My mom had me making 3 meals a day for 8 people at 8 years old.

Hello all! I'm a new member to this sub and not sure if I did everything right or not, but wanted to share a story with you all because it made me think of this sub.<br><br>I grew up in a very low income household; my parents had 8 kids in total and being towards the end of the list (I'm number 7) I had a lot of hand me down everything. I was also the child my parents found out they couldn't spoile because us younger kids would just wreck everything given to us. <br><br>When I was 8 my dad was working two jobs and my mom was the stay at home with us kids. While my parents were on the same page money could be very very tight..and one month I was informed very matter-of-factly (I come from a line of very blunt people) that I would be helping more. <br><br>I was told I would be making breakfast every morning of that month, Saturday and Sunday were my days off and for all of my hard work I would be given $5 at the end of the month. I was very excited. I felt very much like an adult! Little did I know just how I would be given a crash course on how to feed 8 people 3 meals a day with barely a budget at all. <br><br>I learned to make bacon and eggs. Good ol' fashioned bacon and eggs with toast for breakfast. Every morning. I learned to find the cheapest kind of bread loaf, the cheapest pack of bacon, and learned how to make eggs very well. We didn't have many options and so what was cheap I learned to make taste good. Every morning I made bacon and eggs. I learned to count out the bacon by eye so I didn't waste any. I learned how to make sure I didn't burn the bacon. <br><br>I learned how to make pancakes and scrambled eggs because I was very very tired of making bacon and eggs. And so, I learned to make the cheapest box mix of pancakes I could. I learned how to make sure I had enough pancake syrup and I learned how to stretch a box of mix to last till the next month because I couldn't afford to buy another box. And I learned to make scrambled eggs very well. I could make my dad proud with my scrambled eggs. <br><br>It got very old very fast. I was asked constantly when I would be 'done' with breakfast. If I burned the bacon or eggs...it was a huge deal. If I skipped making breakfast my parents would yell at me till I did and then I'd be so late for school I'd miss breakfast anyway. I learned to make breakfast so well I would make bacon and eggs with pancakes AND scrambled eggs twice a week because that always pleased everyone. <br><br>And so I learned to cook for all 8 of us. I learned how to make dinner and I learned how to make snacks. I learned how to make sure everyone got a fair share and I learned how to happily give up my fair share so the others could eat. I learned how to do it all. <br><br>I got my $5 and I don't know if I spent it on candy or saved it up but I spent the next few weeks being pampered...food wise. My dad would make me breakfast and my mom would make me lunch and dinner. <br><br>After that month I helped more and more. I'd cook dinner for everyone and my parents would cook lunch. Or vice versa. Or we'd get breakfast for dinner. Or we'd have leftovers. Or we'd settle for plain rice or noodles. We all learned to make do with what we had. Most of the time we didn't have much so we all learned how to stretch it. <br><br>It was hard. It was very very hard, but it was worth it. It took until I was in my 20's until I realized that what my parents had done had, for the most part, worked. I come from a line of very hard working people and we all learned to be that way. <br><br>This sub made me think of all of that. I hope you enjoyed my rambling story and maybe found it a little entertaining. Or maybe you found it helpful. Either way, thank you for reading. <br><br>Please stay safe and healthy.