Every time I go to the grocery store, I’m blown away by how expensive everything is.
I feel like I barely buy anything and there’s 50 or 60 bucks down the drain, just like that.
And obviously, going out to eat is expensive, so what’s someone who’s broke as a joke supposed to do?
Here are some meals you might want to try to whip up that AskReddit users suggested.
1. Hobo dinner.
“I make “hobo dinner” when I go camping.
Ground beef, onions, carrots, potatoes and a bit of garlic. Wrap it in tinfoil (I prefer the non stick kind) and throw it on some coals in your campfire.
My friends who have never camped with me are always impressed.”
2. Eating like a king.
“Baked potato with cheese and broccoli on top.
Buy a pound of baking potatoes, a block of cheese, and frozen bag of broccoli. It’ll make you at least 3-6 of those.
If your’e feeling really crazy, then throw in some chili too. Canned chili for hotdogs works best. It can be as cheap as like, .50 cents.”
3. Easy peasy.
“Spaghetti with oil and garlic.
Quick. Easy. Cheap.”
4. Give it a shot!
“Congee.
Add rice and lots of water to a pot. Can keep it plain or sprinkle some chicken bouillon powder and fresh ginger slices. Cook until it reaches creamy porridge consistency.
Top your bowl with scallions. I make this when I’m feeling sick since it’s easy on the stomach.”
5. Don’t forget the tears.
“Stir fry.
Chicken and rice. And tears. So many tears. Instead of soy sauce. Lower sodium.”
6. Sounds good!
“Lemon potatoes greeak style (like 8 or 9 parts chicken stock to 1 part lemon juice and zest, oregano, some garlic and onion, salt and pepper) edit: also about “1 part” olive oil… whoops
Make enough of that mix to roughly cover your potato wedges in a roasting pan and cook at 370-400 for like 35 40 minutes depending on the starchiness of the potato, add more lemon juice mixed with some water if the potatoes are still firm once the liquid is halfway gone, so they can still soak up the flavorful liquid while they cook
Bam.”
7. Yummy!
“Serious answer here: get a can of black beans and some cheap salsa.
Put the drained beans and some salsa in a skillet and let it cook for like 10 min. Crack a couple eggs and let them poach in the beans. Serve with cheap bread or tortillas.
All very cheap ingredients, and its super high in protein so it’s filling and healthy. You can also saute in any veggies you have sitting around or put in whatever spices you have lying around.”
8. Like the old days.
“Grilled cheese sandwich
Y’all are making some fancy ass sandwiches and don’t get me wrong I’m not mad about it. But a cheap ass grilled cheese made with stale white Wonder bread, I can’t believe it’s not butter and some Kraft singles holds a special place for me.”
9. Any kind of stew is good in my book.
“Poor Man’s Stew.
Ground beef, potatoes, and onions. Let the potatoes and onions cook with the already cooked ground beef in a pot of water. Add salt and pepper to taste. Yum.”
10. I think I need to try this.
“Walkin’ tacos.
Basically you get a snack size bag of your favorite chips an fill it up with taco meat, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream and stuff like that.
Now you have walkin’ tacos.”
11. Now I’m getting hungry.
“French Omelettes.
Eggs, milk, butter salt& pepper. It does require some practice to make them right.
But after you do, you will have a quick and delicious meal in a second.”
12. Bring the heat!
“333 chili…
Super easy cheap, satisfying. I say 333 because all it needs is 3 kinds of canned beans, peppers, and 3 onions. I use a serano pepper as well cuz i like heat. Add 2 cans of canned tomatoes, chop and mix everything.
Let simmer on stove uncovered for at least 1 1/2 hrs. The longer the better. Add any kind of broth as needed. Filling, cheap, and awesome! Serves 4 or more.”
13. Poverty pasta.
“My old housemates and I would make “Poverty Pasta”.
Grated zucchini and carrot, a tin of mushrooms and diced tomatoes, a cheap stir-through sauce. Easy, filling, kinda healthy, and dirt cheap.”
14. Make it a steak night.
“Poor man’s steak…
Seasoned hamburger patty, with sautéed mushrooms, & onions on top.”
15. Crystal Hot Sauce 4 LIFE…in my humble opinion.
“Bean burritos and quesadillas.
Bonus points if you find a hot sauce that you really like.”
Thanks to all those folks for weighing in and giving all of us some good ideas about how to eat on the cheap!
Now we want even more tips from the readers out there.
In the comments, please share some cheap meals with us that we can make at home.
Thank you in advance!
