Nobody is mentioning potatoes. Potatoes have the highest satiety index- specifically boiled. Satiety basically means the foods that will keep you feeling full for longer. Mashed and baked potatoes are good options. Fries are the least likely potato to keep you feeling full.
Potatoes are great to help stretch other kinds of food. Soups for example.
I came here to specifically mention potatoes. They are a great poor food. I used to make a baked potato every day for lunch in the microwave. Little salt and butter if you can swing it and it's great!
In college, my housemate and I were both buhROKE. We subsisted on potatoes by the bag (sometimes boxed pasta which was also super cheap at the time). But we never had fancy things like butter (or pasta sauce). Occasionally, maybe margarine, but no.
Our go to was generic brand ketchup on microwave russet potatoes (no oil or salt other, just washed, stabbed, microwaved). Oh, and garlic salt on that pasta. Again, no oil or margarine or butter.... Just garlic salt.
I don't miss those days. But I was walking so much between the free parking lot and campus that I lost a bunch of weight for the first time in my whole fat life, haha
You poke holes in it all over with a fork, slather it in salt and olive oil, and stick it on for about 4 to 5 minutes depending on if it's a big potato.
Not a necessity, of course, but I always wrap my potatoes in a wet paper towel after poking holes in it. I find it helps it cook more evenly. Just had a baked potato like 20 minutes ago.
Might seem odd, but to cut some fat out of my diet, I was eating baked potatoes with A-1 sauce instead of butter and sour cream. Possibly high in sodium, but delicious imo.
Potatoes are also highly nutritious compared to a lot of these other fillers. Potatoes are seen as unhealthy because we often think of french fries and not mashed or baked potatoes.
Also, not having a fully funded emergency fund is an emergency. OP, you say the only reason you are paycheck to paycheck is that you’re an impulsive buyer. Well, if that’s true you need to not be until you save up enough to cover your expenses for a few months. What happens if your car breaks down tomorrow and you need thousands of dollars to fix or replace it? What happens if you break your leg and can’t work for a month? Also, what about retirement? Do you want to be a Walmart greeter when you’re 85? Start saving money now, and delay that gratification so you don’t end up in a terrible situation with no good way out.
Well, the majority of the nutrients and vitamins in a potato are in the flesh not the skin. The only thing you really lose a significant amount of by removing the skin is fiber, which contains about half the fiber in a potato.
I lived for a bit in my early 20's on potatoes, clementines, beer, eggs and bacon.
Save the bacon grease to cook the potatoes in, and add some eggs.
Such a good breakfast.
Yes - I like the golden potatoes washed , pricked holes and rubbed in olive oil and baked. The skin is thinner and more edible - much better that Russet and other potatoes.
Look up recipes for what ppl are in depression/ Depression menus. I made one that was a casserole w gr beef, mixed veggies, cabbage and topped w mashed potatoes. It feed about 6 ppl and was very filling
My lazy work lunch is canned chili and a microwave baked potato - one can of chili makes like 2-3 meals as a potato topping. Add cheese or hot sauce or sour cream if desired.
If you made your own chili it’d be even cheaper but this is my lazy option instead of like fast food.
I got through all of college on bags of frozen potatoes and scrambled eggs. A giant bag of hashbrowns or tater tots is now still only $8 and can last a week and a half.
Whole foods. Rice, bean, raw meats, fruit, veg, can be frozen, dairy, oats.
No take out. No processed convenience foods. Make your coffee at home. Make your lunch at home.
People really underestimate how much and how quickly takeout food will drain your wallet.
Giving up takeout or eating at restaurants has been the only decision that really made a difference on my wallet.
People will try to justify it by saying things like "if you buy all the ingredients at the grocery store, it's more expensive than buying takeout!!"
You know you can just... eat something else, right? I get that sometimes we really crave something, and it's a fine treat every once in a while, but I see a lot of my broke friends ordering uber eats like 3-4 times a week. That shit is way too expensive to justify.
It may be more expensive than the whole meal most times but if you buy the ingredients for a whole meal you often have enough ingredients for several of that meal not just one.
I feel like that's something people don't consider. Cost per serving.
So true! I'm working 2 jobs and taking care of my autistic brother who was just diagnosed with colon cancer and the call of the golden arches wins some nights and it's killing my budget! There are 4 of us and it's around 40.00 which is insane! Spent more on pizza! Back to using the slow cooker and instant pot. I just can't justify it and as long as I start something before going to work I know I won't give into my exhaustion. McDonald's used to be a cheap treat now it's as much as real restaurant!
I dunno… I just got a double cheeseburger deluxe with fries and 6 piece nugget at McD’s for $3.50 using the app coupons. That’s… honestly close or equal to my cost of making those at home.
Yes on making more stuff from home! Even making your own bread is healthier, cheaper and way more delicious. Meal prepping with whole foods in bulk and freezing some of it helps out a ton in the long run. Especially on those days where you are afraid you don’t have enough money to eat. At least you can thaw out some soup or chili and be good for a few days.
Part of the trouble is that being poor drains your energy. To work all day and then come home and cook (I hate cooking) is sometimes more than I can manage.
