The high cost of bingeing
June 3, 2008 by angelique
Filed under Women's Health
There’s no bulimic in the world who will tell you that bingeing and purging is a safe activity. Everyone seems to be well aware of the physical risks associated with such behavior.
But what about the fiscal problems that being bulimic bring?
From a purely economical standpoint, it can be extremely expensive to keep eating copious amounts of food only to eliminate them before they can even partially nourish the body. I have no idea how much a typical binge must run with food prices soaring (milk is $3.28/gallon on a good day); I’m guessing it’s pretty bad.
I’m requesting that any bulimics (current or former) reading this post share with Breaking the Mirror visitors their experiences with the financial side of disordered eating.
For instance, did you find that you spent yourself into debt as a result of your binges? Or were you able to obtain “free” foods on which to binge (such as those obtained from a cafeteria setting)?
The amount of money I spend on food (particularly binge food) far exceeds any other bill I have. Technically, I don’t have to pay rent so it’s fair to say I spend more on binge food than a car payment…than GAS (which is really getting up there) and my cell phone bill.
It’s really painful knowing that I’ve wasted so much money on FOOD. Sometimes I give myself a budget (only a certain amount of money for the week). But now that I’m facing some financial troubles I’ve been seriously toying with the idea of dumpster diving…
Sad, but true.
hi, i would reluctantly admit that my eating disorder takes almost all of my money; if it is not the food itself it is the drink as i chase some degree of hydration (purging dehydrates the body, and i purge an average of 5 – 8 times each day).