Money On Fire Cost of Binge Eating

The Startling Cost of Binge Eating Disorder

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When you think of the cost of addiction, what is it that first comes to mind? Maybe you think of fractured relationships and careers. Or, you consider the sufferer’s body and mental state. But what about the actual price tag? It’s well known that nicotine and alcohol addiction is expensive, but for someone like myself, what is the cost of binge eating?

Here, I’ll use my own spending as an example to show the true cost of binge eating, and give some easy ways to save money on food.

How Binge Eating Increases Your Spending

With binge eating disorder, the sheer volume of food consumed is not only a problem for the victim’s sore and bloated stomach. It creates a financial strain on them as well. Imagine a normal eater (someone who doesn’t binge) spends $100 a week on groceries. A binge eater who eats twice the amount of food may also spend twice as much. This alone could mean an extra $400 spent on food each month.

However, a binge eater like myself has even more trouble. In the past, I’ve dealt with all-or-nothing eating, and desires for specific foods, which compounds the problem. When I want to binge, it’s typically on foods from my favorite restaurants, which can’t be bought in bulk or made at home. Many times, I’ve spent upwards of $75 on a binge day at various fast-food chains.

The all-or-nothing mindset becomes a problem when food gets thrown out often. Someone in a binge/restrict cycle will try to over restrict their eating, then fail, resulting in a binge. In this cycle, the binge eater may purge their house of all “trigger foods,” opting to buy only healthy, “pure” food. Then, when the restriction is too much and leads to a prolonged binge, the healthy food spoils and needs to be thrown out. Wasting food is an excellent way to waste your money.

Special occasions are another reason to overspend on food. For instance, when Christmas comes along, so do all the foods that are only around that time of year. In this case, I would convince myself that I can buy all this expensive food because it’s “only around for a short time” and “it’s Christmastime, so I deserve it“. This mentality increases spending and also, the likelihood of a binge.

The Cost of Binge Eating Expensive Food

Daily Food Spending Cost of Binge Eating

Shown above is an example from my personal bank account records. In this 4-day snapshot, I spent $129.79 on food only. In a normal month, that would be multiplied by 7-8, resulting in a monthly food bill of $908.53-$1038.32.

Imagine…$1000 per month just on food! And I didn’t even use days where I ate at a sit-in restaurant or ordered delivery. Tips and fees tacked on would make this number even more stomach-turning. Not to mention the extra gas being used to drive over, which adds up if you’re eating out a lot.

The cost of binge eating, combined with always eating out, can be staggering when it’s actually added up. My overconsumption didn’t just lead to weight gain, alienation, and discomfort. It was also breaking the bank! It amazes me that I ever saved up a down-payment for a house, or managed to pay off my car a couple of years ago.

"The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it." – Henry David Thoreau Click To Tweet

Easy Ways to Save Money on Groceries

The fastest way for a binge eater to save money on food would be to stop binging. But, since that’s asking a lot in one small post, I’m going to offer some easy ways to save money on food costs. Even the little changes make a difference, so don’t be afraid to give them a try:

  • Give up “all-or-nothing” thinking, encouraging you to throw food out or let it expire.
  • Try to recreate your favorite restaurant foods at home with inexpensive ingredients.
  • Don’t use special occasions as an excuse to buy and eat everything.
  • Make bulk batches of your preferred foods and freeze them for later.
  • Shop around! Check flyers for sales and choose the store which would be most thrifty for your food choices. When looking for deals, use apps like Flipp to see stores in your area and compare.
  • Make a grocery list and stick to it. Often, when we grab something we didn’t intend to because it’s on sale, it goes bad because we have no plans for it. Plan your meals and your groceries so they get used.
  • Make yourself a weekly food budget and stick to it. Remember to aim for an attainable amount and include ALL food purchases, not just your grocery bills.
  • Target your most expensive food and find a place where you can buy it in bulk.

Lastly, if you suffer from binge eating disorder, I’d like to take the chance to help you by making a recommendation:

Weight Loss for Binge Eaters Logo. Main course picture for Weight Loss for Binge Eaters mini-course. It features the title in bold white letters next to a picture of Ang. She's wearing a navy blue blouse and has long, wavy brown hair. She has her hand on her hip and is smiling. The background is a gradient between dark and medium blue-green. There is a yellow "on sale now" sign at the bottom with the price discounted from $97 to $27

Weight Loss for Binge Eaters

Weight Loss for Binge Eaters is a course designed to help you overcome your binge eating and lose weight in a way that promotes total wellness.

You’ll learn how to lose weight healthily, along with the most effective technique to stop binging for good.​

What You’ll Learn:

Stop Binge Eating

  • Eating trigger foods without binging on them.
  • Stopping your cravings to binge eat.
  • Comforting yourself without using food.
  • What to do if you binge.

Lose Weight

  • Eating in a way that promotes healthy, sustainable weight loss.
  • Making a weight loss plan you can actually stick to.
  • The best habits you should have for losing weight.

Live Well

  • Eating for your mental and physical well-being.
  • Getting in shape without hating your workouts.
  • Drop down to a healthy weight in a way that promotes total wellness.

Overcome Your Binge Eating and Reach Your Weight Loss Potential, Starting Today!

Don’t Have Time to Watch a Full Course? Check Out the eBook Version Here!

The Cost of Binge Eating: In Conclusion

Like any addiction, binge eating disorder can lead to a whopping bill at the end of the month. An unhealthy relationship with food and eating only intensifies the issue. But, even with an eating disorder, small adjustments can be put in place to ease financial stress.

Have you ever looked at your spending to find out you’re wasting huge amounts of cash on food? Let me know in the comments!

That’s it for now everyone. If you’ve found some value in this post, please share it to inspire others too! Thanks!

The Name Ang in cursive black text. There is a magenta heart next to it. Ang Signoff Heart

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22 thoughts on “The Startling Cost of Binge Eating Disorder”

  1. I could pretend to be surprised and say that’s insane, or I can be truthful and say I know exactly what you mean. Even when I was broke, I would borrow money for my addiction, which lasted all of 5 minutes to finish only to throw up all the wasted money and food. It’s such a sad cycle, and I’m glad you’re bringing awareness to eating disorders!

    1. It’s awful, isn’t it? In the end, you’re not really eating because you need it, and it messes with your life in so many ways.

  2. The menu and grocery list are heroes at my house! I don’t end up with wasted food and I don’t have to scramble or stress over what to prepare each evening.

  3. A Big Girl in a Big City

    It’s a really powerful post. I’ve always wondered how some people struggling with money could smoke so much… Cigarettes cost a fortune, especially if you’re addicted. It’s exactly the same thing with food, except that it’s not considered a potential drug. It could well be though, and that’s the problem.
    Well done on your journey! x

  4. So true, I have seen this in my partner and it was a bid hole in the monthly expenses pocket. Thankfully he has cut down after lockdown

    Keep spreading Positivity 😊

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