Food is Not a Necessity

Well a certain amount of food is a necessity, but one of the biggest mistakes one can make is to put the entire food budget in the necessity column. An adult can survive just fine on rice, some frozen vegetables, corn and beans. This is what is necessary. Anything other than that is not necessary. I am not saying don't buy it. But I am saying put it into a category of items that is measured according to the funds available.

For children you will want to be more careful about protein. Unless you really know what you are doing you may want add eggs and/or chicken. But remember I am not saying having a whole chicken every night. Price of chicken meat varies considerably from piece to piece. If you have someone in the household who has time, buying the cheapest pieces and then cutting the chicken meat off to be added in relatively small amounts to rice can save a large amount of money.

If you use food for social purposes or as a pick me up, then recognize it for what it is. Enjoying a Mocha Latte from an Italian coffee bar, or eating out at a restaurant should always come from the entertainment budget not the food budget.

And, remember more people die from using food as drug than from any other drug use. When you try stabilize your mood by stuffing yourself full of a fat you would actually do better to smoke a joint or even snorting cocaine. Comfort food isn't just a waste of money, it will kill you.