✨ If surviving the system makes you feel broken, this post is your reminder: You’re not the failure. You’re the blueprint.
Most people don’t understand what it actually takes to survive poverty. They think it’s laziness. Entitlement. Bad choices.
But the truth? It’s spreadsheet sorcery, hustle alchemy, and nervous system gymnastics.
This post will dismantle the shame around government assistance. It will show you how using benefits is not just okay. It’s an act of resilience, rebellion, and strategy.
🎁 Printable: “Mirror Mantras for Broke Baddies” (coming soon). These are affirmations to slap on your bathroom mirror. You can also put them on your wallet or EBT card holder.
💔 You’re Not Lazy. You’re Soul-Tired from Carrying What Was Never Yours
You’ve been guilt’ed for every bite you’ve eaten, every dollar you’ve spent, every form you’ve filled out.
You’ve stood in line while people judged your cart.
You’ve whispered your EBT pin because you’ve been trained to apologize for staying alive.
This isn’t laziness. This is trauma with a to-do list.
And this blog post won’t fix the system, but it will remind you who the hell you are inside it.
🧠 It’s Not Just You: Here’s What’s Really Going On.
Shame is weaponized to keep people small.
Internalized guilt about food stamps, cash aid, Medicaid, and other benefits is a tool. The system uses it to convince people they’re the problem. It detracts from the real issues like poverty, inflation, or the broken economy.
🔍 Facts:
- Over 40 million Americans rely on SNAP, and most are working families.
- The average monthly benefit is less than $6 a day per person.
- Studies show that stigma deters eligible people from applying—especially single moms and BIPOC communities.
🔥 The cost?
People go without food, medicine, and stability because they’ve been taught to feel ashamed of surviving.
🎯 This Post Will Change Everything—If You Let It.
- A new lens for viewing your survival as sacred and strategic.
- A savage rephrase that silences your inner critic.
- Journal prompts and mirror mantras to rebuild your self-worth.
- A free printable to remind you: Benefits are not betrayal—they’re your birthright.
🔥 Let’s Rethink That Thought That’s Been Haunting You.
What if the system was never built for you to win?
What if accessing benefits wasn’t a crutch, but a counter-spell against generational harm?
Emotionally: You’re not taking handouts. You’re reclaiming what’s owed after centuries of extraction.
Mentally: You are resourceful, brilliant, and adaptive. The fact that you’ve figured out how to navigate these systems is proof.
Physically: Using benefits is how your body survives to see another day. That’s not failure. That’s fortitude.
Financially: Benefits are the foundation for financial healing—not the ceiling. They free up cashflow so you can invest in long-term moves.
🔍 Lies You’ve Been Sold, and the Receipts That Cancel Them.
🧨 MYTH: “If you just worked harder, you wouldn’t need help.”
TRUTH: Most benefit recipients do work, but the cost of living has outpaced wages by decades.
🧨 MYTH: “Getting SNAP means you’re milking the system.”
TRUTH: SNAP has strict income limits. Most people are underpaid, overworked, and still can’t cover basic needs.
📎 Example:
Crystal is a single mom of two who uses SNAP, EBT Cash, WIC, and Medicaid. She also works part-time, resells clothes online, and runs a side hustle. Lazy? Try “logistics queen.”
🧠 Gentle Work That Sparks Big Shifts.”
- Mirror Script:
“Today I used my card to feed my kids. That’s power—not pity.” - 10-Minute Challenge:
List 5 ways you’ve strategically used a benefit. (Ex: Paid a utility bill so you could keep the heat on and still buy diapers.) - Script It:
Write the clapback your future self gives when someone says, “Must be nice to get free food.”
✅ Checklist: “Did You Forget You’re a Genius for This?”
Did you forget to…
- Use your EBT to get half-off at a museum this weekend?
- Stack SNAP with WIC to cover both formula and fresh produce?
- Apply for free internet through ACP?
- Print your monthly receipts to track your progress like a CEO?
- Remind yourself that you’re not dependent—you’re dominant in disguise?
🛠️ 5 Tips for Reclaiming Your Power
- Chaotic Good Tip:
Flash your EBT at the grocery store like it’s a platinum card. Dare someone to say something.
2. Bare Minimum Tip:
Write “Using benefits is a flex, not a flaw” on a sticky note. Read it daily until your shame shuts up.
3. Burn the Rule-book Tip:
Start a savings or side hustle plan because of your benefits, not in spite of them. You don’t need to stay stuck. You need a runway.
4. Tactical Tip:
Join Facebook groups or local nonprofits that specialize in benefit stacking. (Ex: food banks that double SNAP.)
5. Ancestral Tip:
Speak this aloud: “My survival is sacred. My ancestors didn’t fight to the death for me to starve from pride.”
🪄 The “I’m Not Ashamed Anymore” Candle Ritual
Ingredients:
- Black candle (releases shame)
- Gold coin or food stamp receipt
- Bowl of water (for cleansing)
- Your EBT card (optional)
Incantation:
“I light this flame to burn the lie,
That worth is wealth, or need is why.
I call my power back to me,
My hunger ends in dignity.”
Timing Tip:
Do this under a Full Moon or during Mercury Retrograde (perfect for breaking old thought patterns).
Intention:
Release inherited shame and step into empowered receiving.
💬 Mirror Mantras for Broke People
Stick these on your fridge, card holder, mirror, or phone wallpaper.
- “Survival isn’t shameful. Starving in silence is.”
- “I use the system, but I am not the system.”
- “Feeding my family is revolutionary.”
- “You can’t shame someone who’s proud of surviving.”
- “My worth is not measured by income or independence.”
📎 [Grab the full “Mirror Mantras for Broke Baddies” printable here] (coming soon)
📓 Journal Prompts for Shame Recovery
- “When did I first learn to feel ashamed about needing help?”
- “What would I say to my child if they needed support?”
- “Where am I still apologizing for being human?”
- “How has surviving made me smarter, stronger, and more strategic?”
- “Who benefits from me staying quiet about this?”
💬 Get Up. You’ve Survived Worse. Here’s Your Reminder.
You’re not behind. You’re not a burden. You’re not weak.
You’re surviving an economic hell-scape most people couldn’t last a week in. That makes you a tactician. A provider. A badass.
And if no one has told you lately, I’m proud of you.
Keep using every tool. Keep saying yes to support.
Because the real flex? Is thriving on your own terms.
Mirror, Mirror… Let’s Break Some Spells Today”
✨ Printable + mobile version
✨ Daily reminder of your worth
✨ Designed to slap over shame and start the day in power
📥 [Download the Freebie Now]
🔮 Your Move, Bestie. Choose Something That Feels Brave.
🗣 Comment your favorite mirror mantra.
🔁 Share this post with someone who needs to stop apologizing for surviving.
🧷 Bookmark this post for every time your inner critic starts whispering “you’re not doing enough.”
Let me know if you’d like this as a PDF, carousel, or printable worksheet pack too!