I identified with most of the first page of that Cracked article. We had very little. We didn't have medical insurance until I was already in college and my mom got hired in a full time support position at my former school. We went without a phone quite frequently and had our power shut off on more than one occasion. My family certainly qualified for assistance, but my dad was too proud/stubborn/stupid to take it.

I still have a difficult time eating fruits and veggies. I never really developed a taste for them and when I'm hungry I crave toast and crackers (gimme a sleeve of Ritz crackers...mmmm...). Sometimes I really do prefer canned fruits and things. The texture of a lot of raw veggies kinda makes me wanna puke.

I'm terrible at saving money. We never had money to save. My hubby's upbringing was a polar opposite and sometimes we struggle to understand one another on financial stuff. But I still remember how offensive his mom was years ago, she was very down on my parents for not paying for my college...but my folks had another kid in college (at Northwestern) and still had 1 at home. They also live in a relatively high-cost area. My ILs, on the other hand, had only 1 kid and lived in an area where housing was dirt cheap. They also both made about twice as much as my folks. And my DH's grandparents had bought stock when he was little that essentially paid for his tuition in full for all 4 years. My MIL was a special ed teacher, so she (of all people) should have had a clue about financial struggles that families face.