WIC in ny...is it worth it?

westchestermom

Wed, Oct 16 2019, 4:08 pm

I'm running out of paid maternity leave and I will qualify for WIC soon until I'm cleared to work again. Is it worth it to do all the paperwork for what they give? My other kids are over 4 so I would only get the fully breastfeeding package for me.

amother

Babyblue

Wed, Oct 16 2019, 4:27 pm

Yes you will be getting an abundance of milk, bread, cheese, cereals, juice & lots of other valuable groceries for yourself (breastfeeding mom upto 1 year) as well as for baby when s/he is big enough to start solids/ or needs formula supplement

amother

Slategray

Wed, Oct 16 2019, 4:28 pm

Find a store that handles WIC regularly. The headache is less the certification and more the shopping. A store that has streamlined the process is a pleasure.

amother

Coffee

Wed, Oct 16 2019, 4:32 pm

I only found it worth it because I got formula. Even in a well run store I found the food not worth the savings for one person.

amother

Amber

Wed, Oct 16 2019, 4:36 pm

You get a ton of milk, a few cans of frozen juice, a large yogurt or two, a package of cheese, 2 dozen eggs, $11 worth of fruits and veggies, some bread and peanut butter and a few other things I can't remember. It's worth it when you're really struggling, otherwise it's a pain. We had a few months that this literally pulled us through the last couple days of the month but often I feel like just dropping it, the office near us is so dysfunctional, the wait time is so long, you have to bring your kids and do bloodwork randomly, it's just a pain.

tweety1

Wed, Oct 16 2019, 5:15 pm

amother [ Amber ] wrote:

I gave it up for these exact reasons. It was a too of a big hassle.

amother

Slateblue

Wed, Oct 16 2019, 5:18 pm

I thought it was a pain for a while and now am grateful for the specialized formula we have been receiving for our two year old due to medical reasons. That alone would have costed us around $360

bsy

Wed, Oct 16 2019, 6:16 pm

Ahuva's Mommy wrote:

Where in Brooklyn is the most efficient store to go to?

Mountain fruit is pretty easy

amother

Ruby

Wed, Oct 16 2019, 6:22 pm

Ive heard there are stores in BP that will just take the check and say to take whatever you want for the price of the check. Dont know specifics

amother

Slategray

Wed, Oct 16 2019, 6:31 pm

amother [ Ruby ] wrote:

Ive heard there are stores in BP that will just take the check and say to take whatever you want for the price of the check. Dont know specifics

Please don’t do that. It is illegal and a misuse of the program.

There used to be a store in Crown Heights that would add up your checks and have you get all of the items in one shot. They would fill out the paperwork later, but you’d get exactly the items in the check. Very quick and easy. I don’t know if they still exist.

Local stores where I used to live were a huge hassle - every check had to be a separate transaction and they wouldn’t let you buy $6 of apples if the check was for $5 of fruit, even with you paying the difference.

amother

Babyblue

Wed, Oct 16 2019, 6:34 pm

Nowadays they have a new system with their eWic cards, they swipe which replaces their paper checks

TriAspora

Wed, Oct 16 2019, 6:38 pm

amother [ Ruby ] wrote:

Ive heard there are stores in BP that will just take the check and say to take whatever you want for the price of the check. Dont know specifics

I hope you misheard!

amother

Aubergine

Wed, Oct 16 2019, 7:04 pm

Yes it is!! I was only eligible for my oldest- was in college, working as an assistant as did not want to have the work load of a teacher while in college+pregnancy/baby. It was a HUGE help! Basically it depends on your finances. If you need it then the hassle slides away and you will appreciate it. If you don't need it, it's a headache

amother

Amber

Wed, Oct 16 2019, 7:13 pm

There are no checks anymore so it's much easier to shop now. You just swipe your card. There's an app where you can see what you have left for that month

amother

Copper

Wed, Oct 16 2019, 7:17 pm

amother [ Ruby ] wrote:

Ive heard there are stores in BP that will just take the check and say to take whatever you want for the price of the check. Dont know specifics

Used to. Not anymore. A few stores were caught. This goes back a few years already. And it wasn't for the price of the check. Say the check was $150 they let you take abt $125. They took a percentage.

lora

Wed, Oct 16 2019, 7:19 pm

ewic does make it allot easier, especially since you dont need to bring ID each time and anyone you would share your pin with can pick the items up for you. its a hassle signing up but it does add up to allot.

amother

Mauve

Wed, Oct 16 2019, 7:55 pm

IMO it's only worth it if you use formula. I didn't and gave it up because it was such a hassle and I didn't use most of the foods they give.

For example, we only like red milk but for adults and kids over 2 they only give blue milk.
We don't like juice concentrate.
We barely use cheese and definitely not American cheese.
The whole wheat bread they give is not the most nutritious one; we prefer the Franczoz Jerusalem and they only let us take Stern's or others that weren't 100% whole wheat and/or had other unhealthy ingredients like sugar, etc.

If you want to eat healthy, WIC won't help you. Ironic, I know.

DrMom

Wed, Oct 16 2019, 8:01 pm

amother [ Amber ] wrote:

It's worth it when you're really struggling, otherwise it's a pain.

Isn't WIC *supposed* to be for those who are really struggling?