7 Weird Things You Can Buy With Food Stamps (including lobster)

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In this guide, I will share a list of 7 weird things you can buy with your food stamps card.

If you’re on food stamps, you already know that you can purchase groceries to feed your family, but some of the things you see on this list may surprise you. We’ve compiled a list of some of the weirdest items we could find to help those on food stamps get more creative with how they spend their money.

Continue reading to learn about some crazy things you can buy with EBT food stamps.

1. Fast Food

Fast food is the first item on our list.

You can purchase fast food using your EBT or food stamp card. Many fast-food chains accept food stamps like McDonald’s, Subway, and Taco Bell. That being said you also have to live in a state that allows these restaurants to accept food stamps.

The federal program that regulates whether your state’s Mcdonald’s can accept your EBT Card is called the Restaurants Meals Program. This program isn’t available in all areas or for everyone. This program is just accessible in a certain number of places.

The Restaurant Meals Program was created to assist homeless people, the elderly, and disabled individuals who cannot prepare their own meals at home.

This program is governed by the Food Stamp Act. However, it is not available at a national level. The authority for a restaurant to join or leave the association is granted to each state. In fact, several states choose not to participate. In states that participate, each county has the choice of whether or not to join this initiative.

It quickly becomes extremely complex. The quickest method to find out if your favorite fast food restaurant accepts food stamps is to look for an EBT accepted sign, such as the one shown below. 

2. Seafood (Lobster and Shellfish)

Seafood like lobster and shellfish can also be purchased with your food stamp card.

Just because you can purchase lobster, doesn’t mean you should purchase it with your EBT card. Making a habit of eating lobster and shellfish can be expensive and this will quickly deplete your monthly SNAP benefits!

3. Energy Drinks Can Be Bought With EBT Card

You can also use your food stamp card to buy some energy drinks.

To better understand which energy drinks can be purchased with a food stamp card, let’s break down the two types of energy drinks.

• There are energy drinks that are considered to be food items. These have nutritional information on the label.
• The other type of energy drink is considered a supplement. This type of energy drink has information about supplement information on its label. You can’t purchase supplements and vitamins with your food stamps card consequently, you won’t be able to purchase those brands of energy drinks with cards for food stamps.

Many people often wonder if you can buy a 5-Hour Energy with EBT and the answer is no. This is considered a supplement. 

List Of Energy Drinks You Can And Cannot Purchase With Food Stamps

Below is a list of energy drinks that can and cannot be bought with food stamps according to the I Am Going Vegan website.

Energy Drinks You Can Purchase With Food Stamps	Energy Drinks You Cannot Purchase With Food Stamps
Monster Energy Drinks	5 Hour Energy Shots
Mountain Dew Kick Start	CUT Energy + Weight Loss
Rockstar Energy Drink	Celsius Sparkling
Red Bull Energy Drink	Fit Aid Recovery Blend
Starbucks Double Shot Energy Drink	Jocko Go Energy Drink
X2 Natural Energy Drink	Pureboost Clean Energy Drink
Aspire Healthy Energy	Zipfizz Healthy Energy Drink Mix
Amino Energy
V8 + Energy

Can I Buy 5 Hour Energy Drinks With Food Stamps?

No, you cannot purchase 5 Hour Energy shots with SNAP benefits according to the USDA.  A 5 Hour Energy drink is considered a supplement drink. You can determine whether an energy drink is a “supplement” or “food item” by looking at the label on the back of the bottle. If you see a label that reads “supplement facts” then it’s a supplement item, not a food item. 

Although 5 Hour Energy drinks are not an eligible purchase under the SNAP benefits program, some food stamp recipients have purchased this energy drink with their benefits.  This may be the case, but we do not want to encourage you to do anything that will jeopardize your food stamp benefits. 

If you do choose to buy 5-Hour Energy with your EBT card, just understand the risks of misusing your food stamp benefits. 

4. Birthday Cakes May Be Bought With Food Stamps

Some birthday cakes can be purchased with a food stamp card.

If you’re looking to purchase your child a special birthday cake from the grocery store, you could potentially do so using your food stamps card. The law states that it is permissible so that at least half the price of the cake lies in the edible portion instead of the decoration. Food stamps may cover if the cake requires a limited amount of decorating.

