Something my non-poverty friends find absurd is the idea of CAKYO nights—which literally means “catch and kill your own.” This was our reality when we had no dinner, so we had to go out and find something to eat. Usually, that meant odd food combinations like baked beans with cereal, banana on toast, soy sauce on plain pasta, or just plain pasta by itself.

As kids, it sometimes felt like a game—figuring out what we could throw together with whatever scraps we had. But in reality, it meant that we weren’t taught how to maintain a balanced diet or sustainably plan meals.

Now, as an adult, I struggle with even knowing what a proper meal should look like. It’s not just about cooking—I was never taught how to budget for groceries, plan nutritious meals, or make food last for the week. Instead, I find myself defaulting to ordering food more often than I should. Financially, it’s not great, and I know that, but the alternative—walking into a grocery store and trying to make sense of ingredients—is overwhelming. Without a foundation in financial literacy related to food, meal planning feels like an impossible task. 

I’ve had to teach myself not just how to cook but also how to shop strategically, stretch ingredients, and avoid waste. Slowly, I’ve started to build better habits—learning basic recipes, meal prepping, and trying to break the expensive cycle of takeout. But it’s a learning curve, and it’s hard to undo years of just “figuring it out.”Resilience plays a big role in changing these habits. I’ve had to unlearn a survival mentality around food and replace it with a mindset of long-term financial planning. 

That means setting a food budget, prioritizing essentials, and experimenting with affordable, nutritious meals. It’s still a work in progress, but I’m determined to break the cycle.Food security and financial stability go hand in hand, and I now understand that learning to cook and plan meals isn’t just about nutrition—it’s about financial independence. 

If I could give my younger self advice, it would be to see food as an investment, not just a necessity. By developing these skills now, I’m building a future where CAKYO nights become a story from my past—not a pattern I keep repeating.