Last week I enrolled in the food program and decided to start it Nov 1st. I am on tier one and have notified my families that we will be starting in November. I just filled out the paper work to also be able to claim my own child and with my boyfriends income we are way over the cut off rate, and with just mine I'm $10.00 over I was really hoping to be able to claim her to make it worth it. Now that I realize that I'm doubting enrollment... I really don't know if I can front the months money in groceries as we are struggling horribly financially right now. I am also overwhelmed with everything on my plate and really don't know if I can handle this right now... Do you guys think I should put it off? I know its going to be a big adjustment and a struggle for the kids between the picky eaters and dds food allergies..I just don't know if its worth the effort right now and I don't even know if its feasible...

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If you are on tier 1 because of the area you live in, you should be able to count your own child despite your income. Atleast that is how I've always understood it.

Maybe for the first month, you could have parents chip in....bring snacks and such...

Or you could just opt for some really light and easy lunches until the reimbursement kicks in...

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It's different in MD, you do have to apply to be counted.

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Another big thing is the time... I have none of it right now. I'm overwhelmed with everything on my plate and am about to go back to school on top of it. I'm kind of freaking out a bit. I'm struggling finding the time to do lesson plans let alone finding the time to plan meals. I just had a breakdown to my boyfriend last week because I'm at that breaking point of stress..

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Personally, my son doesn't eat with the dc kids anyway.

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Aw, that's a bummer.



Sounds like you do have a lot going on! Sometimes we do need to step back and put things in perspective. Maybe you can just hold off for the month or even two and start claiming in January so it can be a new year with new practices...

Sometimes the amount of time we have to prepare makes ALL the difference.

Hang in there...life isn't always so crazy and chaotic!

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This is the exact reason I stopped doing the food program. I was on teir two, still had to deduct cost of food on my taxes and it wasn't enough to make it worth my time! Plus I don't like creating reasons for the state to come- I have NOTHING to hide but when you have surely inspectors messing with the schedule I just didnt find it benefiting- I still do all the components except for offering two fruits, vegs at lunch if I don't want to.

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If you do some careful menu planning, shop from the grocery store's sale ads... you can make some pretty inexpensive meals and end up getting "reimbursed" for more than you paid to feed everyone. I would still go through with the food program, because you'll probably be money ahead in the long run. It can seem overwhelming to start with.

If your daughter doesn't qualify for tier 1, you'll still get paid for tier 2 though - correct? I'd just go for it.

Menu planning is the best way to feed the kids inexpensively. I make my menu before ever leaving the house to shop for groceries. I bet you could come up with most of your meals or a large portion of them with what you have on hand... (for atleast the first week, anyways)

Take a day off of activities and menu plan instead. What ever you decide to you.

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No. we get nothing if we don't qualify

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If you are struggling so much financially this might be a good time to look at your budget and find some areas to save, get rid of cable, call insurance and cell to ask for lower rates, etc...definitely shop sales/coupon. When I first started couponing I was flat broke and had a hard time even coming up with money to "coupon/stockpile" but I knew if I found a way and stuck with it I would be better off in the long run.

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Do your parents provide the food now?
For me the food program is a great way to help cover food costs and I feel like my parents know that I am not skimping on their meals.
You said your income is over but are you deducting your schedule C?

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My food rep said that I would be tier 1 because of the area, but my dh alone makes over the amount so I can't claim my kids.

And I agree, there are some really cheap lunches you can make and they are healthy!

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The food program at Tier 1 equals almost $5 per day per child. That's an extra $25 per week for each child in your group.

It literally takes 3 minutes at nap time to enter your meals (especially if you don't have a lot of kids under 1, which ups it to 5).

I don't preplan meals much. I usually have some leftovers from dinner set aside, add another component (another vegie or fruit), and milk. That's lunch. Once you're comfortable with the whole thing, THEN you can do a bunch of preplanning or get more creative. Just keep it basic.

I claim AM snack (8:45) which I usually feed a whole grain, fruit, and milk
Lunch: 11:45
Dinner: 3:45 (allowed here), cheese, crackers, 2 fruits or vegies (dried fruits, too), and milk

$4-5 a day per kid! If you have 5 children enrolled, you just gave yourself a $20-$25 per day raise!

