kehfeh's Journal, 19 August 2014

Tell me more about this weird relationship with money and ability to buy whatever you want... or better yet.. send me some (money). 

It's like a power-trip I think. When I was younger, my family had it rough financially, so meals were planned out and there was no going out of those guidelines. I would get into a lot of trouble if I snuck a piece of cheese or something similar. It was coveted. Since I've been working and been able to use my money where I want and when I want, if I even had a hint of craving for a candy bar, I'd buy it. There wasn't a question or objection in my mind. That's been going on for years. I'm 22 now, matured some, and am ready to take control of myself. :) 

Ok, I get that in a way. We always had plenty of food, but it was cheap, starchy carbs like pinto beans, cornbread and fried potatoes. Couldn't afford things like fresh spinach and I think I was 20 something when I had my first very own chicken breast; I knew what a real chicken looked like but there always seemed to be nothing but legs & thighs when they hit the serving platter. I think that's why it was hard to NOT eat the WHOLE meal ... where the portions are three to four times the size of a 'serving' ... when I had my own money to eat in restaurants. It felt like a waste. 

We had a bunch of kids, and when my daddy was on strike (often for a few years on and off), we had cornbread and black eyed peas every night....when things were better, we had spaghetti and gumbo. But like Bella, I was an adult before I had raw spinach or kiwi. We ate bananas and apples as treats, but my mother's idea of fruit was Fig Newtons. I understand about getting in trouble for "sneaking" food......I would sneak apples if we had them and hide them, since I loved them :) As adults, we can eat whatever we want, and when you come from a poor childhood, and you have the means, it's very easy to just go nuts.  

I'm down from 215 -135 and steadily heading to my goal of 125. If y'all need some health and nutrition information, hit me up on Facebook: Coach Nicole Landry. Let's smash some goals together!  

Bella, those of us of a certain age who grew up with depression era parents had meals prepared by someone who knew how to get every bit of value out of every dollar, and a lot of it was "dollar stretcher" foods meant to fill us up. Plus our age group was the "clean plate club" and we were told to never leave a bite of food because of the starving kids in India..... I offered quite often to send the starving kids my lima beans.... And in our house it was only 2 kids. I have no idea how those families in the neighborhood with 4-5 kids did it because their breadwinner worked at the same kind of places my father did. And that was in a time of society where it was unheard of for mom to work outside the home. Now, of course, it has changed to where women have earned the respect from the world to where women are acknowledged as being able to do anything a man can, but in the 50s and 60s that was different. My sister, now 68, was taught like the rest of the girls that her role was to finish high school, find a man, marry, and have kids. Sounds ridiculous now, but 50-60 years ago, that's how it was. Stretching the food dollars was an art then to a level unheard of these days, though now with the economic downturn that is resurfacing. As far as the money aspect of this thread, it is indeed a great feeling to know that if I want something I am never more than a month from being able to get it. Retirement rocks!