What meals do you cook when very low on money?
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Hopefully you like Indian food, because there are loads of lentil dishes that are super cheap. Dal Makhani plus some basmati rice (and if you’re ambitious, make some naan from scratch). Basically lentils, a few spices, an onion, some garlic and ginger, and rice.
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You can fancy up top ramen by putting some sliced onion, basil, egg etc in it.
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I have to admit that I do not do beans nearly as much as I should. I think it is because canned beans are not nearly the deal money-wise as dried beans are ... and I am not good at letting beans soak without forgetting them and ruining them.
Do a quick soak (bring to a boil, turn off heat, cover, let sit for an hour) and use a timer.
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Assuming someone asking how to eat when poor has access to fresh ingredients and the time/means to prepare them
Rice and beans are available pretty much everywhere. Granted it might be farther than a corner store but it keeps so it is worth it even in a food desert.
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This post did not contain any content.wrote last edited by [email protected]
My ultimate struggle meal:
In 1 pot:
- Rice (the good one from a sack, forget about minute rice)
- Carrots, sliced
- Whatever is cheapest between Sweet potato, Pumpkin or Eggplant at the time, cut into cubes.
- Thai Curry paste & Soy sauce
- Salt
- Cook 15 minutes
- Put into a tortilla with mayonnaise
Fast, really cheap, and has the important bonus that the only dish to clean is the 1 pot. When struggling, I also don't feel like doing a lot of housework.
Sadly, I can never remember the best ratios, so the mayonnaise is rather mandatory as it can save a rather bland filling. Sometimes, I splurge and use guacamole instead, sometimes I also put in mini-spring rolls from the same shop I buy the rice and curry.
With my "recipe" out of the way, the important thing is to find some ingredients that have a low price for lot's of weight, and then choose a recipe that's like 90% cheap ingredients by weight. (Remember that some ingredients take on a lot of water, rice taking on twice it's volume for example, so they're cheaper than the price tag implies). I personally look for food that's under 3€/kg. The other 10% of the meal can be way more expensive (curry paste in my recipe), but, because you only use so little of it, as a whole it's still cheap.
Probably the absolute cheapest meal are homemade hash browns, potatoes are ridiculously cheap, with apples being the cheapest fruit where I live. Next cheapest vegetable around here are carrots.
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Nothing against the other suggestions, but pretty much anything you can buy that is "ready to eat" (canned soup) or "easy to make" (Kraft dinner), even if it is already cheap, would still be cheaper to make yourself from scratch. Cooking, in bulk, is your friend.
Two cartons of soup broth $1.77 CDN/946ml each, half a bag of frozen veggies $2.57/500g, boom you have 5 soup meals for <$1 per meal. A cup of flour to make dumplings in that soup and make it more appealing. Compare that to a canned soup which seems to be up in price lately, between 1.50 - 3.00, and you're laughing, and eating a lot less salt.
I haven't figured out exactly the cost of making bread (I play with the recipe and how many loaves), but I am absolutely certain it costs less and tastes better than the cheapest bullshit bread you can get at a store. So less than $2 for a loaf, and it actually smells and tastes like bread and doesn't dissolve in your mouth like cotton candy. No bullshit preservatives.
Pasta with pasta sauce, ez and cheap af, filling. <$1 per meal.
Things that are more difficult imo are meat and cheese due to the cost. I like to buy frozen logs of ground beef which isn't that appealing on it's own, but is passable in chili and shepherd's pie.
Cheese can go a long way especially if you shred it for pizza (and you already have flour and pasta sauce from above.)Speaking of shepherd's pie, potatoes are cheap and versatile. One tube of ground beef with a layer of frozen veg and mashed taters on top, again <$1 per meal.
Not to mention rice which is maybe the ultimate value-for-money food when you just need something in your stomach. Foodies will crucify me, but I love to eat it with margerine (way cheaper than butter) and salt and pepper. There's so much more you can do with it, though. Good for bulking up soups too.
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When I was really low on money I had one small saucepan, one pan, a spatula, and a few dishes and silverware. No soup pot, no mixing bowels, or any other prep stuff. No spices or other ways to make flavorful food.
Cheap processed food is more affordable in the short term than spending money on stuff that will make cooking cheaper in the long run. I'm not saying it was the best choice, just answering the question of what I did make.
Crock pots are relatively cheap and often available second hand, so are larger pots. I have been poor and know exactly how hard it is to feed myself with little to no money left after bills. Buying junk is not cheaper, it doesn't actually sustain you.
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Falafel: dried chickpeas with garlic & parsley fried in oil. Very high calorie/cost, because the chickpeas are basically oil sponges, and it's hard to beat vegetable oil on calories/cost. $1.50 for 1000 calories.
Kimchi fried rice: Kimchi, rice, couple of fried eggs for protein. $2.10 for 1000 calories. Make your own kimchi even cheaper.
Chili noodles: cheap, store-brand spaghetti with chili oil-soy sauce dressing. Don't sub ramen for pasta - that stuff's expensive. $2.50/1000 cal. Make your own chili oil for extra savings.
