Enrolling in WIC

Today I enrolled the family in the USDA's Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program. As a family of three (soon to be four) with a single wage earner, we now fit within the income cap for eligibility.

Before, with three family members, my less-than-two-years-service, second lieutenant base pay plus subsistance allowance (BAS) put us $55 over. Now that SY's pregnant, we fall under the income terms for four people, wich is $600 higher.

I have mixed emotions about being on a public assistance program. On one hand, I feel a little guilty because it's not like we're having trouble financially.

We just bought a house, we're about to get a second car with the tax credit, and we don't have any credit card debt. Plus, I have two significant sources of income that are outside of WIC's considerations: the housing allowance (BAH) and student loan repayments. The student loan thing is a non-cash benefit, but the BAH takes care of all our housing-related expenses.

We're not really the stereotypical "people in need."

On the other hand, I rationalize that since we fall within the guidelines, the program was meant to include folks like us, too. That's a comforting thought.

Besides, I love getting free stuff, especially when it means I can take better care of my family. The full allowance, which starts in November, looks like it will be worth about $70 a month. That's significant for us.

So for the time being -- until I get promoted to first lieutenant -- we're happy to take advantage of the program. There's just one problem:

I don't have any recipes for black beans. Any suggestions?