[newmommy]

I'm not sure about the food tax but be careful with the gift card deals and food stamps. I bought pop i think it was a long time ago at target and didn't know there was a gift card offer with it (before i started couponing!) Well at the end when i swiped my card it told the cashier to take back the gift card! He made a big scene trying to figure it out when i told him to just take it! Very embarrassing.

[sweetpea618]

They can't do that. I would have complained to corporate.

[neidert]

you never pay tax of any kind on food stamps jsut on non food items and you cant get non food items on food stamps anyway

Originally Posted by sherrylaschers

i never paid tax on coupons used either.its just the non food items i have paid tax for.i think its wrong for a store to charge 7 cents just for you to use a coupon.when they get money back for the coupons you are using anyways.thanks for this post.

[PutnamGator]

Originally Posted by newmommy

I'm not sure about the food tax but be careful with the gift card deals and food stamps. I bought pop i think it was a long time ago at target and didn't know there was a gift card offer with it (before i started couponing!) Well at the end when i swiped my card it told the cashier to take back the gift card! He made a big scene trying to figure it out when i told him to just take it! Very embarrassing.

That's weird. I just got on food stamps, and used the EBT card at Target the other day for the Special K deal. Got the GC with no problems. Maybe they've fixed the problem since you dealt with that.

[MamaBerry]

ahhhhh - what a great topic. Being on this program is a blessing for many families right now, mine included. In short, YES, she is fine using coupons. EBT cards are actually debit cards and used the same way as cash, but can only be used for food purchases. Those are the restrictions. I coupon regularly (spent $60 on $150 worth of food the other day.) Couponing with my EBT account is the only way I have enough to provide for our large family. It even allows me to buy a steak or sushi as a treat every now an then - since I do so well budgeting with it!! YAHOO.

If I can share ONE quick experience this week. Target has some FOOD products on sale regularly (this week I used cereal and granola bars) and when you purchase you get a $5 gift card back. So, I used store and mfg coupons, bought 10 boxes of cereal, 5 boxes of bars, stacked my coupons and spent $18 on my EBT account since it was food. They gave me $15 in gift cards that I turned around and used for diapers that we didn't have money for at the time...think and use your account smart, and you can pay for other necessities too.

HTH - My best!

P.S. Food is not taxed in Florida...didn't know that it was anywhere...hmmmmm can't help you there...

[laylamorgangrace]

yes i am on food stamps and use coupons my mom thinks it is really awesome that i do and i thought others would to i mean you are given a certain amount even when we got quite a bit a month i am still feeding 5 people and dont have the cash to go and get more if i needed it so i make it strecth the other day i did get charged 7 cents for using a coupon on pop that was on the pop when i bought it . that was the only time that has happend to me .

[LizzyQ]

I get FS and use coupons. I do have to pay the sells tax when I do it, but it's worth it.

[laylamorgangrace]

are you sure you have to pay sales tax on everything?? i only had to one time for taxable items that are non food like pop

[tbackerman]

I just checked with my local stores (homeland, wal-mart, and crest) in Oklahoma and they all said that yes you would have to pay the tax on the coupons.

[laylamorgangrace]

i guess it is not that way in ohio only on drinks

[MamaBerry]

That's just strange to me, I guess since I have lived in FL my whole life. There is NEVER any tax on any food of any sort in FL, unless it's prepared food. (i.e. If you go to the deli at the supermarket and have them make you a sub sandwich - then it's taxed) Sorry for those of you where that's the case. I don't really understand taxing on coupons. Not sure why if you are trying to save money they penalize you. Must be a State thing, not Fed tax. We don't have state taxes here. Sorry everyone in those states for your inconvenience.

[lovemydh]

I was thinking about this last night before going 2 bed. I was wondering why using coupons is not made a mandatory class before you get food stamps. Of course unless it's immediate and you need them NOw. I know how much further mine strech using coupons, could u imagine if everyone did??? Think how much money each family could save and then maybe the governemnt could do something???

[tutt26]

This may be a little off subject, maybe not. I am new to FS. Actually havent even gotten my first months worth yet. Can you not purchase beverages with them? Also i heard somewhere that there was being an increase sometime in October for foodstamps. Anyone know anything about this?