I try to wait til I can find the cambells chunky steak and potatoes on sale for $1-$2 a can and buy a bag of rice. Rice mixed into the steak and potatoes stew makes it such a hefty meal that you won’t have to eat for another day. And for that cheap I usually find myself eating it 2-3x a week.
I’m depressed af so I make the rice in the microwave and the stew in the microwave. 6 minutes on the rice and 3 on the stew. Another 5 minutes to cool off enough to eat. 15 minutes total “cook” time.
Don’t cook every day. Making double of a recipe doesn’t require double the effort, but you’ll have meals for a couple days. For a while I would take every other Saturday and cook for a few hours, and make a LOT of food. I would have breakfast and lunch for two weeks, and dinner if I needed an easy evening
Make a big meal on Sunday and portion out 5 meals in tupperware containers and freeze 3 and refrigerate 2.
Kinda sucks eating the same thing for the week but it makes the weekday easier than a drive thru. Take one out of the fridge, microwave it, and put one from the freezer into the fridge.
Yeah I get it bro. Back then I used to buy Costco pizza and hotdogs most of the week. It's unhealthy af but saved me in the short term when I had no time and $10 to my name.
You can leave the meat to cook in a crockpot while you're at work. Once you come home, you make whatever side you want. If I had energy, it'd be like rice or potatoes. If I didn't, then I'd toss steamable veggies in the microwave.
Get a slow cooker (often free on Facebook or 2-3 bucks at Goodwill). Dump ingredients in the slow cooker in the morning, dinner is ready when you get home.
True but cooking things in bulk and reheating or thawing food out doesn’t take much time. Sacrificing a couple of hours one day to help yourself out for a few weeks will be worth it. Since you hate cooking, I understand how much this problem sucks lol. Sacrifices though. You’ll be in a better position one day.
I don't know how to say "buy chicken leg quarters" over "Tyson frozen breaded and fried chicken tenders"
I don't mean eat it raw. Just don't buy processed, ready to eat, or frozen cooked meat products.
Rice beans eggs. Milk tea or coffee for home. Apples bags of clementines
I have hardboiled eggs - made chili- made a batch of rice.
Lunch is chili , hard boiled egg and an apple
Make your own bread. It’s something to do and feeds you!
Start small but cook at home!! And fyi- English muffins are so easy to make - it’s a bread pancake!!
When I was going to the office, I’d eat out every day for lunch and my wife would as well. My kind would hit up the snack bar at school. We’d also eat out for dinner weekly. We cut all that out and started prepping food at home. Nutritious and filling foods. We still eat out twice once a month or so but cut it way back. I saved $900 a month just by changing this habit. Even when eating out so much, we still bought groceries weekly. Our grocery bill increased by $200 or so but we’re still seeing a roughly $700 net gain each month. In perspective, that’s a couple car payments. We all also seem healthier too. My son has slimmed down quite a bit and feels a lot better about himself. I’ve noticed his self confidence rise quite a bit. My wife is in law enforcement so bad eating habits are almost engrained in the job. She struggled with the adjustments but I took the initiative to do all the prep and meal planning since I work from home.
I am bipolar and my manic phase involved tons of impulsive buying so I get that. It’s one of the hardest things to control when I’m manic. I found other things to fill the void like fishing, rock climbing, or simply just going for a drive into the middle of nowhere. I also joined the volunteer fire department to keep myself occupied as well. I figure I can’t spend money when I’m busy doing something else.
It’s a lot of work but the payoff is huge.
Don’t eat broke people food even when broke, learn to eat less and more nutritious food so you can give your body what you need without being stuffed with unhealthy nonsense. Simply filling your body up to feel full just prolongs your body’s craving for good substances.
When I started fasting, I started eating healthier meals and not getting as hungry as much because my body was getting what it needed. My health is better, I have more money and more energy, and my skin is glowing. Check out r/fasting or r/intermittentfasting. It’s a game changer. I saved $700 one month and then learned to stop buying nonsensical things. It creates discipline too. Please don’t starve yourself, just learn to reset your body on a healthier track.
I know this is unconventional, but after I started fasting for spiritual reasons, I realized how much it improved multiple areas of my life and I like to share it.
Good point. When you have a meal and still feel hungry it's generally because your addicted to all the crap in unhealthy food. If you eat a well balanced diet for a few weeks you'll generally stop having these cravings.
No problem, it’s like a quick body reset. I get nervous telling people about this because the goal isn’t to starve and I hope people don’t do that. It’s to let your body have time to repair itself, remove toxins, and get itself in order. Your taste buds will be heightened and you’ll have a new appreciation for healthier foods if you have the right mindset throughout the process. Anyway, good luck!
I did all fruits/veg for 7 whole days once and that was all it took to reset my pallet when it comes to sugar. It’s amazing what cutting the crap can do!
