Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Food stamps: Exaggerating the sitch

Found a link to this posted on twitter this morning that had a video documentary on food stamps.  I used to be on food stamps till I got mad at the jerk who took over it at Meigs Job and Family Services.  I decided it was better to tough it out then put up with his insults.

Anyway, the video really annoyed me.  Why?

1.  The guy tries to make you feel sorry for him, and everyone else on food stamps.

2.  He makes it out that everyone on food stamps is starving to death.

3.  The video implies that if you’re on food stamps you’re destined to be fat.  (gee, doesn’t that contradict #2?)

Watch it for yourself and see what I mean.

Food Stamped (documentary trailer)

Can you say, “Liberal bull crap.”  I can.  Let’s look at reality.  What does food stamps actually do, aside from lower your self-esteem, of which it does:

1.  Teaches you to meal plan.

2.  Eat healthier because you can’t afford crap.

3.  Cook from scratch.

4.  Be creative in your cooking.

5.  Not waste food.

FACTS:

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency:

In 2011 alone, more than 36 million tons of food waste was generated

Obviously the food waste mentioned here is from a variety of sources: farms, production, stores, etc.  But the waste is still there in our homes, as we’ll see in the next find.

An article from the Washington Post on food waste, Aug. 22, 2012 states:

Households: This appears to be the big one. According to various estimates, American families throw out between 14 and 25 percent of the food and beverages they buy. This can cost the average family between $1,365 to $2,275 annually. A big factor here, the NRDC report notes, is that food has become so cheap and readily available. So, most people reason, what's the big deal if some of it gets tossed? The report also notes there's a great deal of confusion around expiration labels, which tend to be confusing and often prompt people to throw out food prematurely.

It’s very true that food prices have gone up greatly in the past couple years.  We all feel it. BUT!  That still doesn’t stop the waste.

I found it interesting that the biggest loss of food in supermarkets is produce.  Why is that?  Because it’s easier to buy processed, then it is to buy fresh.

For myself, I don’t eat as much fresh food as I should.  That’s because I live on a farm in the middle of nowhere and don’t have the transportation to get to the store as often as I need in order to buy it.  When I go, I usually shop for the entire month because of transportation issues.

Anyway, back to the liberal, pity me, video.  The fact is, if you’re on food stamps and think you’re starving to death, you’re lying to yourself.  Look at all the ways you’re wasting money:

1.  Smokes

2.  Alcohol

3.  Junk food

4.  Take out food

If you’re hungry – you’re hungry by choice.

So, what do y’all think?

 

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

2012 Take Back Control of Your Life

Four weeks ago I was sitting frustrated in the hospital for a week.  My pancreas and liver enzymes were at dangerous levels, so I wasn’t allowed to eat anything but crushed ice all week.


As much as I hated being there, a lot of good came from it.  I had plenty of time to think.  I thought about the big mess my cottage was in before I ended up in ER.  My mountain bike was still on a stand in the middle of the living room, along with a bunch of tools, a tarp, and a couple repair manuals.


I knew the floors and the futon would be covered in cat hair, not to mention, mud they’d track in from all the rain.  My craft room – mega disaster.  My office, not much better.  All I could say to myself was, “Man, is my life out of control!” 


To while away the hours, I set about trying to pin point when I lost control.  Here was my list:


1)  I was sick all summer.
2)  I had migraines – and lots of them.
3)  I was on my bike a lot, so I just didn’t have the energy to clean when I got home.
4)  I had better things to do with my time.


The real problem was – I stopped using my Flylady Control Journal.  Any of you out there who know about Flylady know what I mean.  The journal keeps you organised and on track.  It helps you take the necessary baby steps to keep your home organised. 


I’d gotten cocky, thought I didn’t need it any more and stopped using it in the morning to start my day out right.  Now, I was staring at the results of my cockiness.  Dang.


I immediately kicked on my laptop, went to Flylady and began mapping out my plan.  When I got home, I pulled out my Control Journal, made a few tweaks here and there and put it right to work. 


Getting back control of my life isn’t going to happen overnight, but it will happen.  And to help make it so, I’m recording the journey here at Beanflipper. 


So what steps are you taking this year to get control of your life back?

Friday, March 25, 2011

NaBloPoMo challenge - Success

Success is not measured by what a man accomplishes, but by the opposition he has encountered, and the courage with which he has maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds.  --"An Iron Will" by Orsen Marden 1850 - 1924