You may not realize it, but if you live in pretty much any state and have a low income, you’re probably eligible for food stamps. As of 2016, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) the official name for food stamps — helps more than 42 million Americans pay for groceries each month. If you aren’t eligible for these benefits but have a small amount of money saved, thinking about hiding that money from food stamps may seem like an unappealing idea. Why go through all that trouble just to avoid getting some free money? Well, there are actually many good reasons to do so. Here’s how to hide money from food stamps so that you don’t need to worry about them ever finding out about your savings.
How to Hide Money from Food Stamps?
1. Don’t Spend Your Free Money
At first glance, this is the most obvious way to hide money from food stamps. After all, it would be silly to spend free money (that you don’t have to pay back) on unnecessary items. While this is a good rule of thumb, it’s also important to remember that you can use your food stamps only for groceries — not on other items such as alcohol or cigarettes. If you do decide to spend the food stamps on something else, like alcohol or cigarettes, then you can get in trouble with the government. It’s best to avoid these types of purchases altogether if possible.
2. Have a Backup Plan
Another great way to hide money from food stamps is by having a backup plan in case your income changes and you need more money for groceries. For example, if you were planning on saving some extra cash for Christmas but then your job ends before that time comes around and you need to find a new one, you may need to use your food stamps sooner than expected. Having a plan in place for this situation can help you avoid getting into trouble with the government.
3. Watch What You Spend on
If you want to hide money from food stamps, then it’s important that you don’t spend more than you earn each month. This means that if your income is higher than what you spent on groceries, then it’s likely OK to spend an extra dollar or two per day. It also means that it’s important to try not to buy anything that doesn’t make sense if your budget is tight (such as buying alcohol or cigarettes). In fact, if your income is higher than what you spent on groceries, then consider spending an extra dollar or two so that your monthly total isn’t too high. If the government sees this as a problem, they may take away any extra money from food. If you don’t want to get into trouble with the government, then you need to make sure that you’re spending only what you earn. This means that if your income is above the cutoff for food stamps, then you should not use them.
4. Keep a Savings Account
If you have a small amount of money saved up but still need to buy groceries every month, it may be possible for you to hide money from food stamps by keeping your savings account secret. For example, if your income is low enough and the government doesn’t monitor your bank account very closely, it may be possible for them not to find out about your savings account. You can also use this method in conjunction with hiding money from food stamps by using a debit card and only using cash for purchases.
5. Buy What You Need When You Need It
Another way to hide money from food stamps is by buying what you need when you need it. This means that you should plan out what you’re going to buy each month before you go shopping. You can also set up a budget in advance so that you don’t have to worry about overspending on food.
What to Know Before Hiding Money from Food Stamps
1. Do Not Hide Money From Food Stamps If You Have Children.
If you have children, it’s best to not hide any money from food stamps at all. Not only will this put your children at risk of starving, but they could also be taken away from you by the government under the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). This is a program that provides free meals to those who are living in public or private care facilities. If your kids are part of this program, they will be eligible for food stamps as well. If they get caught with any extra cash, it could be confiscated and used to feed other kids in need.
2. Do Not Hide Money From Food Stamps If You Are Sick Or Disabled.
It’s actually illegal for anyone — including the government — to take away your assets or benefits if you are sick or disabled (more on this below). However, it is possible for the government to find out about your savings and use them to support others in need. If you are sick or disabled, it’s best to simply keep all of your money in the bank or in a safe place where no one can get to it.
3. Do Not Hide Money From Food Stamps If You Are On A Fixed Income.
If you are on a fixed income, like Social Security, SSI, or disability benefits, there is no reason to hide any money from food stamps. These benefits were designed with the purpose of helping people with low incomes get through each month and make ends meet. If you have extra cash that isn’t going to be used for a specific purpose (like medical bills for example), there is no reason why you shouldn’t use it for other purposes as well.
5 Strategies to Hide Money from Food Stamps
1. Set Up A Savings Account
If you’re thinking of hiding money from food stamps, the first thing you may want to do is set up a savings account. It doesn’t take much money to open an account, and it won’t cost you anything. Once you have your own savings account, consider transferring your food stamp money into it so that nobody will ever know about it. If you don’t think this would be a good idea because of how difficult it would be for the government to track all of these transactions, consider the fact that the IRS has been known to do just that in order to catch tax dodgers.
2. Don’t Spend Your Money On Groceries
If you have less than $20 a day, don’t spend any of your food stamp money on groceries. You should only spend this amount if absolutely necessary, such as if there isn’t enough money in your bank account or if you need to purchase something for your children. Instead, save this money for other purposes. You can use it to treat yourself to a nice dinner out, or you could use it to pay down your debt.
3. Buy Groceries With Food Stamps
If you have access to food stamps but don’t have enough money in your account, consider buying groceries with food stamps as a way of getting the most out of the money you have available. If you buy groceries with cash and then turn around and purchase more with food stamps, there won’t be any record of this transaction in either bank records or on the SNAP application itself. As long as the government doesn’t audit your account and find out that you are using food stamps to buy groceries, they won’t be able to catch you.
4. Use Your Food Stamps On Groceries With A Debit Card
Instead of using cash when purchasing groceries, consider using eating yourself out of a financial hole. At this point, you’re probably going to get some pushback from the government about doing so, but if you have to do it, this is the best way to go about it.
5. Buy Groceries At A Discount Store
You may be able to save money if you shop at a discount store. Most discount stores will accept food stamps as a form of payment and will often give you discounts on your purchases as well. It’s always a good idea to check with the company before buying your groceries in order to make sure that they accept food stamps as payment for their products, but this is something that is worth checking into if you are in need of money right now.
Conclusion
If you qualify for food stamps, there’s no reason not to apply for benefits. They are a legitimate form of aid, and they are meant to help people who are struggling financially. However, if you have a small amount of money saved, it can be tempting to lie about it so that you don’t have to give some of it away. If you are tempted to lie to receive more food stamps, be careful. While it may be tempting to lie, food stamps are there to help people who need them. If you don’t qualify, there are other ways you can help make ends meet. If you have a small amount of money saved, but you qualify for food stamps anyway, don’t be afraid to apply. You never know when something might come up that prevents you from being able to make ends meet. In that case, food stamps can be a great resource.