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I agree with Butterfly! If you do careful menu planning, you can save money and time. I do the same, most of the time I look at sales ads and go from there or sometimes I do plan, but change it if we have a big dinner and there is enough for lunch the next day. And for snacks, once you buy a box or bag or whatever of something it can last several weeks. I only have 2 full time and 2 part time dck's right now so I too keep going back and forth on whether to stay on it or not, but I think in the long run, I'll make some money or at least get reimbursed.

You can also make a little extra at dinner and put some aside right away and there is lunch for the next day! Crock pot meals are inexpensive and you can feed your family plus dck's. Also, simple meals like burritos (anything with beans), cheese quesadillas, bagel or english muffin pizzas, sandwiches, etc.. are fairly inexpensive to make. And if you look at the food serving requirements, they are fairly small. As long as you serve the minimum, you're good. Although, I do give my dck's more than the minimum if the want. As for the picky eaters, I will serve them the minimum and if they don't eat, I do give them something small (I know, most say they eat or don't eat, but I feel too bad) like lunch meat or something.

I will admit though, I hate planning the meals! I have mmk so it makes it easier, but I just can't stand doing it. And I do see where you are coming from if you don't have the money to start though. It is overwhelming at first, but once you get to doing it, it's fairly easy.

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Without m daughter on the program I will only be claiming 3 kids. Hardly worth the extra effort right now.

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I only claim 2 full time and 2 part time kids. I get where you are coming from, but once you start buying things like snacks, they last for a while.

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Thanks for the ideas guys but its not just the money factor. Its the time factor. Its the stress factor. Its another thing to think and worry about and plan for and organize and I can't add any more right now. I just had a mental breakdown to my boyfriend last week and he agreed I need to take more time to relax and stop overloading myself and then I signed up for the food program.. I just can't fathom the idea right now. I have too much going on personally atm.

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This!! I was on it 12-15 years ago. (I know it's probably different now.)

I'm not a 'government intervening in my bizness' type of person. Leave me alone and let me serve nutritious foods.

I also didn't like the paperwork. Apparently you can do it online now, but jeez.... I had to fill out this big schedule each month - handwritten on paper of every single breakfast, snack and lunch that I planned on serving - every day of that month. They'd review it, and write back that I was repeating a certain food too many times, or that I served something too close together (like chicken on Monday, and again on Thursday or whatever.) And I had to keep track of who was here what time, what day, who ate what meal or snack, etc. It was tedious and I'd get behind. Guess what... that's when she'd come - when I was behind. Then I didn't get paid for any days that weren't written down.

I also had to mail in the paperwork by a certain date. Well, I hate paperwork and deadlines (a weakness of mine), so I'd end up driving it up to their office 20 minutes from me on the night before it was due, and dropping it through their mail slot. Yes, totally MY fault, but I got sick of it.

I like the ability to change up what I serve, and decide on the fly. With the food program, I had to plan it ahead and if they happened to show up one day, I sure better be serving what I said I was going to serve! Ugh. I know it sounds ridiculous, but it's just me. As we say often on here, it wasn't a "good fit". lol

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I totally get what you are saying. It would be much easier if my parents brought lunches!

Sometimes it's hard to slow down and think about yourself and by the time you do, you're so overwhelmed with everything that it all comes out at once. Been there believe me! Maybe you should wait until you have more time.

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Didn't you say your dc parents were excited about this though?

at 3 kids per day that's 13.17 extra you'd earn for meals. (with breakfast $1.28, lunch $2.40 and a snack .71) I bet you could feed your dck your kids and yourself for less than $13/day.

I don't see much more work involved in being in the food program. If you file online, it's very quick. I still have to keep track of attendence and meals/meal counts for taxes anyways - even if I weren't on the food program...

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With MMK, you do everything online, and there are no more endless boxes. You just hit "submit" at the end of the month.

We are not required to plan any meals (I think the centers here must, for licensing anyway, so they do). I can serve on the fly.

I hate that some programs have other restrictions, and yet they're all answering to the same federal agency.

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I'm not sure where you're coming from on this. Do you currently provide the food or do your parents provide the kids' breakfasts and lunches?

I was a MAJOR anti food program for about 15 years. I had absolutely nothing good to say about it. I signed up last May and have been happy so far.

