You mentioned "it's not about cutting back to Mac n cheese is that's all you can afford" notice you said "cutting back." Cutting back is back tracking on something you've been overdoing. "I need to cut back on drinking" said the guy that drinks too much. If you need to "cut back" to eating Mac n cheese it's because you're ALREADY spending too much money on food or whatever it is. You shouldn't have ordered that take out and 2 pizzas last month because now you have to cut back and eat Mac n cheese. You SHOULD have been eating Mac n cheese from the start and not Five Guys Burgers for lunch everyday if it was possible that you can only afford the Mac n cheese today. "Cutting back" means that YOU already put yourself into that bad position.