Financial Independence, The Food Edition

Let’s talk about financial independence. As you know from my first article here, financial freedom and independence are so hard.

SSI limits the money I can earn

With Supplemental Security Income (SSI) limits, I can feel trapped. It's not the fact that I want more money; it's just the fact that budgeting, and with the economy, life is tough and expensive. For me, money stresses me out. I allow myself to feel how I want to feel, but I also want to be proactive about it.

So, my solution has been to be more mindful and intentional about it. I use an app like Cleo or Rocket Money. These really help me to be more purposeful with my money. Money means absolute freedom to me, and I'm so thankful; sometimes, I just feel like I forget that I have a choice as to what I would like to buy.

The impacts on my food choices

Food and financial freedom can be tough for me. Sometimes it's easier to go out to eat if I'm being honest. Also, I love frozen meals, but they only last one day. My mom and I were chatting about this and have decided that it would be easier to get things in bulk at BJ’s or somewhere similar. I don't like recipes because I feel like it's a waste; you use so many ingredients only for one singular meal.

I want to think long-term, not short-term. Food planning plus being financially solid is such a hard balance. Mom and I also asked, which would I rather do? Spend a small amount of money and get meals only for the week or spend a bit more and have things for the month?

For me, it's better to have meals for the month. It's exhausting to think about food sometimes honestly. I’m so thankful that I can have food, but it's just a lot.

SMA limits the kinds of meals I can eat

I also want to mention that finding inspiration for food and meals online for me is tough because SMA had led to my mouth muscles only able to handle soft food. Sometimes I feel trapped by meal planning, but I do try to remember that I can puree foods and that helps. But also sometimes I just wanna cry about it, it's tough!

Being healthy is mostly a must for me in all aspects of the word: mental and physical. (However I definitely let myself indulge in things every once in a while.)

I often feel like the only one that really wants to eat healthily just for themselves, period. No losing weight or gaining weight involved, just maintenance which is often the goal with SMA. (And, for me, it's especially important for my mental health, so I'm not depressed 24/7.)

Doing the best that I can and that's all that I can do. I got this!