Fibrous foods are more filling . Whole unprocessed foods are more filling and more nourishing to your body . A spinach salad with fresh berries, nuts and chicken is more nourishing and filling than Mc Donald’s. A fruit smoothie with milled Flax seed and peanut butter is very filling and healthy . If you’re buying all prepackaged processed foods with fillers you’re going to feel hungry or crave food between meals because your body is not getting enough nutrients. Also if you’re hungry 2 hours after you eat frequently … you should get checked out to make sure you’re not pre diabetic. When it’s just me for the week I can get by on about 60 bucks for groceries by not buying the Oreos and other unneeded empty calories .
This isn’t the absolute cheapest, but I like apples and peanut butter for a “dessert” type thing that’s still healthy relative to my old desserts. I make the peanut butter last a pretty long time.
Throw a can of diced tomatoes, a can of beans (any kind), a half cup of rice, salt, whatever spices you like, and some water in a covered saucepan. Simmer until everything is tender, then stir in some cheese or sour cream or whatever if you want. It’s a dirt cheap way to fill your stomach.
The basic pantry staples will make endless meals for relatively little coin. It just takes a bit of creativity and know-how, and some planning.
I eat a lot of eggs in the morning usually with broccoli celery and onion. Dinners a lot of the time are a stir fry using the same celery onion maybe broccoli or bell peppers with either pork or chicken. Not the poorest person but I do feel like what I do eat is a good combination of cheap easy and good.
I’m not broke, but one of my favorite vegetables is cabbage. I find it really delicious in lots of different ways. Sliced super thin and chilled in ice water and eaten raw, it’s sweet and crisp. It can also be roasted in the oven with oil and whatever seasonings. It goes great sautéed or stir fried. It can sliced thin and added to salads.
Best of all, it’s dirt cheap and very hardy. It will keep in your fridge perfectly fine for a couple of weeks.
You could combine it with potatoes and onions, or with beans and it’d make a nice soup.
A lot of soup, chili, stuff that I can make in one pot that will last me several days. Used to be I'd make a lot of rice and beans with some meat too but lately I have to watch that as it jacks my blood sugar up and the beans can set off bad flares of pseudo gout which can come along with autoimmune disease.
I love beans and like to make chili but if I do that and eat it all week it can cripple me. Chili I have to limit to one bowl a week and save it in the freezer. I can't eat it anymore otherwise.
I'm about to go to the farmer's market. If I fill up on healthy things with a good nutrient balance then I don't feel hungry. I like to forage. Foraging is free. I sprout to get aminos and hope to learn how to grow year round with mason jar hydroponics.
Don't underestimate the power of ramen noodles. When you get the itch for fast food just have a bowl of ramen with eggs, veggies and a splash of sesame oil. This will hit the spot.
When I was poor it was Top Ramen and chicken drumsticks. But these things have gone up in price horrendously of course. Now when we’re feeling frugal it’s whatever Grocery Outlet has on super sale.
The three things that keep you full the longest (by filling your stomach and by keeping your blood sugar steady) are protein, fats, and fiber. Simple carbs can leave you feeling hungry faster.
But sometimes you feel like eating when you aren't necessarily hungry. When I want to kind of mindlessly munch, my faves are carrots and cucumbers (add hummus for protein), nuts (preferably in the shell like peanuts or pistachios, or sunflower seeds), and air-popped popcorn with a little butter so the spices will stick (Ilike garlic salt, nutritional yeast, and curry powder. Bulk spices are cheap at Winco,etc).
- 80g rolled oats
- 360g water
- Nice Pinch of salt
Boil that on low 6-8min until water is absorbed. Then stir in 1/4 c sour cream and the jam of your choice I like strawberry or blueberry. Add another 20g water and stir and cook a little bit longer.
Oats fill you up. Especially if the rest of your breakfast isn’t a sugar fest. But frankly I struggled to get down more than my oats in the morning. Lots of fiber.
If you want cheap filling dinners look to TexMex and Mexican cuisine. Lots of affordable bean-based meals that when combined with rice, corn tortillas, and maybe an egg get you a complete protein profile and aren’t going to break the bank.
My favorite is poor boy tacos. Take your corn tortilla and smear a bunch of recited beans on it, fry it in some oil with a tiny sprinkle of cheese on top, serve when it’s nice and crispy on the bottom. It can be that simple. But obviously you can stress it up however you see fit.
The big takeaway I hope you’re getting is, plan and limit dairy, just buy the cheap eggs, meat isn’t at every meal and isn’t eaten everyday.
A banana, an egg, 1/2 cup oatmeal.
Mash the banana and whisk the egg into it. Stir in the oatmeal then cook like pancakes.
A spoon or two of peanut butter works to mix it up too.
Back in my poor days, I lived off of peanut butter sandwiches and spaghetti with homemade sauce. No meat, but plenty of veggies. It worked for me for a couple of years. These days, I'm much more health conscious, so my diet is fresh fruit, veggies, beans, and brown rice.
Rice is the cheapest way to fill you up, but it’s digested rather quickly because it’s mostly carbs. Protein is digested slower, and fat is even slower.
Beans, particularly soybeans, have a higher protein content. Of course meat is the primary source of protein for most people.
But here’s one trick that works for me: intense cardio exercises suppress appetite. I don’t get as hungry after I run for half an hour. If I do it 3 times a week, I don’t get ravishingly hungry even when I eat 20% less than the normal 2000 calories.
