What to do??

Hi there little mermaid
Sorry to hear of your financial strain, it's pretty widespread and no point denying that it will throw a few challenges your way. I'm a great believer that life throws us exactly what we're equipped to deal with at any given time, so maybe this will , as you suggest, spur you forward in recovery, be the challenge to allow you tap in to resources you forgot you had.
We can be very resourceful in condition to meet it's needs, maybe that energy and mental agility can be used in you and your family's favour now. As Niamh suggests, there are many value supermarkets around with fantastic choices and besides, many of the best foods are quite inexpensive, such as eggs, tinned tuna, peanut butter, cream cheese and even porridge . Frozen veg retains most of its goodness. Most likely you're scaring yourself right now a bit like we do about xmas or other challenges and in the end things work out.
Also as you mention, fretting about your dietary peculiarities, is not you, not your value system, it's condition. The real concern is perhaps, will I be ok, will my family be ok, how will we cope with less money around, what effect will it have on our lives. If out of habit your first thought is managing around food , that's a reflex and nothing to be ashamed of. We all do it as a part of condition.
Iceberg will still be there, group every week, recovery will still happen, a bit less spoon feeding perhaps, but maybe you're ready for more of a fight. As Marie says, there is always a solution. Cyber hugs to you.
kiz

Hi little mermaid

Lots of sympathy - like a lot of people I really do know what you're going through.

A few ideas
(1) View this as an opportunity – in the exact same situation in the past I discovered that the necessity of trying new things (which I was scared of) showed me that I could actually do them!

(2) Remember, “processed” is not necessarily bad. Without processing and preserving, so many of the foods we eat would not be available to us at all. If everything were “natural” then humans would still have a natural life expectancy something short of 40.

(3) Lidl, Aldi, Tesco Market Value range, Dunnes own brand / value ranges…real value to be found. Tesco Market Value eggs are cheaper than Lidl or Aldi, and they also do extremely cheap smoked salmon, rashers, frozen fish, yogurts and fromage frais (petits felous for 79c) bananas, broccoli, several other fruit and veg, tinned tomatoes.

(4) Look in the baking section – Dunnes and Tesco both have some kinds of nuts cheaper per kg in baking section than in the “fruit / nut / healthy eating” sections and even than in Lidl and Aldi sometimes. Lidl and Aldi however can really truly shine. Again, try the baking section (hazelnuts, almonds, walnuts, seeds).

(4) Some of the very best nutrition is found in the simplest, cheapest places: Weetabix, porridge oats, bananas.

(5) Look beyond fashion – many fish and meats are cheap as they are just not fashionable. Mackerel, many cuts of beef, liver…a whole chicken is generally a fraction of the cost of chicken breasts.

oop! so my point is little mermaid - that you will find a way. You will cope. Perhaps the financial strain is putting you in a position of having to rely on yourself and what you have been learning about yourself and recovery a little earlier than you would like... but life seems to have decided you are ready! You do have enough knowledge, you are not on your own, as you can see from all the replies here, there is support ... as Marie says .. there is always a solution. Thinking of you!