$8,603.25, that is how much money I had spent in the year 2023 on food alone! To
some, that may not seem like a lot of money, but to your average joe, that’s a significant
amount. Especially, if that average Joe is a single 26-year-old, active-duty soldier in the U.S.
Army. Just looking at my spending history now makes me feel pain, especially after knowing
that I could have saved all that money on something worthwhile, like a car. But it’s for food,
right? We all need it to survive so what’s the big deal? Well for starters, most of that money I
had spent on food was from ordering out and using food delivery services, while the remainder
was on instant ramen and other miscellaneous frozen foods from the gas station. Now getting to
the meats and potatoes, I didn’t even have to spend a single dime of that amount. Why?
Because I was being charged about $300.00 a month to eat food from the dining facility since I
was staying in the barracks. And now, finally getting into the sweet stuff, despite all of that extra
money being spent, I wasn’t even eating healthy. I was essentially shooting at my foot while
punching my eye at the same time.
I believe the root of my problems stemmed from unhealthy coping methods that I had
employed in response to stressful situations that I would encounter. And, my lack of insight and
effort in uprooting such a powerful source, it led to the branching and growing of an array of
other problems such as laziness, impulsiveness, etc. And those same branches became
hotbeds for the bushes of gluttony, weight gain, and other negative symptoms to grow from.
So, what’s the solution, you ask? Unlike the list of ingredients, in a lot of processed and
packaged foods, it’s simple. Prioritize your health first, then everything else. The reason behind
that line of thinking is that your money will come and go, but as for your health that’s priceless. I
know it’s simple, just like foods that one should be consuming such as fruits, vegetables, lean
meats, unprocessed and whole grain cereal, and beans. A good rule of thumb that I try and go
off of whenever buying or eating food is that, if you can’t read or understand the ingredients that
are mentioned, it’s probably not ideal for you to consume. Cooking will also be your very close
friend if it isn't already. It will never stray you off into the wrong path unless, of course, you have
a hand to play in the matter, which in this case is cooking. You know the ingredients and tools
you are using and the steps to take to cook and prepare the food. Unfortunately, you can’t
blame Ronald McDonald or the Colonel for feeling sick after eating your own, cooked food.
It’s essentially a matter of taking matters into your own hands, both figuratively as well
as literally as I grew up eating my mother's rice and lentils with my hands and felt I appreciated
the food that much more. On the financial side, it’s no different, one can also take control of their
financial situation all while eating healthy and on time.
So to not overcook this dish, I will leave with this one piece of wisdom I hope for all,
including myself, to adopt, and that is, to not fall in love with fleeting moments, no matter how
tempting they may look or delicious they may taste, unless, and only unless you are aware of
the pay that you will have to pay. And trust me you will pay for your decisions, one way or
another, whether in dollars or time spent in the bathroom.