Doesn't the idea of Forage cover multiple types of food? Unless you have a need of tailoring a servant's diet, they shouldn't starve. Same goes for Household - having a ratio of something like 80:20 in favor of money over reputation, should make survival possible.
When it comes to the bank loan, I feel that it should be a different type of punishment: The player actually starts out with a full complement of paid peons, who lack the raw stats to support the household. The player would have to gradually let them go, enslave them, or play effectively, in order to fight back the debt. The game would be much more open-ended that way.