Thread by @elbh

I’ve been thinking a lot about the food scolds and their banning of the dollar store.

If you hate the dollar store, you’ve never struggled. Let me explain.

In 2007, my husband and I were laid off on the same day. The next few months were a brutal struggle.

We are better...

...people for it. What we learned will be with is always.

One of the FIRST things you learn when you have no income is that one of the few things that provides pleasure in your life is food.

When everything is a struggle, you look forward to Kraft Mac and Cheese...

Entertainment, clothing, home goods, utilities, all of those things become luxuries and every day is emotionally exhausting. You use enormous amounts of energy just for survival.

But one of the last things you can rationalize is food. You must have it to survive. And at the end of a long day of surviving, the last thing you want to eat is a head of broccoli and piece of medium brown bread.

You want Kraft Mac and Cheese, or frozen fried chicken with instant potatoes. You want something that will give you hope that there is still a little spark of joy.

Is this your best choice? Of course not. But is it an understandable and reasonable choice? Absolutely. Do many people want to offer a safety net in their terms, without understanding the psychological effects of scraping by.

And if you’ve never known anything else it’s even more difficult to escape because you don’t have the tools you need. I struggle to put it into words, but let me say it this way.

For nearly a year, as we struggled to put our lives back together, shopping for cheap delicious food was our families entertainment and solace.

How dare you scolds and busybodies take that away from those who struggle. That’s not compassion, that’s snobbery.

Addendum: I would not trade that experience for anything. If this is your situation Hang in there. My heart is with you. This Christmas, my now adult kids made me this. Make every single minute count. 💕