If SNAP Benefits Stop It's A Blessing !

What's going on, Fam? Believe it or not, the halting of a lot of these SNAP benefits and even the government shutdown is a blessing in disguise. This is going to save a lot of lives, and I’m going to tell you just why.

Our goal over here at Set Apart Gardens is to teach people how to be self-sufficient and really show you a way you can depend on yourself and become as self-sufficient as possible.

Let's talk about the SNAP program. SNAP basically means the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. It is used to help low-income families with supplemental nutritional needs, providing extra funds to go out and buy food. I can relate to this situation because I grew up as a child where my mom was on WIC and different things like that, so I definitely know what it's like to be a child and be in need and have hunger needs. That is a real issue in this country, and my heart definitely goes out to those families.

The Illusion of Security is Broken

We've been given an illusion of security. We've been deceived into thinking that certain things, especially dealing with the government, are secure, whether it’s government jobs, SNAP benefits, other government benefits, or even our constitutional rights. We are now seeing just how fragile a lot of these things that we thought were secure really are. Specifically with the SNAP program, the fact that it isn't secure and is fragile is now threatening the very way of life for people who rely on it and who have done nothing wrong.

That's why I say it's a blessing that this is happening right now.

A Wake-Up Call for Self-Reliance

The first reason this is a blessing is that people are waking up. Yes, it's out of shock, anger, and frustration, but nevertheless, people are realizing, "Hey man, we can't really depend on this government or this system to provide our basic needs". Food is a basic need, right alongside water, shelter, and protection.

A lot of people, even those not directly affected by the SNAP halt, are realizing we can't be dependent on the government or these big corporations for our food. We have to take matters into our own hands and start being somewhat self-sufficient.

The second reason it’s a blessing is that we are realizing that our own survival is up to us. Our survival isn't up to whether we can make money and go to a grocery store. This forces people to ask critical questions: Do I know how to fish? Do I know how to hunt? Do I know how to farm or garden? Do I have seeds stored up?. These questions start flooding people’s minds when they see the instability and fragility of things we thought were secure.

Saving Lives Through Whole Foods

Another thing is this: what’s going on now has the potential to save a lot of lives in the long term. Let’s be honest—a lot of the food bought with SNAP benefits, or by people in general at the grocery store, is ultra-processed. Real food doesn't come in a box with 50 ingredients on it that you can't even pronounce. A lot of this ultra-processed stuff is the reason why we are dying slowly and developing a lot of these diseases.

When people start taking their food source seriously, growing or harvesting their own food, they are not eating as many processed foods. When you start providing your own food, you don't have all these ultra-processed chemicals and ingredients; it's just simple, whole ingredients. This shift to whole ingredients (like what is eaten in the Blue Zones by people who commonly live over 100) has the potential to save a lot of lives.

Solutions: Taking Back Your Power

We can talk about our frustrations, anger, and the wrong that's going on, and all that is valid. But after we're done talking about it, what are we going to do about it?. I’m here to provide solutions so you can not only survive but thrive, and so you won't be dependent ever again on anybody outside of yourself, your family, or your community.

Here are some solutions:

1. Stop Eating Out Stop wasting unnecessary money on convenience, because convenience is really killing us. That $5 or $10 you spend on a quick meal, if you put that money together, $50 can buy you food that will last two or three weeks if you buy the right things.

2. Learn How to Cook from Scratch Your survival is dependent upon you knowing how to cook from scratch with simple, minimal, whole ingredients. You can take some flour, water, a little salt, and yeast and make yourself a loaf of bread, instead of constantly buying things that are pre-made. If you don't know how, YouTube University is free, and there are thousands of content creators that can teach you how to make things like bread, butter, or pasta from scratch.

3. Buy in Bulk Go to places like Costco, Sam's, or Walmart to buy food in bulk because you save more money on the back end. When you buy in bulk, you must also store it properly so it has a long shelf life. Families who are self-sufficient only need to buy staples every six months, nine months, or a year.

4. Buy These Staples in Bulk:

   • Flour: Any kind of flour is versatile; you can make bread, pancakes, cakes, flatbreads, and gravies.

   • Cornmeal: This can stretch a long way and can be used to make grits, cornbread, tortillas, or tortilla chips.

   • Beans: Buy dried beans for a longer shelf life, or canned beans; these are filling and will get you through.

   • Potatoes or sweet potatoes are filling and will "stick to your ribs". Get multiple bags.

   • Rice: My wife and I get 50-pound bags of rice because it lasts a long time and is versatile, going with almost any meat.

   • Oats: You can make oatmeal or grind them up to make bread; oats are filling.

   • Meat Source:  Chicken leg quarters give you the best bang for your buck; you can get a 10-pound bag for around $7. Ground turkey is another good option if there is a sale.

5. Start a Garden. If you have the space, start a garden or at least start learning how. You don't need land; you can grow potatoes and other things in 5-gallon buckets, grow bags, or garden beds. Start buying and storing seeds right now—onions, peppers, tomatoes, okra, leafy greens, collards, and cucumbers.

6. Start a Backyard Flock of Chickens If you have a standard-sized backyard and can fit a 4-foot by 6-foot or 4-foot by 8-foot structure, I definitely recommend starting a backyard flock of at least five chickens. You will get three to five eggs almost every single day, providing a protein source for the majority of the year, so you won't need to buy eggs anymore.

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The Ultimate Lesson - SNAP Benefits

Everybody has the right to be frustrated and angry, but we should learn cabbage lesson from this. We should never be so dependent on the government, on these big corporations, or on any institution or entity outside of ourselves. It is our responsibility to provide our own food—no one else’s. We have to learn how to be as self-sufficient as we can right now and learn how to do for self.

I say this on all of my videos, and I’m going to leave it off on this: He who has the power to feed you also has the power to starve you. Who has that power in your life—the government, big corporations, or are you going to take back that power?. You won't starve yourself, but you can't say that about an external entity.

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