Here's something that does not get mentioned on this thread. The availablity of food differs by area (urban/rural/suburban).
Within a 5 mile radius of me is one of the "ghettos' of the area (a city that wants to revive the "glory days" but has a long way to go) and one of the richest towns in the area. Keep in mind, many people on foodstamps live in inner city areas (I wouldnt call this one place an inner city, the state calls it a city, but I'm guessing population of 20K). Many people in the cities do not have a car to go to another place to go grocery shopping, and do not have access to the groceries that suburbanites have. The food available in this city (aside from the up and coming restaurants that have sprouted up) are convenience stores, Popeye's, and McDonald's. There's an Aldi's in the neighborhood, but my one experience in there saw rotting produce and a bunch of processed foods.
Contrast it to a town 5 miles south. While it's a very small town (1-2 square miles), there's a health food store in the town, as well as the restaurants. However most people here have cars, and can access the grocery stores (the ones that don't are senior citizens).
Let's take the $280. In a convenience store, you wont be able to stretch it. You can get milk and eggs there, but not much else in terms of healthier foods. Maybe a banana or two. Meats at most convenience stores are hot dogs and the like. Maybe (prepared) bacon at breakfast in the form of a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich.
At a traditional supermarket, you have much healthier options and the prices are more reasonable. I'm single, and don't sepnd that in a month on food, so I'd love abudget like that.
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