chick pea 1kg bag= 2.99
1.5kg bananas= 2
2kg apples = 2
The above will be more than enough for 1 person and even a family of 3. The amount of leftovers you have will depend on how many people eat this. Even with 3 people eating, you will have a bunch of food left after every meal.
The big thing you won't get it n the above is dairy and chicken. Finding a good deal on chicken should be easy as frozen breasts are pretty much always on sale. Going to an ethnic store will get you even better prices.
2x3lb onion bag= $1.80
2kg tomatoes = $3.00
10 pound russet potatoes =4.00
Indian aata flour 5kg= $6
1 cauliflower = $2
1 eggplant. = $1.49
1 large spinach bag = 2.49
2x frozen okra bag = 3
Split chick pea 1kg bag= 2.99
1.5kg bananas= 2
2kg apples = 2
The above will be more than enough for 1 person and even a family of 3. The amount of leftovers you have will depend on how many people eat this. Even with 3 people eating, you will have a bunch of food left after every meal.
The big thing you won't get it n the above is dairy and chicken. Finding a good deal on chicken should be easy as frozen breasts are pretty much always on sale. Going to an ethnic store will get you even better prices.
Yup, that's the way I see it too. Regardless what you think of her or this stunt in general, it got the job done.
Heck, this thread made me do some napkin math to see what I could afford on a weekly budget of roughly thirty Euro, and while it's certainly not luxurious it seems like I could scrape by with this sort of budget for a short while. Seems appropriate, given the intended usage as supplement/emergency measure (if I understand this correctly).
Wag
Member
All this stunt proved to me is that rich, stuck up people aren't based in reality.
The flaw in her purchases is the mentality that she could still eat the same way she did when she was rich but "scaled down."
People who are just getting by don't have a lot of time to sit there and adhere their diet to whatever the celebrity doctor of the month tells them to eat. You have to eat smart and cheap, and that doesn't always equate to "healthy." You eat to fill up and you eat what's on sale.
You don't buy "organic carrots." You eat the frozen carrots that are on sale. They don't have time to worry about getting cancer in 30 years from the preservatives.
People who are just getting by don't have a lot of time to sit there and adhere their diet to whatever the celebrity doctor of the month tells them to eat. You have to eat smart and cheap, and that doesn't always equate to "healthy." You eat to fill up and you eat what's on sale.
You don't buy "organic carrots." You eat the frozen carrots that are on sale. They don't have time to worry about getting cancer in 30 years from the preservatives.
If poor people had lobbists in Washington, this wouldn't even be a issue. It's sickening how the GOP ( and some Democrats )always want to cut programs that aid the poor. Then in the same breath want to give out even more tax breaks to the wealthy. I really wish Elizabeth Warren was running for president. 
Yup. She did what she set out to do. If anything her failing brought more attention to the cause. I didn't even know this "food stamp challenge" was a thing.
Your food must taste like shit, don't talk to me about spices if your buying your salt and pepper in those small little two packs or stealing them from restaurants. I'm talking Chili Powder, Paprika, Garlic powder, fresh garlic, Cumin, olive oil, flour, sugar, cinnamon, oregano, your basics. Maybe the poor people can dream of one day upgrading to basil, thyme and pure vanilla extract instead of imitation. It's a fools dream.
Walter White Walker
Member
Those are all cheap, except the olive oil. Even EVOO isn't all that expensive considering you only use a tablespoon or so for any particular meal. I buy the Kirkland brand (both at Costco and off Amazon) and it's like $25 for a huge bottle that lasts me about 6 months. And not only that but the Kirkland brand is real extra virgin olive oil, unlike most of the stuff out there that is usually fake being comprised of some other type of oil with green food dye added. Even the fresh garlic is cheap - we go through about 2 bulbs a week and they're only .33 cents each. You can also get McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract for $8 (16 oz) - the fake stuff isn't even all that much less.
gutter_trash
Banned
Shake Shack?
King Tubby
Member
$31 is entirely too little.
By the end of that week you'd be swallowing those hotdogs whole in an effort to kill yourself. There needs to be some variety. Besides, you're overpaying in terms of volume, and definitely screwing yourself nutrition wise.
You can get a huge bag of potatoes, some veggies, get some ground beef or some other cheap meat you have to prepare, bag of rice, you can have enough to last you a week with reasonable portions and decent variety.
By the end of that week you'd be swallowing those hotdogs whole in an effort to kill yourself. There needs to be some variety. Besides, you're overpaying in terms of volume, and definitely screwing yourself nutrition wise.
You can get a huge bag of potatoes, some veggies, get some ground beef or some other cheap meat you have to prepare, bag of rice, you can have enough to last you a week with reasonable portions and decent variety.
You're hilarious. You're worse than Gwyneth Paltrow. You would've blown your entire weeks worth on spices day one.
All of the spices you named can be bought dry and have a pretty long shelf life. Spices are acquired over the course of months and kept in the cupboard for months. You don't buy a basket full of them everytime you go to the store. You make it sound as if a plethora of spices is a necessity.
