Food Was My Money

I 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.

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 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?