Saving Money on Food

This video about WIC comes from California, but it explains how WIC Programs work in all states:
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The WIC program is for infants, children under the age of 5, and pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding women. As with SNAP, food money is transferred to a purchase card. Unlike SNAP, though, the e-WIC card can buy only certain brands of especially healthy foods: milk or yogurt, infant formula, baby food, eggs, cereal, fruits and vegetables, and beans or peanut butter.

See the list of approved WIC Foods here:
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For one child, WIC provides about $55 a month worth of food. For an infant taking formula, Iowa WIC currently provides 24-30 ounces of Enfamil formula a day—this can be worth more than $150 a month!

It’s easier to get WIC than it is to qualify for SNAP. The family income can be higher. The annual income of a family of four could be as high as $51,338. To see the WIC income eligibility table, go to this webpage of the Iowa Food Bank:
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Anybody who has a Medicaid card or a SNAP EBT card is eligible for WIC. They can use these cards as proof of income.

Non-citizens are welcome to apply! A person’s immigration status does not matter. WIC does not collect information about immigration or citizenship.

Apply for WIC in Polk County online.
(The online WIC application forms can be translated to any language.)

By filling out the application form online, people can choose an appointment at any one of the five WIC clinics in Polk County. Parents need to submit proof of income, address, and identity. Click here for the list of documents that can be used.

The person who is being enrolled needs to be present at the enrollment or “certification” appointment. The clinic staff needs to check the mother’s or the child’s height, weight, and blood iron level, or else get this information from the family’s doctor.

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

More than 113,000 mothers and children in Iowa are eligible for the WIC Program. Unfortunately, only about 52% participate. Why is that? For some parents, it’s hard to get time off work for WIC appointments. Some lack transportation to their nearest WIC clinic. Many do not know they are eligible.

Many parents stop participation in WIC once they no longer need formula. In a recent study, these parents said they felt they should stop WIC participation as soon as possible, to “provide food for others who are really in need.”

When an eligible family decides not to enroll in WIC, or stops participating while they are still income eligible, NOBODY benefits. The government gives WIC clinics funding to serve the estimated number of eligible families. When fewer parents apply to the program, the government just reduces the program’s funding. Eligible families then have less money for food, grocery stores lose sales, farmers lose buyers, and WIC clinics may close.

Many parents believe they can buy enough food without WIC help. But why turn down the chance to save up to $600 a year on food for a child? The money WIC saves a family can go toward all the other things that help children thrive: clothes, childcare, books, and toys. Helping their child to succeed is the most responsible thing parents can do.

• Good customer service
  Parents often fear that a WIC clinic visit will take many hours, or that clinic staff will be rude to them. Most WIC clinics these days take pride in welcoming families. The Polk Dallas WIC program, for example, earned a 4.2 out of 5 rating on Google. Recent 2023 reviews:

  “Everyone was super friendly, and the new waiting room was very nice!”

  “Helpful, very detailed on giving information, I love the amount of time it took for us to get seen, which was 9 mins, maybe a little less. Customer service friendly and approved the same day. I am Happy”

• Easier to use in the store
  In the past, parents sometimes had problems finding WIC-approved brands in the store. This is now easier to do! WIC offers a free “shopper app” for your smart phone. People just have to snap a photo of the bar code on a product to see if they can buy it with their WIC card. To find out more, go to
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• More fruits and vegetables!
  
  As of Oct. 1, 2023, the monthly dollar value of fruits and vegetables that can be bought with the e-WIC card has gone up dramatically: $26 for children, $47 for pregnant and postpartum women, and $52 for fully and partially breastfeeding women. This increase is temporary, until Oct. 1, 2024. So now is a good time to enroll!

The School Lunch program saves time and money for eligible families by providing free and low-cost lunches for their children in school. U.S. schools started providing meals for students in 1946, when it was discovered that hunger was preventing children from succeeding in school. Families with children can save $11 to $39 per month per child, or $132 to $468 per year, on groceries for their children who participate in the School Lunch Program.

These videos explain more about the National School Lunch Program:
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For the 2023-24 school year, all children in Des Moines public schools, regardless of income, will have school lunches free of charge. No application necessary.

For children in other schools in Polk County, both public and private, their parents need to apply for the free and reduced lunch program. A child from a family of four whose parents earn up to $39,000 qualifies for free lunches every school day. A child from a family of four whose parents earn up to $55,500 qualifies for a reduced-price lunch. Check here to see the income eligibility table for free and reduced lunches. This website can be translated to any language by clicking on “Translate” at the top right.

Non-citizens are welcome to apply for this program.