We're talking about if 1 person can survive on $31 a week (yes they can btw) and you're talking about a smorgasbord of spices ? Lol whatever Guy Fieri. Salt and pepper is all you really need to get you by and their cheap as hell and have a very long shelf life.
BronsonLee
Member
Shit, even Shake Shack isn't that expensive!
Lonewolf_92
Member
No, they take how much you pay in rent as a factor when determining how much you get in SNAP.
Yeah, I screwed up my math, it's $1.90 per meal.
Regarding spices, the rules for the challenge state that you can't use food you already have. That would obviously include spices. Unless you're going to swipe a pepper pot and salt shaker from a restaurant, enjoy eating your unseasoned rice and beans.
Snap = food stamps ?
But how does she pay the rent if she's unemployed with no other benefit than 668$/month in food stamps ?
I'll admit to mostly reading a few pages and skimming the rest, so if this was already covered, I apologize. I wanted to quote this though:
I think the point HoodWinked touched on is what is confusing me the most. Surely this had to be a planned failure from the beginning. Had she succeeded, it would have only been more detrimental to the issues surrounding food stamps and hurt any form of awareness campaign. I can only guess she went into this with a goal to fail, and to purposely buy such ingredients that are not feasible for most households but should be.
I do not understand the hatred for her though. I am absolutely no fan, but from the sound of it she went into this with good intentions and donated money to the food bank before even starting this. I think the food choices were a bit poor, but I don't believe she deserves the backlash she seems to be getting.
I think the point HoodWinked touched on is what is confusing me the most. Surely this had to be a planned failure from the beginning. Had she succeeded, it would have only been more detrimental to the issues surrounding food stamps and hurt any form of awareness campaign. I can only guess she went into this with a goal to fail, and to purposely buy such ingredients that are not feasible for most households but should be.
I do not understand the hatred for her though. I am absolutely no fan, but from the sound of it she went into this with good intentions and donated money to the food bank before even starting this. I think the food choices were a bit poor, but I don't believe she deserves the backlash she seems to be getting.
That pic looks like Safeway / vons in terms of the in store brands of the peoducts. Definitely west coast
Why does any of that matter? Why does anything about Gwyneth Paltrow matter here?
Hoho for breakfast
Member
Hmm I don't think so and I was very poor growing up. I know nothing about this except what I read in the OP, but it seems to me she couldn't do it...meaning she's saying $31 is simply not enough. It brings awareness to that.
It's worse if she had completed the challenge imo and it's probably why she didn't. Does it look good for a celebrity to say hey everyone look I can live on $31 a week so all you poor people can too! Doesn't sound too good and does nothing to help poor people.
Lonewolf_92
Member
Yeah, they don't call them food stamps anymore (party because they don't really issue them as paper anymore).
Maybe she gets cash benefits or other assistance that isn't taken into account by Oregon when determining SNAP benefits? I just went with an average rent for a rural 2 bedroom in Oregon for the purposes of using the calculator on the page I linked.
Walter White Walker
Member
Are you sure because if so that's a stupid rule. Everyone has spices in the cabinet - you buy them and store them in the pantry for use over several months replacing them on an as need basis. I understand not being able to use regular food you already have for the challenge, but not being able to use spices on hand is really unrealistic.
killamajig
Member
Auntie Fee: How to feed Seven people with just $3.35
https://youtu.be/FnIMCpevwTs
Portrait warning but worth it. She knows her shit.
https://youtu.be/FnIMCpevwTs
Portrait warning but worth it. She knows her shit.
Because if she wants to "support the cause" and do the challenge, I want to see her do the challenge. She can post photos of her food and go "oh well that's what you get for $<X> price" all she wants and that's fine and dandy but I'd like to see her work on the challenge so we can actually discuss what she did right/wrong in trying to "eat healthy" with her items. Yes, the limes are a problem but there's more here than what she bought.
Edit: I don't care what you or I think of Paltrow in this discussion. She said she was going to the challenge, did it and failed. Now I want to know where she thinks she failed and her work/receipts with what she bought and the math/etc. so we can discuss it.
For a child or an adult with the body of a child, maybe.
I wondered if anyone was going to reference the steak and lobster complaints. Boy that was sad.
I'm a tall adult and I call bullshit.
store brand cereal: $3
milk: $5
2 boxes of pasta (it's almost always 2 for 1): $0.70
1 jar of quite decent spaghetti sauce: $3
Loaf of whole grain bread: $3.00
peanut butter: $4.00 (will last way more than a week)
store brand jelly: $2.00
sliced turkey: $3.50
canned tuna (2 cans): $1.50
----------------------------------
$25.70. Use the change to buy some drinks so you aren't stuck w/ tap water, maybe even sneak in some store brand ice cream.
You have a limited variety for every meal except breakfast, but millions of ppl voluntarily restrict themselves to eating cereal every day for breakfast anyway.
Is it ideal? Nah, but I'm a food lover and I've survived a week (drinks included) on $15 before. Gwyneth Paltrow failed because: 1. She wanted to fail, as she pretty much stated, and 2. She went for a gourmet meal.
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