It takes me about 5 - 10 mins on Sun to plan out the week's menu. I write it down on a piece of paper and then set it next to my computer. It's actually less stressful because I don't have to think about what's for breakfast/lunch/snack - I just glance at the paper.

My food bill has actually dropped because I plan my family dinners with the kids lunch for the next day in mind. (Last night we had fajitas and I took some of the meat off the top and put it into the fridge for today.) I no longer send my dh out for pizza or McD's when I can't think of what to make the kids. A big box of Cheerios or Rice Krispies are cheap. Large bags of frozen veggies are always on sale. Check your area for a "day old" bread store.

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Sounds like you answered your own question then I hope your parents are ok with you changing your mind?

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Parents provide the food now. The only meal I worry about is dds.

Here's my financial situation right now. In the past week, my fridge went up the day after we went food shopping. Lost $300.00 worth of food. Now we are struggling to replace the food for us alone. DBF had a record low 2 weeks at work and is in the start of his slow season and we are expecting his income to be cut in half. Friday I spilled on my laptop and had to immediately shell out $450.00 to replace it. My rent and monthly expenses are just BARELY lower than my income and we are behind in our utilities and fight a shut off every month. We have no extra money. Heck we barely have the money for the basics.

On top of that I have a ton of stuff going on personally that leave me drained, exhausted, frustrated and overwhelmed. Its not just the day care. Its not just the 1 hour a night dog training after a 10 hour shift while dragging a 2 year old around. Its not just the fact that i don't have time to go grocery shopping, or run my errands before dd need to be in bed. Its not me cleaning houses on the side after working the day care hours to help with the bills. Its not endless lesson planning and cleaning and parenting. Its not the seasonal depression kicking in. Its not having DBF working so late that I'm not able to get help around the house. Its not the custody battle. Its not the preparations for going back to school. And its not the juggling of dd's moods and allergy issues... its everything at once.

I can't fit any thing else in. I will have a mental break down. Its happened before. I need to get on top of it and lower my stress so I can continue to do my job successfully. I understand all you super women who are masters at everything. I am not one of those. I struggle daily. I need to lower my expectations for myself. I have nothing left at the end of the day to even show dbf any kind of positive attention and find myself so drained that the last hours with dd at the end of the day aren't enjoyable, and that's not fair to her. I understand its easy and its worth the investment and doesn't take a lot of effort, but it does. Right now it does. And I don't have any thing else to give. I'm on the edge here. and I'm tryin my hardest to hold on..

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Praying for you, Brooksie. I guess your answer is very clear then isn't it.

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Food Program doesn't take much time and if your on tier one your at the highest paid level. It takes no more time then probably what your already doing. Helps you to be more organized and not guessing what is for meals. Parents love it. I advise you to just go for it and chalk it up to part of the job. Food Program just reimburses you for money your already paying out for food to begin with. It is not meant to be a start up program to get you going. Maybe the rules are different but if your child is under I want to say 12 or 13 and you have other kids in care your child is included in the program. Tier level is decided by the school systems poverty levels, not by personal income. Again that could be different from state to state, but I would think it would be the same across the board where it is a fed funded program. Not a lot to it, and I recommend going for it. Best-

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It is decided by the school systems poverty levels, but if you make too much then you can't count your own children. My dh alone makes too much so I can't claim my kids, but I do get tier 1 for the dck's. I can't remember what the income cut offs are though.

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If you are so close to the cut off for your daughter qualifying I would check to make sure you are counting all of your deductions. Even if you are using last years deductions you could amend it to include any you missed, but it would probably be easier to just qualify with the following year. Do some tax calculations now, and see if any daycare purchases before the end of the year will make a difference. The month or two delay in getting reimbursed for the food program for the other kids will make the difference legitimately on paper if everything else is the same. The Food reimbursements from your daughter will be tax free, and will help make it worth it.
Hopefully next year your business is doing so well you won't qualify in 2015!

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My understanding is that boyfriends income wouldn't be counted, and wouldn't be counted as 'household income' unless maybe you are joining all of your finances/ act as one (but even then maybe not) and/or the boyfriend is the father of your child.
My brother lives with us my husband, daughter and I (and does contribute an amount to household bills/expenses), but his income is his own, and is considered a separate household, as far as taxes, or anything else financial is concerned.