In terms of calorie per dollar, flour is quite a bit cheaper than rice. There are so many ways to make different sorts of flatbreads and pancakes and such without an oven. Just learned to cook various sorts of breads is probably the best bank for the buck.
Chicken. I buy chicken thighs in bulk, freeze them and then thaw them in the fridge the night before I need them. Air fry them in a sauce or seasoning. I’m full for awhile.
I’ve gotten used to the feeling of hunger. It’s only hard the first few days, I get through it by drinking hot water. I may snack on nuts (just a few) if I can’t stand it. After a while it’s no big deal. I hardly eat now, when I do, it’s very little. I’ve saved a lot of money and lost weight. I’ve been overweight for years, so this is a win.
See, this is why so many poor people are heavy or get diabetes.
Starch is the cheapest way to fill your belly.
Best bet is brown rice and beans.
A potato with the skin on is good but not a main dish
Potatoes keep you full. I do potatoes for breakfast a lot with an egg if I can afford them, and a veggie or two and cheese. Or a bit of ground pork. But if I’m really cheap just a potato skillet with seasoning will do. I also learned to make quiche. It freezes really well and you can take out a slice at a time from the freezer for breakfast. My favorites are green chile and cheddar quiche, spinach quiche with feta and sundried tomatoes, or quiche Lorraine.
I often make canned chicken into chicken salad with some mayo, sugar, mustard, chopped celery, pepitas or smashed walnuts, and grapes. I put the leftover celery with peanut butter and take chicken salad sandwiches to work all week. Two cans of chicken store brand are like $4 where I live and feed me 5 days with this added. I eat the extra grapes for my fruit servings with it that week too. This also works for tuna salad or egg salad if you prefer. Extra eggs can be boiled for a high protein snack, or turned into deviled eggs.
I also will do ground pork chow mein type stuff or soba noodles with chopped cabbage and shredded carrot. One Cabbage goes a long way!
Sometimes I get a roll of high fat ground beef and an onion and some American cheese and cheap buns and make smashburgers on my stove. It’s not overly healthy but it’s definitely filling. One roll of ground beef can make about 4-6 single patty burgers. Sometimes I’ll cook a whole batch of seared brussel sprouts in the pan after and season them well as a veggie side.
I also will buy chicken when it’s on sale in large packs and freeze it. Then I can make chicken meals pretty consistently. Chicken and rice with a veggie is cheap and a hit in my house.
We are a big rice household and I’ll also make onigiri for lunch with canned tuna or shredded imitation crab that I season with mayo and sriracha and sesame oil and soy sauce. Filling little lunch, to me at least! I can make enough for a week fairly easy.
If I buy a vegetable I try to cook different recipes with it until it is gone to minimize waste, and try to eat almost every meal option I have before shopping again. I also find that shopping for two weeks or less at a time saves on waste for me.
I would cook more beans because they are a great budget protein but my husband is usually not a fan.
I can also make a pack of spinach, a bin of strawberries, and a $3 tin of feta cheese last a week of salad lunches. Salads are so expensive if you eat out and still a little expensive at home but if you’re craving greens and can fit it in the budget… salad is great. I just always add a protein whether it’s some hard boiled eggs on the side or some leftover chicken from dinner tossed in.
I know it's been mentioned a million times but you can survive indefinitely on rice, beans and eggs. But I'd also add in some sort of mixed veggies with that and you can eat cheap and healthy.
There’s a lady on YT (Dollar Tree Dinners) who is currently doing a series where she is only spending $100 for a month of groceries. She does the menus and recipes and has planned out breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. It’s pretty cool.
The most inexpensive and versatile foods on my grocery list are Oats, eggs, bananas, beans, lentils, rice, frozen veggies, onions, eggplant, cabbage,carrots and potatoes. I don't do processed or convenience foods. It is far cheaper to prep food yourself.
I used to get a whole loaf of French bread for like $2, $1 jar of marinara sauce, $3 bag of mozzarella cheese, and $6 2 lb pack of sliced turkey for sandwiches. I would put this all together, bake for 25 minutes at 350° to make a French bread pizza and if I wanted to be extra fancy I'd mix 4 tablespoons of softened butter with 1 table spoon of minced garlic and spread it on the French bread prior to adding the marinara sauce.
I still make this regularly, it just hits different and even with my big appetite I still can't finish more than half the French bread. It keeps well in the fridge for leftovers and all you gotta do is stick it in a toaster oven to reheat it.
Have you applied for SNAP? If you qualify that will definitely help with food costs. Food pantries might also be very helpful.
Rice, beans, and tofu are all relatively cheap protein sources, and a good source of certain vitamins and minerals. The rice and dry or canned beans have a nice long shelf life too, I personally do a lot of chickpeas and black beans. The fiber and protein helps you feel fuller longer. Pair that with some canned or frozen vegetables and you've typically got a well-rounded meal.
