My coffee isn't going to last the month. For many, that wouldn't matter, but I'm of Nordic descent, and there is always a pot of coffee brewing. Over the years, the coffee has gotten more and more expensive. I still buy it at the store, but it isn't the cheap stuff one gets in a can. That may change very rapidly. I have a bit of money left for the month's supplies and may get a small can of cheap-o coffee.
SNAP benefits include food AND beverages, so a person's morning coffee counts toward that. You could make the argument that someone on assistance doesn't need a luxury like coffee. I disagree. The English have their tea, and the Scandinavians have their coffee. It is the start of the day and breakfast for some.
Where we have gone awry, is to have turned a simple beverage into a luxury by adding stuff to it. When it comes in a special cup with its own little cardboard wrap...when it contains flavored syrups...if it is topped with whipped cream or frothed milk...if it has a cutesy little name...
If your cup of coffee costs as much as a meal on the SNAP benefits, then it is a luxury. If someone on SNAP can find a can of coffee that costs less than what we spend for a designer coffee drink and they consider that stuff to be a luxury to them...I say let them have it and don't give them grief about it!
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