When it Came to Bad Habits, Food Was My Money

Food Was My Money

Food Was My MoneyI am lucky.  In fact, when it comes to finances, the only reason I’m not a moron is that I was born to good parents.  They taught me both didactically and by being good financial models.  Thus, managing my finances never seemed a stretch.  It almost felt as if it was innate.  Yet, I feel quite a bit of empathy for those who struggle with day-to-day spending and saving.  Although self-evident to me, it is a not a stretch to see how people tussle with basic financial literacy and self-control.  I get it.  Like them, I struggled with my own personal demons.   When it came to bad habits, food was my money.

No.  Not literally.

Food was my Achille’s heel that I used to artificially create short-lived happiness.

I see many similarities with money and personal finance.

Overconsumption

I eat too much.  Or at least, I did in the past.  Food long ago lost the purpose of sustenance and became a ritual associated with joy, pain, and even boredom.  When the empty spaces of life presented themselves, food filled in.  So it was not uncommon to not only eat beyond my needs, but to consume to the point of feeling sick.

I lived my whole childhood this way.  Bouncing from meal to meal, and thinking about little else in-between.  It was certainly not healthy.

It was an addiction.  Food was my money.

I see this same addiction in the personal finance realm when it comes to spending.  Like my eating habits, people use things to try to fill in the empty spaces.  When they feel sad, they shop.  When they feel happy, they shop.  Worried…you get the idea.

Money becomes the stop-gap of unhappiness.

Poor Choices

It was not only the quantity of food that I often ate, it was the quality.  Food was my money, and I was not spending it wisely.  I was not gorging on fruits and vegetables.  I was wolfing down fast food and pastries.  I was looking for that quick sugar and fat hit to quench a psychological sink hole.

 

Food Was My Money

And I felt better.  For a time.  Until my stomach began to hurt, and my temporary happiness gave way to feelings of despair.  My problems were no better, but I had just consumed wholly unhealthy food.

Was my addiction any better than the poor soul with hundreds of pairs of shoes in the closet but unable to make the next mortgage payment?  The guy who buys the top of the line new iPhone but then can’t scrounge up enough to pay the monthly service?

Poor money choices are a hallmark of poverty and dying poor.  Spending too much when spending just enough would do.

Eating that extra chocolate donut because it exists, and you are bored.

Instant Gratification

Food was my money and I wanted the high immediately.  There was no delayed gratification or long-term planning.  There was the instant between the eye-popping at the sight of the pizza, and the moment the pepperoni and cheese were sliding down my throat.

I inhaled food.  I wanted the dopamine hit immediately, and before I knew it, it was gone.  And I was searching for my next snack, my next meal, my next high.

No different than the wallet full of credit cards ready to herald in the all to joyful swipe and carry of a brand new purchase.  Seeing the newest and greatest, and buying it right there on the spot.

Final Thoughts

Food Was My MoneyFood was my money.  I grew up consuming it savagely with no regard to long-term gratification nor overall health.  It was a crutch to fill the cracks and crumbles in my psyche instead of a life-sustaining gesture.

I see many mindlessly shop in much the same way.  They use money as a short-term bolster to bring short-lived joy.

It took many years and still is a struggle for me to maintain a healthy relationship with eating.

Can I blame others for exhibiting such addictive behavior when it comes to money?

Doc G

A doctor who discovered the FI community but still struggling with RE.

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21 Responses

  1. Hustle Hawk says:

    “Can I blame others for exhibiting such addictive behavior when it comes to money?” – Maybe…

    I think that these two sections of the post sum things up for me: ‘I struggled with my own personal demons …It took many years and still is a struggle for me to maintain a healthy relationship with eating.’

    I’m not saying that every personal demon can be beaten (sometimes that may not be possible). However, in your case someway or somehow you realised that there was a problem and it appears that you took action to try and address that problem.

    I don’t think that it’s fair to blame someone for suffering from personal demons which result in them having an ‘unhealthy’ relationship with money (howsoever defined). But I do think that it’s a shame if one realised one had an unhealthy relationship with money but then didn’t try anything or take any action to address that unhealthy relationship and improve one’s life.

    HH

  2. Bernz JP says:

    I did not realize until I started raising my kids that what my parents served me when I was growing up was the same food I always long for. My mom always served us home cooked meals. They were mostly healthy most of the time and when I say healthy I mean less red meat. We tried to do the same with our kids and hopeful that it will work the same for them. Not saying that I do not indulge myself with burgers, Pizza, and fries but the desire was usually short-lived. Thanks to my parents in heaven.

  3. I think we ALL have some kind of similar trigger, and I think it’s important to acknowledge what that it in order to be able to empathize with others who have different triggers. There are systemic problems in place, and I have no good answers for that, but the blame game does no one any good.

  4. We all have demons. Some easier to slay then others. The important part is recognizing them and attempting to mitigate.

    • Doc G says:

      Recognition is the first step. Removing and dealing with triggers the second. Maybe this is what the FI community can teach others when it comes to spending.

  5. I would not have guessed this was your struggle. Your most important word here is “was”. You are really a role model in the various things you have overcome. I also have struggled with food my entire life. For me, a low-carb diet has helped remove cravings, but I still love a splurge ice cream or chocolate. Only something very, very worthy though. Even expensive!

    • Doc G says:

      I have been able to mostly control my eating and keep my weight down. As I get older, I no longer tolerate the foods I once loved. McDonald’s, my childhood favorite, is now out of the question.

  6. Gasem says:

    Was it the food or the biochemisty? Alcoholism has been now described by an animal model that show inactivation of a protein pump that pumps GABA back into the cell in the Amygdala. I suspect something like this exists across addiction. The pump error exists in 15% of the animals which mimics the 17% figure in humans.

  7. Ms. Fiology says:

    Addiction can come in many forms and it totally comes down to filling a void. For me, addiction came in the form of drugs/alcohol but it doesn’t really matter what we use to stuff. What needs our attention is the fact that we feel the need to stuff the empty spaces.

    I found the key to a lasting change in sobriety was getting to the root of why I felt a void and then, of course, learning to be filled on healthy things. Additional things that helped me were: learning my worth, breaking down the lies, living intentional, asking for help, etc.

    Good stuff.

    I imagine a food addiction actually might be harder to deal with in that you cannot totally abstain from food. For that, well done.

  8. Food is one of the most enjoyable things in life so it’s easy to see how it becomes addictive. I’ve kinda been there too. I just started logically & scientifically looking at calorie systems and said “well, if I burn more I can eat more”. That’s partly why I exercise so much. I do enjoy food.

    • Doc G says:

      Sometimes looking at things scientifically can provide more straightforward and less emotional answers. This is part of my solution to the food issue.

  9. Eating healthier for me is a struggle. When I watched What the Health documentary, I was eating a hot & spicy from McDonald’s. Lately I have been including more salads in my diet, but I find that it cost more to eat healthier. In the long run, I will probably save more money by doing so, though!

  10. FiClub Frank says:

    I wrote something very similar about how taking frugality to extremes can mirror eating disorders: https://www.ficlub.org/single-post/Dont-take-frugal-too-far—be-OK-with-investing-in-yourself-your-health-your-life

    It’s great to see other bloggers in the #FIRE #PF space touch on this perspective. Just last month, my wife and I completed the Whole 30 diet together and noted both that our dining out habit was reset and even that general eating habits and cravings had changed as a result of the month on the diet. It was a real lesson in how intention and a program can reshape who we think we are and what we do.

    Cheers & thanks for posting!

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