[laylamorgangrace]

well in ohio you can but i have not heard anything about that . I buy water and pop with it you can not of course buy alcohol but that is the only thing i know of and stores here you can not get rotissere chickens from the deli. you can get anything else to my knowledge that you can eat or drink

[PutnamGator]

I've had problems with protein drinks and FS. Funny that I can buy sugar-loaded, no-nutritional value whatsoever pop with my EBT card, but not protein drinks, which I sometimes use as a meal replacement. Go figure.

[showmethemoneyandcoupons]

Originally Posted by sweetpea101506

I've never bought pop on food stamps, so I don't know why I was charged that $0.07 tax.

How many coupons did you use? My ex-husband was on food stamps until he was able to get on disability and he told me that every coupon he used, they charged a penny. So if you had 7 coupons that $.07 would make since. HTH.

[crystalkg]

:rolle yes2::tongue 2:

[crystalkg]

.z

[mtdt3237]

Originally Posted by foggy

Using coupons while on food stamps is actually a very smart thing to do. You're increasing the amount you have and are able to use.

If you do use them while using food stamps, just be aware that some stores will actually make you pay tax on the coupons used. I know it's sounds stupid but it happened to me when we had to be on them for a little while when dh lost his job a few years ago.

And on a side note... I wish there were classes to teach people who are on food stamps on how to use coupons, etc. Not sure if mandatory classes would be the way to go but classes period on how to coupon, etc. would definitely be a step in a right direction on teaching others in this situation how to further their monthly benefits.

I completely agree!!!!

[LizzyQ]

Originally Posted by lovemydh

I was thinking about this last night before going 2 bed. I was wondering why using coupons is not made a mandatory class before you get food stamps. Of course unless it's immediate and you need them NOw. I know how much further mine strech using coupons, could u imagine if everyone did??? Think how much money each family could save and then maybe the governemnt could do something???

It's a little difficult to find childcare or take young children to a class! Maybe a flier about using coupons would be better!

[Indiacoupon]

Hi LizzyQ,

Jyo from MDC here. It's good to see someone here that I know. I think the idea about having food stamp users take a coupon class (and nutrition class, and childcare class ect) is a great idea. It is the implimentation of of the classes in mind, that would prove to be very difficult. Have you ever been in those places? There are hundreds of people just waiting and hoping their caseworker will actually call their name. Sometimes...often, they don't, and a family has to come back later, or maybe the mother has to pick up the children by the time school is out, or go back to work, and the case worker has not called their name yet. I don't think it is doable. However, like LizzyQ said, flyers, info to visit a website or information that prints off at the supermarker for food stamp users WITH coupons for foods they purchased, would be a wonderful idea.

I personally would attend a coupon class. I haven't been successful at it because my kids were very young, and being a single mother I just didn't have time to read about it. Things are much more streamlined now, and because you can check for store deals at places like this now, it makes it easier.

I'm so excited about learning how to coupon. Please keep sharing the great deals. I stupidly forgot to send in my bank statement, and so I got a letter saying they did not approve our fs's. ARGH! Couponing is going to be very helpful for me until/when they approve me.

[hdcat]

Here is a crazy one for you- here in Michigan, we pay 10cent deposit on soda cans/bottles, so when I was on food stamps, I fully expected that I would have to pay the deposit out of pocket since I get it back in cash when I return my bottles. No- food stamps paid the deposit, which made no sense at all to me.

The other crazy situation for me happened when my case worker screwed something up so I only qualified for $10FS per month. This was not a major hardship, as I was pretty much 100% dependent on a feeding tube at the time and had very little 'food' expense. Eventually my case worker figured out her mistake and suddenly I had $1500 in FS I had to use within 90 days, or they expire, plus I was then getting another $140 per month. I still was eating very little by mouth and even if I could have bought my tube feeding formula at a grocery store, FS wouldn't cover it (thankfully insurance did, but they didn't cover the machine I needed & all the other supplies). I was buying up anything I could think that would last long term, with the hopes I could possible use it someday.

[luvcatsbaskets]

I have a close relative that coupons and is on food stamps, she has never had a problem, with couponing and watching for sales, she has plenty of food, she does not run out of food when its time for the new month stamps to come in. I know other people who get food stamps that run out by the end of the month, they dont shop wisely, wont coupon, drives me nuts.

[luvcatsbaskets]

Wow, I did not know you could use food stamp card at Target. I will pass this info on. I am glad you got a good deal for your diapers.

[luvcatsbaskets]

I am new to couponing, I did not know you could use food stamp card at cvs or wags.