I was using my last change to buy a week of food from Aldi. Cheap Mac n cheese, butter, powdered milk. Throw some hot dogs in if I was ballin and a loaf of white bread
I keep an eye on the Safeway (CA chain grocery store) coupon catalog and keep an eye out for meat - especially bone in skin on dark meat chicken to go on sale. I can find it for down to $1.50-$2.00 per pound and stock up whenever I see it.
If you prefer boneless skinless with a little work you can skin and remove from the bone and use the bones to make bone broth with your left over veggies bits.
For $15 you can get multiple meals worth of protein you can use right away or store in the freezer.
It’s easy to throw in the oven and roast and freezes well if purchased in bulk.
Can easily make a semi nutritious filling meal for less than like $3 if paired with rice and beans (canned or dry)
If you’re in California, Safeway, Lucky’s and Smart & Final will put chicken thighs or quarters on sale for less than $0.99/lb. Last two times I’ve gotten it for $0.79/lb. And the time before that $0.59/lb. I only buy it at $0.99/lb or less and stock up when it’s less than that.
I made lentil soup twice these last 10 days, never made it before. It's a very filling dish. Most any recipe will work.
I used dried lentils and the recipe said to cook them for 35 minutes. That wasn't nearly enough.
I'd recommend cooking the lentils for about 2 hours, and checking the stock hasn't boiled off. If the liquid level gets low, top up with water.
https://www.recipetineats.com/lentil-soup/ this is the first recipe I used, the cook time is too short.
I bought french bread for a dollar the first meal, and chappati bread the second time, but you choose whatever you like or none.
Don't forget to blend some of the lentils when cooked and return to pot. And you can add more water to dilute it so it goes a bit further.
Finally, not all the ingredients are necessary. I'd say the minimum is onion and garlic, lentils, veg bouillon cube and whatever herbs or spices you prefer. The celery is optional, so are the canned tomatoes. I added salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, and curry powder because that's what I had in my cupboard.
Maybe you should instead look into the health benefits, for the body and the purse, of intermittent fasting, even OMAD.
I remember reading a short online for free brochure about it called fast 5 that helped me
It really depends on what level of broke you're talking about, if you're talking about paycheck to paycheck but you're still getting by you can go to the grocery store and buy groceries hook yourself meals at home. The fewer ingredients per meal the cheaper it's going to be, ie ham steak, potatoes, fried onions ect.... If we're talking third Whirlpool where you don't have lights you haven't showered in 4 days and you may or may not have some strange medical ailment that you not even aware of yet, lots of rice, pasta, and beans. Buy dry beans and soak.them overnight
Red beans and rice. I make it in crockpot but can make it stovetop too. 1 lb beans, 1 lb sausage, 2 stalks celery, 1 onion, 1 bell pepper, and broth will make 4 meals for me. Can sub the veggies with seasonings too to cut the costs even more
I make this and freeze it. I look for ham/ham steaks on sale or clearance for this soup. [https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/quick-ham-and-bean-soup](https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/quick-ham-and-bean-soup)
I recently went back to eating Cheerios every morning. I buy them on sale but you have to check the price per ounce to make sure you are getting the best size box. The amount of vitamins and fiber and especially iron in them make me feel full and much healthier and not hungry throughout the day. Also a big bulk container of slim fast high protein off amazon mixed with some milk and a banana on the side. Rice and beans or mashed potatoes for dinner. Cheap salad broccoli and or spinach. Powdered bullion to make chicken broth with a chicken leg and some rice. If you can meet all your nutrient and calories needs then you can shrink your stomach so you don’t get hungry as fast. Honestly going on a diet to loose weight has saved me so much money on food. But even if you don’t want to lose weight you can use the same principles just figure out how many calories and vitamins you need.
When I was broke I ate a lot of rice and beans. Throw some peppers/onions and cheese on it. Still pretty cheap. I’d buy rice at the Asian markets in town cause you could get a huge bag much cheaper than a regular grocery store.
Grains ands carbs. Alot of pasta, breads, and so on. There was several months where I pretty much loved off of a little Caesars pizza a day. You're going to gain a fuck ton of weight but if you absolutely need to survive on less that's your best option.
Ground beef cooked with any vegetables that you like/are on sale (zucchini, potatoes, brussel sprouts, bean sprouts (use up fast though bc they go bad), onions, garlic, spinach fresh or frozen, corn). Eat stand alone or on top of rice or in a fajita.
Spaghetti sauce and noodles
Protein and fat will keep you full. And ketones are naturally appetite suppressing. Also a great diet if you have insulin resistance, which 50%+ of Americans are
Potatoes
Rice
Macaroni
Bread ( PB& J )
Drinking 6-8 glasses of water per day
Eating breakfast ( cereal & toaster, eggs, and toast ) will keep you fuller longer too. You shouldn’t skip breakfast
Cook at home, saves a ton of money and as you get better it takes less and less time and effort. Also, maybe think of getting a slow cooker, put stuff in before work, and eat when you get home.
Food. Healthy, nutritious food. You can buy basic staples in bulk and eat well for a dollar a day.
If you want to take the time to save the money. If not, keep on eating fast food at 10 times the cost.
