Same here. We weren't as bad off as her family appears to be, the bills were always paid and we always had food, but things were very tight. Soda was definitely a luxury, not an everyday thing. My parents would buy a 12 pack around holidays and birthdays, and everybody got a few cans and then that was it for a few months. Mainly it was an expense thing, but also a health thing, because it's terrible for you.