Parents can visit the website of their children’s school to download an application or to apply online. They can also visit the school in person to ask for an application. Schools put lunch menus on their websites, so that parents can see what is being served to their children.

When the school year ends and the school lunches stop, families can still get free lunches for their children through the Summer Food Service Program. This program is for any child aged 18 years or younger. There is no need to fill out applications or present an I.D. Even children too young to attend school are welcome to come. School districts sponsor summer lunches in the schools or else in community parks or apartment courtyards. In the summer of 2023, the Des Moines Public Schools set up lunch service in 29 different sites.

Parents can find summer food programs in their communities by contacting their school district, searching their school district’s website, or calling 211. Or they can go to the USDA Summer Meals For Kids Site Finder to find directions to nearby meal sites, their hours of operation, and contact information. Summer meal programs usually operate every weekday from early June to mid-August.

The United Way 211 website is another way to find food pantries near you. Just type “food pantry” in the search box.

Find out about your local food pantry before your food is completely gone. Some pantries are open five days a week from 9 am to 5 pm. Others open only a few days for limited hours. Always call ahead, to make sure the hours haven’t changed.

Families can eat free hot meals at a few churches and community centers in the Des Moines area. For example, at CFUM (Children and Families Urban Movement), families can join the “Supper Club.” Supper is served from 4 pm to 5 pm Monday through Friday. Volunteers from many local churches supply and prepare the food. Meal programs like this can be a help to parents who don’t always have the time and money to prepare meals every day. (To find out more about the Supper Club, click here.  (Click on the “Translate website” button for Spanish.)

To look for meal programs in your neighborhood, go to these 211.org pages:
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Of course, you can simply call 211. Local operators are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

A community fridge is a refrigerator in a public place that is kept stocked with free food. It’s a way to bring food to the places where people already are. In Polk County, these refrigerators can be found at public libraries, such the Altoona Library and the Franklin Avenue Library, and in apartment complexes, such as the Deer Ridge or Hill Top Apartments. To find out more about community fridges, visit the website of Eat Greater Des Moines.

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Focus on managing your food dollar by taking a free nutrition course! In Polk County, parents can sign up for the “Buy. Eat. Live Healthy” course at Iowa State University-Extension. In this program, parents gather in groups to learn about budget food shopping, reading food labels, and planning meals. Often, they prepare meals during class!

In Buy. Eat. Live Healthy classes, parents practice the most effective ways to save money on healthy food, including

• Menu planning
• Choosing healthy, quick recipes
• Writing shopping lists
• Using unit pricing
• Cooking vegetable-centered meals
• Avoiding food waste

Parents also have fun in these classes, sharing shopping, cooking tips, and tasting new recipes. People who complete this program save an average of $50 a month on their grocery bill.

To sign up for Buy. Eat. Live Healthy, contact Mae McCarty at mccartym@iastate.edu or (515) 957-5773. (This program is income based. Classes are given in English and Spanish.)

For more information, go to the ISU Extension Polk County website:
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Another way to learn about making low-cost healthy meals is to use “Spend Smart. Eat Smart” (SSES) interactive website from ISU Extension. Here any parent can find instructions on planning, shopping, and cooking, with videos that explain basic food skills. For example, here is a video (in English) on making a slow cooker meal. 

The SSES website has 70 easy recipes that university dietitians have tested. Each recipe comes with Nutrition Facts and menu suggestions. These recipes can be downloaded in Spanish too.

Visit Spend Smart. Eat Smart at:

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Recipe from CalFresh

The ISU Extension Spend Smart Eat Smart web site has affordable recipes that follow the U.S. Dietary Guidelines. More low-cost healthy recipes can be found at MyPlate.gov and government websites in other states. These recipes have Nutrition Facts, low-cost ingredients, and easy directions. Some have videos showing how the dish is made.

Recipes from MyPlate.Gov
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Recipes from CalFresh Healthy Living
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Recipes from Food Heroes (Oregon)
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Before going to the grocery store, take an inventory of the foods you already have at home. Then write a list of the other foods needed to make your recipes for the week. A shopping list will:

• Make the shopping trip quicker.
• Prevent impulse purchases.
• Save money!

Use a pre-printed shopping list that arranges your food items in groups, according to where they are in the store. The “Spend Smart. Eat Smart” website has a downloadable shopping list:
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Many people put their shopping list on their phones. This article from Good Housekeeping reviews the different shopping list apps available. Some are free.
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Check the prices of the foods you want to buy before going to the store. Visit the websites of stores to see what is on sale.

Or look through the food ads in newspapers.

Download apps that can help you find the best prices for the foods you want.

For example, the Spend Smart. Eat Smart app:
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Or the “Shop Simple” app from MyPlate.gov:
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