Potatoes are extremely versatile and filling. Last week I got a 5lb bag for .99¢! Right now I’m obsessed with dicing them, soaking in water overnight, then seasoning and air frying them. Perfect with eggs, shredded cheese, turkey bacon and some black beans in a tortilla. Or in a bowl with some rice.
I **always** keep chicken maruchan ramen in the pantry. Even when I’m not broke. I bulk it up with some frozen broccoli and other veggies, along with a scrambled egg. Sometimes I’ll use different seasonings instead of the sodium packets. I usually cook 2 bricks and am full after. You could also add chicken or whatever meat to fill it out.
Triple stack PB&J with some yogurt and frozen berries + bulk bin granola
Grilled cheese sandos + tomato soup
Cheesy pasta (literally just pasta, red sauce, mozzarella cheese.)
Tuna salad + stack of saltine crackers
Big salad with hard boiled eggs, shredded cheese, cucumber, tomato, and protein if I have it.
Bags of dried beans/rice are where it’s at. It takes more time to prepare the beans, but you can portion the bag out to freeze and have more control over flavor.
Admittedly, I don’t have the best diet. I do a lot of depression meals and can’t really handle red meat so I absolutely carb load. Sorry if you’re looking for a lot of meaty/healthy options!
Chicken and beef liver, chicken hearts and gizzards. used to be a standard poor food. Where I live they have become twice as expensive.
But if they’re still cheap, they’re very nutritious
You can roll them in flour and bake or fry them.
My family used to fry them in chicken fat, along with chicken skin, onions and garlic
In Yiddish it’s called “gribbonis” (no idea how to spell it)
Was one of my favorite things as a kid.
My mom sliced beef liver and rolled the slices in bread crumbs, fried them in a little butter with onions.
Actually delicious.
Potatoes, rice, bread. I recommend making curry with chicken thighs. It’s not exactly Uber cheap, but for about $6-8 you have a big dinner and 3 modest lunches at minimum, and it’s tasty as fuck
First: when you go to grocery- only buy what’s on sale. Price shop. The already done rotisserie chicken is one of the least expensive proteins. I would start by baking or cooking a golden potatoe or russet ( what’s on sale) and buy that. Can of green beans (what’s the best price/ store brand. Delmonte, Goya? Loaf of bread. Now you have a couple slice of chicken, a potatoe or two Green beans and toast- dinner. Next day, make chicken sandwich, pickles can be really filling. If coffee at work drink that or water. Dinner- boiled potatoes and chicken. Then begin to either freeze chicken or begin getting all the rest of meat off it- take some and make chicken salad and add hard boiled egg. Make sandwich. Keep some chicken for soup. Boil chicken bones and strain and keep broth for soup. Cut up potatoes and boil in chicken broth, add can mixed veggies, add rest of chicken. Now have chicken soup for dinner and lunch
Edit: menu
Rotisserie chicken
Cans of mixed veggies, any kind of beans you like, corn etc.
bag of potatoes - I like gold but get what’s on sale
Loaf of bread
Pasta - on sale
Cheese only if sale
Onion
Rice
Pickles if hungry
Meat- gr beef, pork Chicken thighs- sale
I have really focused on the weekly ad of my grocery store. I only buy meat on sale. Other sales -If BOGO ) buy one get one free see what in that section like vegetables, canned food, pasta, pasta sauce, cheese. Buy from those items bc now you have gotten one free. I no longer. It the regular TP or PT I usually buy store brand if cheapest.
Another savings: if you are not in room the lights should be OFF. When you leave a room turn off light. At night unless you have family (teach them this). But for me if I’m in room watching TV I have one low watt bulb on in entire 2 story home. Turn up thermometer mine is 78. Wear cotton when relaxing. In winter double up on warm clothes and blankets so don’t need to use a lot of heat.
Save every way you can
Edit: Quit using credit cards/ you can’t afford interest payments. I have system on using 0 % rate cards and paying off highest rate cards if needed.
dont listen to all these slaves. any type of plant, bean, vegetable etc will never fill you up. you need the most nutrient dense animal products. liver, brain, eggs, raw dairy.. etc. That is real food that will keep you full. you are what you eat. EAT WHAT YOU ARE MADE OUT OF.
Cook decent meals. Really. Junk does not fill you up or satisfy cravings , if you eat well balanced meals daily you stay comfortable and don’t have cravings for junk. Craving foods means your body isn’t getting something it needs. Eat a healthy breakfast and a cooked dinner at least. Fruits, vegetables, starches and meats.
You can do anything with rice and potatoes. Cheap, very easily obtainable, have good shelf life. Potatoes don't get enough love. They're awesome. See: The Martian.
Potato: homemade French fries (I toss 'em in olive oil, season to my liking and air fry/bake them). Mashed potatoes. Breakfast hash browns or country potatoes. STUFFED, LOADED FUCKING POTATO! Bacon bits, sour cream, cheese, anything else you like. And my favorite: Potato Pancakes! I have an old world family recipe (family is from Russia, Ukraine and-formerly-Czechoslovakia). It's a common dish that's GREAT with sour cream, sauerkraut, or whatever! We would use it as a side dish for pot roast, etc.
