Montgomery Community Media

After three days of five, out of the $50 John and I had to spend, we have almost $10 left. In three days, I have eaten a lot of celery with peanut butter. Tonight my husband John had the leftover brown rice with black beans and chicken thighs casserole. He also had a salad of […]

If you were on a strict clothing budget, you wouldn’t go into Nordstrom Rack and pick up a pair of pants that don’t match anything else in your wardrobe. You probably wouldn’t even buy them if they went with just 1 or 2 items. No. In this scenario you want a pair of pants that […]

On day 3 of 5 days eating with only $5.00 a day. Woke up at 4:30 this morning with a small hunger pain. Drank some water and went back to sleep. This is hard. I’m craving food.

Today is day three of the SNAP the Silence Challenge and while it’s been difficult, I’m still holding strong. For me, one of the most interesting effects of this challenge is the way that my mind has begun to fixate on food. In the morning, I think about what I’m having for breakfast, lunch, and […]

On Day Three of the SNAP the Silence Challenge, MCM’s Merlyn Reineke is beginning to see the obstacles to eating on just $5 a day.

On Day Two, I am calmer. I realize that all that stuff in yesterday’s blog was a manifestation of anxiety – even panic.  I saw that no longer would I have practically unfettered – regardless of time or location – access to food. I worried I could possibly run out of food.  Unthinkable. I worried […]

Manna’s dietitian Jenna Umbriac has been all over the news today, from her part in the SNAP the Silence press conference to an interview with WTOP news. This afternoon, Jenna shared her shopping list for the challenge with me. The list is set for 2 people ($50 a week in SNAP benefits), so you can […]

I started my morning yesterday shopping for the week on $25. It was a lot harder to do than I originally thought. It was embarrassing for me to carefully choose all of my items and then proceed to the checkout stand only to find that I had overspent by almost $4. I know that in […]

On Day Two of the SNAP the Silence on poverty challenge: is there controversy that the poor really DON’T want these types of events? In today’s video blog, MCM’s Merlyn Reineke discusses one such conversation.

Thank goodness, the SNAP Challenge has begun. For days, I have been dreading this week. I have completed the first of five days on our $5-per-person food budget (my husband and I are doing this together so we had $50 to work with for today and the four days to come), my stomach is full […]