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I am curious as to why your DBF's income would count toward your DD if he isn't the bio dad and you two aren't married? It would really be no different than having a roommate...

Also have you thought about applying for any type of assistance yourself? I don't know your income/financial situation but it kind of sounds like you are living on the edge and if that is the case, I would seriously consider applying for some type of financial help if you qualify.

Also, I do NOT mean this rudely or harshly in ANY WAY at all....but do YOU have someone you can talk to that can help you manage all this stuff going on? Someone who can ease the burden? It just really sounds like the things you do have going on aren't at all chaotic like you said, just the fact that they are all happening at one time... I KNOW it can be a heavy burden to bear and often times simply talking it out with someone who isn't directly involved helps a ton!!

Hang in there Brooksie......this too shall pass!

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Yes yes! You most likely qualify for WICC if you aren't already getting it, and hopefully you can get your daughter enrolled in the food program which will be an extra 21.95 (or a bit more if you have a child stay for dinner) a week to feed her.
Let us know if you need help finding deductions you might be missing to get her qualified.

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If DBF is entering a slow season can he help with some more of the household tasks you need to get done, or perhaps soon as it starts to slow down. Can he take the dog to training some of the time (or can this be postponed or cut back on), help with some of the day care cleaning, and/or grocery shopping/ errand running. Knowing more help is coming soon may help with your stress level.
Also try try to make sure you are getting sleep, a good nights rest makes everything easier to deal with. I know it's easier said then done, I myself have a hard time sleeping when I have a lot on my mind. Take a weekend night and try to shut out your worries and stress

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Although I'm not on the food program I know exactly where you're coming from. For me, I have an extremely difficult time even handling basic everyday tasks. I also get seasonal depression and I can definitely feel it's starting to set in. My mind is so foggy and I'm so "blah" that I just can't function properly... I'm getting by by the skin of my teeth... my house is just barely put back together at the end of the night.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I know how you feel... although I don't have nearly as much going on as you do. It will all work out. Just breathe

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Hi Brooksie-spent some time reading all the replies and wanted to let you know that I understand where you are coming from. I understand that drained can't handle one more thing feeling and I totally struggle with seasonal depression. As I have gotten older I have just realized how important it is for me to not put too much on my plate and give myself some time to decompression. I wish I was the woman who can be busy and is energized by it but that's just not me. Delegating some things to your boyfriend sounds vital for you right now. Also, making up a schedule really helps me and also shows me if I am overdoing something. I also live paycheck to paycheck and know that's hard as well because everything you have goes towards bills with nothing left over to save towards future emergency purchases like a fridge or save for a vacation. And we have had so many "stay" catkins that it's not that great anymore. Do you take vitamins? If not I would highly recommend vitamin D and a b-complex. They really help me with my mood and energy, esp. during this time of year. Also, are you still going to be working ft while going to school? Take care of yourself and to you!

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I haven't had time to read all of the responses.

Anyway, as for your daughter wait until you have an off month or the pay checks fall differently or something and you make less, then apply for her when you qualify.

Tier I is the higher tier and if you shop wisely and don't go overboard you can come out ahead financially.

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I'm wondering if maybe you need to sit down and re-evaluate things in your life. I don't mean that in a judgy way but I don't think I could do childcare under stress like that. If someone pays a day late because they're sick that day, my world won't collapse. It's a business and it seems like your business is on the brink of extinction here. If a program that's supposed to help you make money would actually cost you money only because you're so close to the edge financially you can't cover the cost than I wouldn't do the food program and I would look at exploring other avenues. Unfortunately I'm afraid that backing out now will make your DCPs worry, especially if you tell them you can't afford to feed their kids. They'll start adding up how much they pay you, plus 2 other kids and your BF. That would be my fear anyway. If my Provider said she couldn't afford to feed my kids after saying she would be and taking some weight off my shoulders, I really might worry. I don't know... The food program payment every month is a huge blessing for me. Thankfully my kids qualify as well and as long as I have 1 DCK here I can claim all of them but during the day it's only 2-3 kids. Breakfast, PM snack and dinner is where I make up for it. The food program lady told me to just give a bigger snack at the end of the day and call it dinner even if they still have a "dinner" after. As long as it has all the components of dinner.

