The rules

OK, you want to play the game. For a day, a week, a month, six weeks--you decide--you're going to try to eat tasty, healthy food without spending more than suggested in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's thrifty plan, which is the basis for food-stamp allotments.


To calculate how much you can spend, you can click the link in the previous sentence and work out a precise amount based on your household's number, ages, and genders. Or you can go by these fairly generous approximations:

• For one adult: $6/day, $42/week, $180 month
• For a two-person household: $12/day, $84/week, $360 month
• For each additional person in the household: $4/day, $28 week, $120/month

In Illinois, these are the rules:

Food stamp benefits can be used to buy:

• any food or food product for human consumption,
• plus seeds and plants for use in home gardens to produce food.

Food stamp benefits cannot be used to buy:

• Hot foods ready to eat,
• Food intended to be heated in the store,
• Lunch counter items or foods to be eaten in the store,
• Vitamins or medicines,
• Pet foods,
• Any nonfood items (except seeds and plants),
• Alcoholic beverages, or
• Tobacco.

(Not that there will be enough money left over to buy those things anyway...)