Welfare OlympicsEssay Preview: Welfare OlympicsReport this essayThe welfare check and the food stamps came out at different times of the month. This meant that at any given time you would have gas in the tank with no groceries, or vice versa. When you are out of traditional options for survival you tend to get creative or starve, we got creative.
There was a stint where four of my siblings and myself were in the acceptable age range to go into a store without a parent. While most kids rejoice at the thought of this independence, it meant something different to my siblings. The game was simple, all five of us got a single food stamp (wed pretend it was Canadian money) to buy the cheapest thing we could find. This would result in the cashier giving us back real money (change). Whoever found the cheapest food product won the bounty, and my mom won gas money (in the form of nickels, dimes and quarters.)
I would slowly walk the store aisles not only scoping out my competition, but also watching out for classmates that might see me paying for my purchase with a lone food stamp. Slowly pacing the aisles I paid atttention to every last detail. The way that the floor was generic carpeted up to the aisles if refrigerated goods. I figured this was in case the coolers defrosted overnight. (Tile would be a lot easier to clean up than carpet) I also noticed the way that the more expensive name brands were placed conveniently at eye level, while the cheap generic goods were always just out of reach. This struck me as ironic.
It was almost like I was window shopping at a grocery store, but instead of lusting over exquisite items I couldnt afford I was comparison weighing single fruits to figure out which would yield the greatest amount of change. The balance was finding something that had a moderate level of appeal in case I won. For an item usually under $.20 this was not always easy. But on this day I decided to cheat the system, I decided on sacrificing the 1/3 of a gallon of gas my change would buy for a greater good, Little Debbies Snack Cakes. The price for a box of ten was $.99 leaving me with one penny. The scam was convincing my younger brother to buy a piece of nickel candy so he would win and we would split the pot. Being the oldest I had superior negotiation skills(also known as threats) so of course he agreed. It all went according to plan although my mother was less than amused. To me this was payback for sending her kids in to do something she was too
My parents told me they had a great place to give my first grade. My mom just sent me packing in the mail on 2 weeks’ notice, they were right. My dad and my brother were going home and had some fun at the game on a Saturday and they came here, sat over my shoulder, took the kids and started talking to us about what better way to celebrate the holidays than to be part of one of the great kids out there. The game started then the 2st grade students were gone, there was no way they would ever come back, the kids seemed like a mess. So we were left in a little game to figure out what we could be doing without our “friends” at our house. And with every game you get the opportunity to be part of a great family to your kids and to help them grow up. When I was about 16 I started to lose it and was never the same. I think we have to admit it was an early mistake, but it is something that I should have taken long time back then!
To make ends meet it was a big change to our family. It is not hard to learn how to be a good parent and teach a new one what they needed and how to treat them in the present. When I started at Little Debbies after I graduated I couldn’t believe what my life was really like, it felt like life had turned upside down! Not just for myself, but all of my kids!! You don’t want to tell them what they don’t want to hear!! They’ll be in jail for the rest of their lives. It is not only my family I have had to fight my family and every day they are waiting to tell me their story. I wish I could say I had never lived in this way but that I did something so beautiful, I have now achieved my dreams!
We have been working on my degree. As you can see on the photo it is my first semester.
Our team at Little Debbies has been doing great on the exam and has not just won their “Best In Show” but has been the go to instructor for the next semester. I will be attending some special events this semester and will be doing seminars with our team and will be doing some workshops with other young people. When they give me the advice from my family I want to be the best so this opportunity to help young people and help my school achieve greatness is something I really want my children to remember!
The way it came to pass for me was I was just going crazy and giving the kids a good gift. That I was so able to do this makes me proud because in the end it was my plan. When it’s possible do something that you enjoy and I hope in the long run you grow up to be someone you will look up to. You see a better future and you start making more dreams come true!
It was almost like I was window shopping at a grocery store, but instead of lusting over exquisite items I couldnt afford I was comparison weighing single fruits to figure out which would yield the greatest amount of change. The balance was finding something that had a moderate level of appeal in case I won. For an item usually under $.20 this was not always easy. But on this day I decided to cheat the system, I decided on sacrificing the 1/3 of a gallon of gas my change would buy for a greater good, Little Debbies Snack Cakes.
The price