How much does a teen need to live off for a month?
Okay so I'm 17 and I get a 300$ allowance. It seems like a lot I know, but I have to pay for anything I want or need. Which includes my medication, karate classes, clothing, school supplies, fun activities, giving/helping my church, (and now I'm paying for a car) and basically everything else in between. And for a long time I was also able to save 100$ a month, and had no problem budgeting, but now most my allowance is going for food. Like 100-200$ a month and I don't know what to do.
My dad decided that to make me more independent I was going to have to start help paying for groceries. On every first of the month he gives me 200$ to spend on food -but- if I don't spend it all or only spend 100$ I can't go back and spend the rest or even keep it. So I have to pay for anything I want after that myself. I've tried planning out how much it costs before I go shopping but I'm always around 50$ off. (And keep in my mind I also spend about 20-50$ on nonfood items) Than as I go threw the month I always run out of things, realized I forgot things, food goes bad and I end up just having to make a lot of trips to the store that I have to pay for. And every little thing adds up! And keep in my mind I don't eat a lot of prepared food. As I have to cook a lot because there are not a lot of vegan items that are cheap.
Oh also I'm a vegan. But I've never had a problem when it comes to health or paying for food. But now that I'm spending less money on fruits and vegetables (that go bad fast and cost more) I've mainly been eating starchy foods, like rice, bread and potatoes that are cheap, taste good and are inexpensive. And my food variety has been narrowed down drastically. And while I hate to say it, it's really been starting to affect my health. Im fatigued, trouble concentrating, memory troubles, am always hungry and it's affecting my sleep. I even started taking a B12 supplement, thinking my syptoms were because of that, but it's not really helping and it uses up even more of what little money I have.
I just want to know if I'm being stupid and stuck up or if this is a fault on my dads part. On one hand I feel betrayed, stuck, frustrated and worried about money, but then again I think I can't help but wonder if I'm just overacting. Anyway any advice would be awesome thank you!