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The increased 2024 SNAP benefits come into effect today, but that extra money won’t go far. Find out how to make every cent of your food benefits count.
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Every Oct. 1, SNAP benefits increase to take into account changes in living costs across the year. The 2024 change comes into effect today, so food benefit recipients will receive slightly more money in October. Sadly, the increase doesn’t fully reflect the higher price tags on your groceries. As such, it will only do so much to relieve the pressure on families who rely on SNAP.
How much are SNAP benefits increasing?
For the 2024 fiscal year, the maximum monthly benefit for a family of four will increase from $939 to $973 in much of the country. Benefits vary depending on factors like your household size and income, but broadly speaking, you can expect an increase of 3.6% on what you currently receive. So if you get $600 a month, this would go up to around $622 from October onward.
Here are the changes in maximum benefits by household size in most states:
What the increase means for your family
Viewed in the context of the huge jump in living costs we’ve experienced, a $34 (3.6%) increase for a family of four does not sound like a lot. In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the cost of food actually rose 5.7% between June 2022 and June 2023. The SNAP benefit increase does not cover today’s higher food prices.
What this means for your family is that — more than ever — you need to stretch every SNAP dollar as far as possible. It may feel as if you’re already doing that. But the government is unlikely to increase SNAP payments again until next October. So unless you can find other ways to increase your income, the more ways you can save on grocery costs, the better.
Here are a couple of ways a family of four might stretch that $973 a month.
1. Shop around for the best deals
According to a recent Marketforce survey, ALDI, WinCo, and Lidl are some of the lowest-cost places to buy groceries. All three accept EBT payments. To give you an idea, a 16-ounce pack of Rotini pasta cost $1.09 in ALDI, where a 12-ounce packet cost $1.18 in Walmart.
ALDI’s 16-ounce pack would provide eight portions of pasta — enough for two meals for a family of four. Walmart’s pack would cost more and only stretch to six portions. If we try to compare like with like, 16 ounces of pasta at Walmart’s price would come to $1.57, almost $0.50 more.
2. Double up your SNAP dollars
There are a couple of different programs that give SNAP recipients two-for-one on fruit and vegetables at participating stores and farmers markets. Find out if any of them, such as Double Up Food Bucks operate in your state.
The maximum spend is often $20 a day, but $40 worth of produce can go a long way. Look for what’s in season or stick to year-round low-cost produce, such as potatoes, carrots, and onions. Think about produce you can freeze or batch cook. I often stock my freezer with soups and stews made from whatever vegetables I can get at a low price.
3. Use cash back apps and coupons
In many cases, you can use coupons and cash back apps with your EBT card. Look for ways to stack rewards and offers to the biggest discounts. Cash back apps like Ibotta that let you scan your receipt after you’ve shopped work well with EBT payments. Before you go to the store, plan out what offers you will use and put them on your list. Ibotta also offers extra bonuses in the app for, say, buying a specific brand on three different shopping trips, or redeeming a certain number of offers. That could give you an extra $5, $10, or more in cash back.
In terms of coupons, keep an eye out online for coupons on products you buy regularly, and don’t discount physical ones either. I always pick up in-store flyers and free newspapers and clip the coupons. You can sometimes save more by using multiple coupons, too. Whether you’re saving 20% off cheese or $5 on laundry detergent, those savings are important. Pay attention to the small print, especially if you’re using coupons alongside your cash back app.
Help is available
If you don’t have enough money in your checking account to feed your family, call United Way at 211 or look for a local food pantry or soup kitchen. There is a lot of demand for food banks at the moment, so try to arrive early and check beforehand what documents you might need to take.
If you are struggling, see if you can qualify for any other benefits. You might, for example, qualify for help paying energy or other utility bills. Or there may be other food assistance you’re eligible to receive. It is beyond stressful when you don’t have enough cash to cover the essentials, especially if it means you or your family go hungry.
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