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I never made that much!! I made at most $125 a month- for a min of 5 kids per day 5 days a week on teir 2.
Sorry!! Just saw you said teir 1!

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You just wrote my story!!! Bye bye food program!!!

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Can I ask how you keep your records for taxes? I would love to drop the food program but thought I needed to keep the meal count to report on my taxes?

ETA: if I have to keep a record anyway similar to the records needed for the food program I might as well get paid for it. Is there a standard deduction I can take instead or do I need and actual meal log (outside of my attendance records). (I can't remember how it was claimed on my taxes, I was on the food program last year and I am on it currently).

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to you!!! Hang in there- and like black cat said make sure you are getting help for you!!

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You can take the 'standard deduction' meals on taxes without having records of what you serve. You just need to keep meal/ and attendance counts. It doesn't have to have certain amounts of different components to deduct it. Reimbursements always come out better financially then just a write off, but it is a little more work.

Also as a side note, Even if you are on the food program you can still deduct snacks/ meals that don't qualify for reimbursement using either actual costs, or standard deduction. An example might be a special unhealthy birthday treat, or if you serve more meals/ snacks then allowed for reimbursement.

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Granted, I have 16 daycare children....but I am Tier 1 because of the school district. My reimbursement last month was $1109.34. And that's without everybody here every day. It is often higher if nobody takes time off, I'm not closed etc.

It can be a hassle at first to get used to MMenu. But I honestly find it very easy...even with a huge houseful.

I have to keep attendance anyway...so I just keep MM open on my laptop and enter the time as each child arrives. Only takes a second. I enter numbers after each meal...again it only takes a second. Hit send at the end of the month and wait for over a grand to be deposited into my account.

It doesn't cost me anywhere NEAR a thousand dollars a month to feed the children.

Hang in there Brooksie....any money is better than no money. You'll soon be so used to it and the first time you see the money will make you smile!

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Exactly this.

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Ok, so it is not the food program per se. Sweetie, we are not wonder women either. We all have our daily struggles and battles. (I have 2 crock pots that have been dirty since Saturday! sounds small but oh so frustrating that I can't get to them) This job is not an easy one and it does zap every ounce of energy some days. Have you looked at what kind of assistance is out there in your area? I know it is hard to ask for help but you need to get out of this hole. Community action here will pay your utility bill if you have a disconnect. Call your local Catholic church, explain your circumstances and see what their St Vincent dePaul can do for you. They may be able to get you food also. We have a local food pantry that is non qualifying. If you walk in and ask for food they will help you. You need to tap into some community resources! I know it is hard to ask for help but you need to. You are a strong woman you can do this! I will be praying for you.

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If you are not on the Food Program you must still keep a record of the number of meals and snacks you serve, but not a record of what you served. You can still use the standard meal allowance rule to deduct food expenses.

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I have been using the food program for a yr. At 1st I was like...WHAT!? I have to do all THIS!!??? OMGosh!
Then I started doing it. I found a great ...awesome website...da da da called http://www.supercook.com/
When you 1st do it...it takes some time. But in the end you have a site that has all of your food ingredients that you contain in your kitchen. So when you feel like chicken tonight but you have no idea what to cook, this handy dandy site shows you what you can make right now with the ingredients that you have. LOOOVE IT! Then I also bought for $4 an app that gives me dinners that follow the food program. That's called My Family Meal Planner.
I also do a lot of crock pot cooking! And the kids get to make their own pizzas on Fridays. They get to make 1 snack each week. And I have my assistants cook too.
In the beginning....when I first started the daycare, I was so broke! It's crazy to look back on that time and see how we were living. To make the $ stretch farther I would do shopping at the Dollar Store. Now I shop at Walmart and but mostly Great Value products. The quality is good and the price is sooo worth it! Just steer clear of the frozen broccoli. Mostly hard non edible stems.
I hope that you feel better and just remember that tomorrow is another day!

