Beans and rice, foods that won’t go bad: Creators give advice on staying fed if SNAP benefits stop

Online content creators are sharing advice on how to keep families from going hungry ahead of a possible Saturday halt on SNAP benefits. This pause could leave tens of millions of families without access to the assistance program they rely on to buy food.

With some planning, a single store-bought rotisserie chicken can be stretched to make three meals. Staples like beans and rice can feed a family for a week without spending money on meat. Even a microwave or a hot plate can be enough to prepare homemade meals.

Without a deal to end the U.S. government shutdown, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — known as SNAP or food stamps — will stop issuing benefits at the start of the month. Other assistance programs could also be affected.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, SNAP provided an average of $187 a month to 41.7 million people during the financial year ending in 2024.

“It’s one thing to not have money to pay your bills, but when you don’t have food and don’t know where your next meal is coming from, that’s a different kind of stress,” said Natalie Readus, an entrepreneur who regularly posts on TikTok about ways to save money and prepare for a possible recession.

Last week, Readus shared a post listing staples such as rice ($2.99) and canned vegetables (12 for $6) that can help sustain a family for less than $40 a week. The post garnered more than 270,000 views.

A mom herself, Readus has personally experienced what it’s like to be broke and cook with limited ingredients. “When you hear your kids crying, that’s something else,” she said.

Online creators who specialize in cooking on a budget, have lived experience with food assistance, or are working to destigmatize options like food pantries, say they are seeing an increase in traffic to their posts about eating for less.

Their comments and direct messages are filled with people panicked about how they will manage in November, as well as those who have enough food but want to help their neighbors, several creators told The Washington Post.

Social media platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram have always offered advice — usually lighter fare like outfit ideas, home improvement hacks, and skincare routines. However, as grocery prices have risen in recent years, there has been more focus on budgeting and affordable cooking.

Rebecca Chobat, who runs the Dollar Tree Dinners accounts, went viral last year for her videos on how to prepare a Thanksgiving dinner using discounted items from Dollar Tree. Now, she posts about $10 meals-in-a-bag made with affordable pantry basics that don’t require refrigeration.

Anne Campbell, a mental health professional in Oklahoma, focuses on providing advice from millennials to Gen-Zers. Her content covers everything from financial tips to relationships, but lately, she has included basics about cooking and stocking a kitchen with essentials.

“My grandparents survived the Great Depression, and my grandmother was big on teaching us to be an ingredient home instead of relying on processed foods,” says Campbell, 40, who posts under the handle Daisyunicorn1111. “Buying individual ingredients is cheaper because you can spread them across multiple meals.”

Campbell is also developing a nonprofit that helps people barter and trade goods and services within their communities.

Some creators acknowledge that having the time, space, and physical ability to cook can be a luxury many followers don’t have.

“I always talk about the triangle of time, money, and resources,” says Kiki Rough, a 29-year-old creator from Northwest Indiana. “If you are working 16-hour days, sitting there and letting bread rise is not sustainable.”

Rough works full-time as a head of marketing at a software company but spends about 20 hours a week making content about affordable food for underserved populations. It’s a way for her to share skills she learned while she was on SNAP after dropping out of college and working $8.25-an-hour jobs.

“This week, I’m leaning heavily into beans and lentils, and I’m experimenting with different heat sources,” said Rough, who posts to Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, with hundreds of thousands of followers. “Let’s see what we can make in a microwave.”

Some followers have already started planning ahead using advice from Rough and other creators.

“I have $400 to the penny left on my food stamp card, and I am trying to make it stretch through November and December,” said Chanston Kotouc, 22, a mother of two. “I never thought I’d be on government assistance. Then I had my first baby at 19, realized how expensive daycare was, and had to apply for WIC and SNAP.”

Kotouc says she can’t afford to eat prepared foods or dine at restaurants. She’s begun stockpiling canned and dried beans and buying extra loaves of bread to freeze to avoid waste.

Not all advice from creators centers on food or money. Rough and Readus encourage followers to help more within their communities.

Shanika Battle, a mom and mortgage expert, uses some of Readus’s tips in her own life — like purchasing a vacuum sealer to keep food longer and shopping for more pantry staples. But her biggest takeaway is to turn online advice into real-world action.

She now shops for those in need and, together with friends, maintains running lists of items to take to local food pantries.

Creators are also providing emotional support for those who could be hit hardest by the potential loss of benefits.

Readus has received messages from followers expressing despair. She regularly reminds them, “We can do this, and you’re worth it.”

“I think a lot of people mentally shift into thinking maybe they’re discarded by society or haven’t worked hard enough,” said Rough. “But you deserve to be fed.”

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*Misty Copeland broke barriers as the first Black female principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre. Now, through her nonprofit, she is making dance more accessible for children of color.*
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