To add to this, buying from specific ethnicity markets tends to be cheaper. If you have nearby Chinese/Eastern, any middle eastern, Mexican/Latin American stores, you can find a lot of really cheap staples to make.
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Assuming someone asking how to eat when poor has access to fresh ingredients and the time/means to prepare them
wrote last edited by [email protected]I agree that how healthy something is should be put on the back burner (hah!), true, but when cost is the most important factor, produce is unbeatable. While not created equal, the means to prepare for most are 1 pot, 1 board and 1 knife, and there sure are recipes that don't take up too much time.
Someone asking for recipes can be expected to have some time to cook them, while working 2 jobs is way too common nowadays, there are still more people struggling for money with some time on their hands. If you have no money, no time and no energy for cooking, you're beyond asking for advice and should instead be asking for help.
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korean fried rice or if i don't really have money, instant noodles that costs $0.18
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I have to admit that I do not do beans nearly as much as I should. I think it is because canned beans are not nearly the deal money-wise as dried beans are ... and I am not good at letting beans soak without forgetting them and ruining them.
dry lentils can be cooked with rice in a rice cooker right with them because they are so small.
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I agree that how healthy something is should be put on the back burner (hah!), true, but when cost is the most important factor, produce is unbeatable. While not created equal, the means to prepare for most are 1 pot, 1 board and 1 knife, and there sure are recipes that don't take up too much time.
Someone asking for recipes can be expected to have some time to cook them, while working 2 jobs is way too common nowadays, there are still more people struggling for money with some time on their hands. If you have no money, no time and no energy for cooking, you're beyond asking for advice and should instead be asking for help.
produce is unbeatable
When available.
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Crock pots are relatively cheap and often available second hand, so are larger pots. I have been poor and know exactly how hard it is to feed myself with little to no money left after bills. Buying junk is not cheaper, it doesn't actually sustain you.
wrote last edited by [email protected]I'm really enjoying you second guessing all the decisions I made when I was poor! Not only was I struggling, but apparently did it completely wrong!
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This post did not contain any content.wrote last edited by [email protected]
Rotisserie chicken. Cheapest thing in the store most times, and they're pre-cooked, pre-seasoned, ready to devour
I also lived on chicken nuggets for a while, but I can't recommend those.
Other comments remind me of potatoes! So many simple ways to prepare them. my favorite is microwave baked potato.
Rinse it off, stick holes in it with a fork several times, coat it in oil, salt it, and microwave until you can smash it with your fingers (through a napkin, or use the fork). Then bust it open, add whatever sounds good that's on hand, and eat it up.
If you don't add salt to a baked potato, then it pairs well with most oversalted foods. Like pour a can of baked beans over the opened potato.
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I have to admit that I do not do beans nearly as much as I should. I think it is because canned beans are not nearly the deal money-wise as dried beans are ... and I am not good at letting beans soak without forgetting them and ruining them.
You don't actually need to soak them before you cook them.
I've made plenty of bean dishes, starting with completely dry beans. It takes a little longer to cook because they are rehydrating while they cook, but they still come out great.
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I have to admit that I do not do beans nearly as much as I should. I think it is because canned beans are not nearly the deal money-wise as dried beans are ... and I am not good at letting beans soak without forgetting them and ruining them.
Fun fact FTW! Check out epazote for not only doing away with the pre-soak, but most of the renowned GI effects, too.
A little goes a long way, (IIRC, ~ ½T for a 4-5gal pot) and it's essentially dried grass. Get it from your local mercado/bodega for dirt cheap, change your life. 🥳 -
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Onigiri, or, since I'm Korean, Jumeokbap(주먹밥). Dirt cheap, literally put anything you want.
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Rice and beans is the staple pretty much everywhere else.
Don't buy ultra processed Mac and cheese or frozen pizza. It's nutritionally bad for you, and won't keep you full for long.
Start with rice and beans and canned sauce. Cheap, easy, and good for you.
You can obviously add chicken/tofu/protein, or try to start making sauces yourself. But always keep the rice and beans as a base. Every meal you eat, rice and beans. They're cheap as hell and close to what we evolved to eat.
the answer is always either rice and beans or potato.
I'm a fan of Cuban rice and beans. I can't make it all that well but it's good enough and my version is palatable. Dirt in the hole!
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Dry pinto beans are cheap (and flavorless). You just need to soak them in water before cooking.
Rice is a carb and nutritionally void, but it will fill you up and keep the cravings away.
A better path is to shift your entire diet away from carbs and toward nutritionally dense, unprocessed foods. But, this takes time, and you probably don't want to start that when you're low on money.
I've been eating a mostly plant-based keto diet for 15 years now. I can easily go two days on just water and be fine, no cravings. The best way to save money on food is to not eat at all. So, rather than eat crappy food just to feel full and stave off carb cravings, eat less food, but more nutritionally dense food. You'll save money and still be healthy.
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I used to live off of dollar boxes of pasta from Walmart. It got me through a lot of college. A little butter will up the calories and give you some other nutrients but you'll still need meat or something at some point
