$1 per meal? For a month?

Shocking as it sounds, one in eight Texans now rely on food stamps to make ends meet. This number is rising by the month, despite continuing problems with Texas' new eligibility system. 

But what are those one in eight Texans getting for their trouble? Last month, the Bush family in Tyler found out by taking the "Food Stamps Challenge," restricting their food purchases to the average benefit of one dollar per meal. 

"There was a definite psychological shift," said Erin Bush of the challenge. "You can see that when you're poor it consumes so much of your life. It's hard to focus on anything else. Imagine what someone feels who can see no end in sight."

Currently, Texan native Caleb is blogging his own month-long food stamps challenge. Now on Day 6, he writes: "Today I really started noticing a sort of scattered / forgetful feeling."

You can follow Caleb's progress online - better yet, try your own food stamps challenge!