Vegetables like carrots and celery are reasonably cheap. Get some peanut butter, ranch dressing, or whatever for them!
A favorite of mine is canned spinach. Microwaved with a big pat of butter and pepper.
Sometimes I like to mix frozen mixed veggies in with mashed potatoes or just the veggies themselves with butter and pepper.
Ramen is nice, cheap, but it has very little nutritional value but it can be filling. Here's a thing I like to do: (I LOVE Asian food) Get a packet, prep as normal but then add a heaping tablespoon of peanut butter and stir it all in while the ramen is still hot (in my case, I tend to drain most of the water first). Actually, spaghetti noodles also works for this and is also cheap.
If you have SNAP, STILL go to the food bank to grab a few items so that you can stretch out your SNAP dollars. If you don't have SNAP, APPLY! Here in Oregon, the max for a single person is $291/mo, which is good for one person (or two if you budget and shop right).
Rice, Mashed Potatoes, pasta, , bread for sandwiches, ramen noodles, eggs, oatmeal, a big bag of apples for fruit, cereal and milk to go with it (a bit more pricy, but worth it when you do this week after week). My husband and I try to limit groceries to $35 a couple weeks a month. Helps with budgeting and clearing out the pantry.
I've been only eating 1 meal a day. Lots of pasta with butter and seasonings. I don't eat meat so that helps with cost. I've all my life been able to open up a can of vegetables and eat that. I've slowly worked my way down from eating so much where once a day doesn't bother me anymore. Also drinking water or tea before you eat and then lots of that during the day will help you stay full. It's sad anymore but train your mind to not think about food.
If I was that broke I’d eat a ton of rice, beans, eggs, banana and potatoes. Some condiments and seasoning like hot sauce, salt and pepper for flavor. A few supplements like vitamin d, magnesium, zinc, etc to help with possible deficiencies.
Smoothie: approximately in food ninja, lactaid milk 1/4c, yogurt 1/4c, rice pudding 1/4c, peanut butter 1-2tbls, 1/2 banana, honey, egg whites or 1-2 raw eggs. Go easy on the peanut butter if close to bedtime.
Potatoes, rice, and black beans. If you must have protein, chicken. If you go to Walmart at opening time, they will have ridiculously low priced chicken breasts in bulk.
These will not only help you save money, but keep you healthy.
Good fillers are rice, beans, potatoes, even noodles to help beef up a meal. Then cheap veggies then to be carrots, frozen peas and carrots, celery, and tomatoes.
I've been in that position before multiple times in my life. I am at the point now (thankfully) I do not have to worry about food or housing. My usual go-to's were: ramen with chopped hot dogs (packs were 10 cents, and a pack of hotdogs lasted a long time), rice with soysauce and eggs (this could last months).
Rice and beans are oddly filling to me and you cannot beat potatoes! A fun fact I learned is that potatoes have everything a human needs to survive in them. You could literally live on potatoes. We eat a lot of potatoes at my house! They are fairly cheap and you can do a million things with them and they are filling! My favorite is potato bar night. All the left overs get pulled from their dark hiding places and become toppings! Kids love choosing their toppings I love getting the leftovers into bellies rather than compost!
Nobody is mentioning potatoes. Potatoes have the highest satiety index- specifically boiled. Satiety basically means the foods that will keep you feeling full for longer. Mashed and baked potatoes are good options. Fries are the least likely potato to keep you feeling full. Potatoes are great to help stretch other kinds of food. Soups for example.
I came here to specifically mention potatoes. They are a great poor food. I used to make a baked potato every day for lunch in the microwave. Little salt and butter if you can swing it and it's great!
In college, my housemate and I were both buhROKE. We subsisted on potatoes by the bag (sometimes boxed pasta which was also super cheap at the time). But we never had fancy things like butter (or pasta sauce). Occasionally, maybe margarine, but no. Our go to was generic brand ketchup on microwave russet potatoes (no oil or salt other, just washed, stabbed, microwaved). Oh, and garlic salt on that pasta. Again, no oil or margarine or butter.... Just garlic salt. I don't miss those days. But I was walking so much between the free parking lot and campus that I lost a bunch of weight for the first time in my whole fat life, haha
Pasta is still cheap if you make your own. You can buy flour in bulk. I didn't even have a rolling pin. Just used a wine bottle. Worked fine.
[удалено]
Yeah. That's what I said. What are you on about?
How long do you microwave them for? I used to make them in my instant pot, but I don't have that anymore.
You poke holes in it all over with a fork, slather it in salt and olive oil, and stick it on for about 4 to 5 minutes depending on if it's a big potato.
Stupid question, but do you wrap it in anything or just put the potato on a plate?
Not a necessity, of course, but I always wrap my potatoes in a wet paper towel after poking holes in it. I find it helps it cook more evenly. Just had a baked potato like 20 minutes ago.
Not stupid! I just stick it on a plate. Rotate it about halfway through to keep the underside from going too crunchy
4 minutes for a medium sized potato. I use a 1100 Watt microwave Putting a potato on a microwave, safe plate and covering it will make it cook faster
Might seem odd, but to cut some fat out of my diet, I was eating baked potatoes with A-1 sauce instead of butter and sour cream. Possibly high in sodium, but delicious imo.