Now, if you try to purchase a fancy wedding cake, this is a case where the decoration will cost more than the actual edible portion of the cost. If you want to buy a cake, just make sure that the decoration isn’t extravagant, and you may be able to use your food stamp card to buy a cake.

5. Buy Gift Baskets With Food Stamps

Like cake for birthdays, it is possible to purchase gift baskets using food stamps as they are at least 50% of the price is edible. Here are examples of gift baskets that you can buy with food stamps:

• You can purchase Easter baskets filled with sweets, but not Easter baskets filled with toys.
• On Valentine’s Day, it is possible to purchase small bears with a large box of chocolates, however, you cant purchase a large bear with a small box of chocolates.
• During the Christmas season, you can also buy large tin cans of popcorn.

6. Plants And Seeds To Grow Fruits And Vegetables

Plant seeds that are eligible include vegetable seeds and plants that produce foods, such as green pepper and tomato plants.  Other eligible items include food-producing trees, fruit tree roots, bushes, and bulbs like asparagus and fruit bushes. 

Seeds and plants that make cooking spices can also be available through the SNAP benefits. In this way, certain herb plants produce food for consumption and can be purchased through SNAP benefits, whereas others produce food items to be consumed and aren’t qualified for purchase through SNAP benefits.

Every plant that is available at the market has to be considered under this factor to determine eligibility for SNAP. For instance, the majority of mint, spearmint and cilantro, basil, sage, and oregano produce food items to eat and are eligible to purchase through SNAP benefits.  However, certain species of sage are strictly ornamental and not food-producing that can be eaten and are ineligible to purchase using SNAP benefits.

It is important to note that any seed or plant bought with SNAP benefits should be bought to cultivate foods for the SNAP household, not used to sell.

7. Purchase Hunting And Fishing Equipment With Food Stamps

Lastly, fishing and hunting equipment can be purchased with food stamps if you live in a rural area and you hunt and fish for food year-round.

These weird EBT-eligible items mostly apply to individuals living in Alaska. The government has given this permission since they realize there aren’t many grocery shops typical in the rural areas of Alaska.  Some states have also realized that fishing and hunting are ideal options for families to make the most of their budgets. 

There are many states that let you receive a free fishing or hunting permit, depending on the income you earn from food stamps.

List Of Eligible Food Stamp Items And Things You Cannot Purchase

Below is a list that explains which items you can and cannot buy with food stamps. 

Things You Can Buy With Food Stamps	Things You Cannot Buy With Food Stamps
Bread and cereals.	Alcoholic drinks and tobacco products like cigarettes.
Fruits and vegetables.	Hot foods or fast foods if the state you live in is not part of the Restaurant Meals Program.
Dairy products.	Nonfood items.
Meat, fish, and chicken.	Paper products.
Deli meats and steak.	Medicines or vitamins.
Seeds and plants that produce food.	Household goods.
Candy, cookies, ice cream, snack crackers. soda.	Grooming items.
Live seafood like lobster or shellfish.	Cleaning items like soaps.
Energy drinks that have a nutrition label on the can or bottle.	Pet foods for your dog or cat.

 

Conclusion

There are many other ways to use your food stamp card besides regular grocery purchases. Some may consider these to be weird things you can buy with EBT. For instance, birthday cakes and gift baskets for birthdays that contain at least 50% edible items may be purchased using SNAP benefits.

This article also provides useful information about what plants or seeds qualify as eligible purchases through SNAP benefits. If you’re looking to stock up on hunting equipment like bows, arrows, guns, or fishing gear to hunt and fish year-round, this article will help clarify whether these types of items are qualified for purchase by the government’s standards if you live in rural areas of Alaska (or other states).

As you can see, you can make many obscure purchases with your food stamps card. If you have questions about whether SNAP will approve a purchase, contact your local food stamp office for guidance.

Similar Articles That May Interest You:

• 9 Surprising Things You Can Buy With EBT Cash Benefits
• How To Get Paid EBT Cash Benefits Every Month
• 4 Ways To Increase Your Monthly Food Stamps Benefits
• How To Apply For Emergency Food Stamps And Get Approved In 24 Hours
• How To Use The Texas Food Stamp Calculator To Determine If You Qualify For SNAP Benefits

Things You Can Buy With Food Stamps FAQ