It’s a funny thing, getting by. For a while, I thought I would “get by” on $50 a week—a big change from the $450 or more I was spending on food each month. And I did, while still eating quite well. A challenge, sure, but a totally doable one.

So what happens when you have only $20 to spend on food in a week? Well, you make it work. It turns out that broccoli stalks, when boiled for a minute or two, are a great addition to a bowl of pasta tossed with olive oil, sea salt, and crushed red pepper and that when your mom knows you’re broke, she will totally take you out for barbeque.

It also turns out that when you’ve become accustomed to “getting by,” when your mom offers to take you grocery shopping because you have only $11 for the rest of the week and it’s only Wednesday, you’re totally comfortable telling her ‘thanks, but no thanks, I’ll be fine.” Because you will be.