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I have an attendance book and keep a tally from that to track how many meals and snacks I serve. If you want you can use the reimbursements as income and still deduct your meals at the standard allowance incase you would get more that way. For me I get more off of my taxes with the standard deduction than I did from my reimbursements so it was an unneeded step that just caused me more work.
AND you don't have to do all the components- I still serve healthy meals but I don't miss racking my brain to figure out what that second veg or fruit would be at lunch

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I know it is some work but to be honest the food program is what makes being licensed worth it. With 7 full-timers and 11-13 after school for snack I am getting between $850-$950 per month. This more than pays for the food I am providing. If I was a smaller group, I don't know if it would be worth the effort.

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She may have a small group but she also mentioned in another post that her rating system is 5 tier and she can only get to tier 2 unless she goes on the food program. She also mentioned when she told her families that one DCM asked her 15 times if she was serious because DCM was so excited about it. Those are pretty good reasons to participate.

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Tier 3 is what I need the food program for. Yes my parents were excited but like I posted previously, about 2 weeks ago my fridge went out and we lost all of our food. It just went out again 2 days ago and lost everything we replaced. Our landlord just brought us a new fridge yesterday but we have no money to fill it and definitely no money to invest in the food program this month. All my families have understood and said it was no biggie. I did tell them that I was still planning on joining the program its just not feasible this month and of course with the holidays coming up its even worse. On top of Christmas I have DDs Bday, DBFs Bday, My aunt, my dad and my nephew. I have nothing extra. I'll try again in January or Feb. Its not necessary for me to advance that far through the system immediately any way as they just started it and I'm only 1 of 4 participating in my county. Already looks good.

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I am small, but full timers and it is worth it to me!

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unless your kids are bringing their own meals it is totally worth it, your serving them anyway. If you have a wonderful Food Program Coordinator they are going to help you get on your way and succeed at it.

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If you have renter's insurance, you should be able to claim the loss of food from your fridge malfunctioning.

I'd check with your renter's policy.

Also, this is just my opinion but if I was in such financial stress, I certainly wouldn't be out buying gifts for anyone's birthday. The people with birthdays coming up are adults and probably understand that you can't afford to buy them gifts and your DD is young enough that I'm sure putting food on the table far outweighs a birthday gift/party.

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Every one packs. I've said it before in this post. Obviously if I were feeding them I would be on the food program.

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Unless it was a poser outage it is not covered. We can put food on our table but we aren't stocked up and I'm certainly not going to stress about feeding kids that aren't mine. Yea I'll be reimbursed but that doesn't help me right now. I have other things to worry about right now.

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Oh wow the fridge situation has got to be stressful! Have you tried to see if your landlord would help pay for part of what was lost in both outages? I don't know if any laws would apply but it was his equipment that failed not once but twice and maybe he's kindhearted enough to help?

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You should really double check your insurance policy. My SIL is an agent and she said 99% of renter insurance policies cover food loss for appliance failures when the appliance is included in the rental unit.


Most tenant/landlord laws state that if your landlord KNEW about the problems with the fridge (even if he fixed it) and it happens again causing the tenant loss, HE is responsible for replacement costs of the tenant's loss.

You stated above that it went out once and then again 2 weeks later.

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No. I mentioned the amount of money we had lost and he flipped out. I didn't even ask him for anything. He complained about paying the water bills (which I pay... ) and the fact that we just had a clogged main drain and he had to pay the plumber $660.00. I also had to close for that problem since sewage was spilling into my basement and nothing could go down any drain until it was fixed. We are about ready to end our lease with this guy. We are into the first year of 3 year lease. When he complained about everything and got attitude with me I was pissed. We pay 1500.00 a month in rent and pay all the utilities. If there is a problem we expect it to be fixed without complaint...

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I'd put the breaks on the dog training, and any other extras for right now.

That'll give you the time and the funds to continue the food program, which will ultimately put some much needed additional income in your pocket.


The suggestions of getting help from county assistence programs and your local food banks are good ones too. That's exactly what they're there for, to help in temporary financial crunches.

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I had called my agent. She assures me it isn't covered.

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The dog training has to happen. Its a liability factor. The food program does not. I have never provided food for the kids before, it is not essential for me to start it right now.

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I'm sorry, but I'm starting to wonder why you continue to create posts asking questions, talking about how hard things are, and then you poo-poo every stitch of helpful advice given?

