There’s this thread on Reddit asking people what their favorite poverty meals are that they still enjoy eating today, no matter their current financial situation. So, when we stumbled upon it and read the answers, an idea dawned - these are not just some cheap lunch ideas; they are, in fact, easy to prepare, delicious foods that anyone can enjoy on the go without having to break their piggy bank. That’s why we gathered some of the best simple meal ideas from the thread, put them all in one place, and now share them with you. You can also try to recreate these cheap meal ideas whenever you’re in need.
While most of these recipes are not necessarily the healthiest, they are definitely the most comforting. Who would deny that cinnamon toast is just the warmest and tastiest snack to go with a cup of tea? Even better is that you don’t really have to put that much effort into making it!
Then there are rice-based meals, and surely there’s nobody who doesn’t like rice as it is so versatile and neutral-tasting. Truly, rice is the perfect outlet for your culinary creativity (especially if you’re on a budget and the choices aren’t that many). And that’s just to name a few - as you’re about to see, the budget meals people have listed aren’t boring or bland; on the contrary!
So, are you ready to check out frugal meal ideas from people who actually make and enjoy them? If yes, scroll down below, and once you are there, be sure to give your favorite recipes an upvote. If you have your own go-to simple meal recipes, be sure to write them down in the comments section. Who knows, you might give someone a meal idea that might become their favorite!
#1
"Grew up poor, but my mom sure knew how to stretch a dollar. She would make steak fingers out of the cheapest cuts she could find. Tenderize, fry them up make gravy out of the drippings and serve with mashed potatoes. The whole meal probably cost less than 5 bucks in 70s dollars, and I'm telling you nothing tasted better. I made it for my kids when they were growing up and they still ask me for it sometimes. She would be 94 today.
Love you miss you mom."
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72points
#2
"Boiled potatoes and butter don't care if I am rich or poor that is my go to snack."
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62points
#3
"Bread and butter is my favourite food in the whole world.
When I'm fancy, it's fresh sourdough and boujee butter."
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55points
#4
"I’m a chef. I own a restaurant. I’ve eaten some of the finest foods on this planet. Very few things taste better than box Mac and cheese with cut up hot dogs."
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54points
#5
"Fried egg with rice and beans, I was a missionary in Brazil for a few years and when I would eat at peoples homes they would apologize for that being the only thing they could afford. I could not convince them that it was one of my favorite meals."
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53points
#6
"Peanut butter and honey sandwiches. Containers of both last forever. Last year, we lost power for 13 days in the rural area I was living in and lost all food. I lived off those sandwiches on rye bread for those two weeks and bottled water. Never got sick of them at all lol. I lost 12 pounds."
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51points
#7
"Grilled cheese sandwich. Grilled cheese can be cheap or gourmet. If your making a grilled cheese at home it isn’t going to cost much."
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50points
#8
"I had a PB&J recently and felt like a fool! Why did I stop eating these when I became an adult? Society lead me to believe this was the way. It is not! Been having PB&J a couple nights a week since. I refuse to let societies unenlightened views dictate my dinner choices! PB&J is a top tier dish for any occasion."
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50points
#10
Commenter No. 1 wrote:
"Butter noodles."
"Butter noodles."
SpazzJazz88 replied:
"Yes!!! And if you were lucky to have parm and garlic, then you're eating good."
"Yes!!! And if you were lucky to have parm and garlic, then you're eating good."
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48points
#11
"I’m Mexican. For us, it’s usually quesadillas without meat, rice and black beans as the sides."
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45points
#12
"Piece of bread with butter, cinnamon, and sugar broiled in oven until just toasted. Still my favorite late night snack."
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45points
#13
"Pancakes. Cheap to make and filling, can be eaten with whatever is in your fridge."
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42points
#15
"Pizza in Italy was originally only eaten by poor people who couldn’t afford proper meals, and so they used the basics of flour, tomatoes and other cheap items to come up with pizza. However instead of the meat and other things on modern pizza, the basic vegetables make the pizza just as tasty and I always enjoy eating it."
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38points
#16
"Pasta aglio olio. Warm some garlic in olive oil, add a sprinkle of red pepper and grate some parm on top. Love this simple, cheap classic."
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37points
#17
"Honestly? Spaghettios. They remind me of my grandpa. miss you grandpa joe."
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37points
#18
"Cuban style rice and black beans. Sure, I'll toss in some avocado now I can afford to, but the base dish stays the same."
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37points
#19
"I'm South African and for me that's samp and beans (samp is corn). Both are soaked overnight and then pressure cooked with spices and some cheap meat, served with melted butter, salt and black pepper.
It doesn't sound like much but I swear, this is an S-Tier comfort food that I'd pick over high priced sushi any day."
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36points
#20
vontoque wrote:
"Sleep."
"Sleep."
cowboyfromhell324 replied:
"This is my favorite stress and depression food."
"This is my favorite stress and depression food."
fantastic_feb replied:
"Love it so much I have it every night."
"Love it so much I have it every night."
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34points