You asked if it's worth it. You got a resounding YES.

You tried oo convince everyone it wasn't, and why you can't, while everyone reassured you it was, and ways to reprioritize and get some help so that you can.

All poo-pooed.

I don't understand the point.

It really sounds like it's time to reprioritize and find new perspective. You're saying you're so bad off financially, to the point you're concerned about putting food on the table for yourselves. The birthdays, holidays and dog CAN wait. If you don't *want* to thats one thing, but don't say you can't because you most certainly can. You may be struggling to pay the bills but at least you can. You may be struggling with custody but your child is alive today. You're alive today. Your boyfriend HAS a job and so do you.

Stop counting your hardships and for heavens sake START COUNTING YOUR BLESSINGS.

There are loads of people who would give anything to be in shoes as good as yours.

I can be the most sympathetic person on the planet because I've been there myself, but I struggle to support someone who has options and doesn't utilize them or refuses to acknowledge that their life is truly not that bad compared to millions and millions of other people.

You DO have options to improve your situation here. Whether you CHOOSE to or not is your prerogative.

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Buy generic. Except for produce and meat, nearly everything you can buy has a generic counterpart. I don't have time to coupon, so this is how our family saves money on food/cleaning supplies, etc.

The difference can be substantial. For instance, generic apple juice costs $1.79. Name brand is $2.59-2.89 for the same size bottle. You do have to watch the sizes and quantity on the packaging because it can be different, but in general I can feed my family of five and 8-10 daycare kids for $140/week. I usually have to buy bread and milk in between, but for me this strategy works.

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Yes, when I posted this I was doubting it and asked for opinions. That was also right before my fridge died AGAIN and I lost all the food I just restocked. Yes, it definitely seems like the program is worth it and its still something I'm interested in IN THE FUTURE. My priority is my family. Not my daycare families. They are more than capable of providing food right now, just as they have been and its just not something I need to stress over RIGHT NOW. I will, eventually, partake and use all the extremely helpful advice. But right now, its not for us. In the mean time, I WILL be counting my blessings and not adding extra stressors.. The way that I'm CHOOSING to improve my situation here is my cutting down things on my plate and stop over loading myself so that I CAN count my blessings and enjoy my life without being too stressed to see what I have. I understand it's easy but right NOW its not worth it to me. I will revisit it in the next few months after I start going back to school.

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You said earlier, that you are postponing it, but told your parents that you will still be starting it soon. So definitely consider exactly what you told them when you 'revisit it', and how soon you revisit it... starting school is not going to make it any easier, sounds like more will be on your plate soon. Take a little time during your boyfriends slow time to get familiar with the program, and get things organized. It will seem a lot easier once you get started... but starting will probably seem overwhelming again after you start school, are doing taxes, and your boyfriends business gets busy again (or it would for me anyway).

This is all just advise, and things to think about. You of course know your own personal situation and circumstances better then anyone (and how your parents would react). You set your priorities. Feel free to do with it what you like.
I just started the food program in August right before my 7 units started for the semester, and just after my husbands own slow time, but I did take something else off my plate I was planning on doing for the fall as well (I'm sure others would disagree with my priorities, but it was well thought out for me, my personal situation, and I think even better for the people directly affected). Good luck Brooksie!

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Same for Ohio, I am tier 1, but still cannot claim my son. It's work, but I think it is worth it.

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The bottom line is you have to do what works best for you.

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It's not obvious, many people make the choice to not be on the food program that provide food. Sorry I missed it.

Don't get snippy with me when I am trying to offer you good advice. It's ok if you don't want to take it, everyone has to do what is best for them and I wish you nothing but the best- Take care of you so your stress is less~

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I didn't mean to get snippy. I was starting to feel pressured and like I said I've been overwhelmed. Stress doesn't create appropriate responses (just as dbf lol). Since making the decision and notifying my dcps, who all understood since they know all the things that have popped up financially and know about the loss of food, I've already felt relieved. Was able to enjoy the end of the week mostly stress free and focus on getting the things done we need to for us, not everyone else. Dbf has stepped up and is helping more and we switched our dog trainer who isn't so time demanding. Outlook looks good for the next few weeks. I do appreciate everyone's advice and I do plan on starting it up, my goal is in January.

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