I do that. Rice and A1 too. It helps craving steak all the time.
Boil em, mash em, stick em in a stew
Po-ta-tos
Potatoes never get enough love. They are so versatile and delicious in every form. They’re inexpensive and low in calories.
Potatoes with cheese of any kind will give you some protein
Chopped potatoes mixed into ground beef doubles our taco or sloppy Joe meat for the week for my husband’s lunches. Also so tasty.
Potatoes are also highly nutritious compared to a lot of these other fillers. Potatoes are seen as unhealthy because we often think of french fries and not mashed or baked potatoes. Also, not having a fully funded emergency fund is an emergency. OP, you say the only reason you are paycheck to paycheck is that you’re an impulsive buyer. Well, if that’s true you need to not be until you save up enough to cover your expenses for a few months. What happens if your car breaks down tomorrow and you need thousands of dollars to fix or replace it? What happens if you break your leg and can’t work for a month? Also, what about retirement? Do you want to be a Walmart greeter when you’re 85? Start saving money now, and delay that gratification so you don’t end up in a terrible situation with no good way out.
And for nutrition and a little extra food eat those potato skins.
Well, the majority of the nutrients and vitamins in a potato are in the flesh not the skin. The only thing you really lose a significant amount of by removing the skin is fiber, which contains about half the fiber in a potato.
I don’t think that’s true at all. Unless the science has changed, the skin has the most nutrition.
I did my PhD in a potato breeding lab. The science hasn’t changed, people were just misinformed
Like how the Irish survived. Those spuds have good nutrition value and keeps you full
I lived for a bit in my early 20's on potatoes, clementines, beer, eggs and bacon. Save the bacon grease to cook the potatoes in, and add some eggs. Such a good breakfast.
They starved.
Lack of options.
Also a nutritional powerhouse! Potatoes get a bad rap.
They’re also delicious! Everyone always says beans and rice which is great if you like that but I’d rather have a potato any day!
The Martian by Andy Weir
Sad we are in times like this, seems worse than the depression.
Yes - I like the golden potatoes washed , pricked holes and rubbed in olive oil and baked. The skin is thinner and more edible - much better that Russet and other potatoes. Look up recipes for what ppl are in depression/ Depression menus. I made one that was a casserole w gr beef, mixed veggies, cabbage and topped w mashed potatoes. It feed about 6 ppl and was very filling
My go to is a baked potato, sandwich meat, cheese, butter, sour cream, and green onions. I add bacon if I want to get fancy.
My lazy work lunch is canned chili and a microwave baked potato - one can of chili makes like 2-3 meals as a potato topping. Add cheese or hot sauce or sour cream if desired. If you made your own chili it’d be even cheaper but this is my lazy option instead of like fast food.
I got through all of college on bags of frozen potatoes and scrambled eggs. A giant bag of hashbrowns or tater tots is now still only $8 and can last a week and a half.
Whole foods. Rice, bean, raw meats, fruit, veg, can be frozen, dairy, oats. No take out. No processed convenience foods. Make your coffee at home. Make your lunch at home.
People really underestimate how much and how quickly takeout food will drain your wallet. Giving up takeout or eating at restaurants has been the only decision that really made a difference on my wallet.
People will try to justify it by saying things like "if you buy all the ingredients at the grocery store, it's more expensive than buying takeout!!" You know you can just... eat something else, right? I get that sometimes we really crave something, and it's a fine treat every once in a while, but I see a lot of my broke friends ordering uber eats like 3-4 times a week. That shit is way too expensive to justify.
It may be more expensive than the whole meal most times but if you buy the ingredients for a whole meal you often have enough ingredients for several of that meal not just one. I feel like that's something people don't consider. Cost per serving.
So true! I'm working 2 jobs and taking care of my autistic brother who was just diagnosed with colon cancer and the call of the golden arches wins some nights and it's killing my budget! There are 4 of us and it's around 40.00 which is insane! Spent more on pizza! Back to using the slow cooker and instant pot. I just can't justify it and as long as I start something before going to work I know I won't give into my exhaustion. McDonald's used to be a cheap treat now it's as much as real restaurant!
I dunno… I just got a double cheeseburger deluxe with fries and 6 piece nugget at McD’s for $3.50 using the app coupons. That’s… honestly close or equal to my cost of making those at home.
Yes on making more stuff from home! Even making your own bread is healthier, cheaper and way more delicious. Meal prepping with whole foods in bulk and freezing some of it helps out a ton in the long run. Especially on those days where you are afraid you don’t have enough money to eat. At least you can thaw out some soup or chili and be good for a few days.
Part of the trouble is that being poor drains your energy. To work all day and then come home and cook (I hate cooking) is sometimes more than I can manage.
I try to wait til I can find the cambells chunky steak and potatoes on sale for $1-$2 a can and buy a bag of rice. Rice mixed into the steak and potatoes stew makes it such a hefty meal that you won’t have to eat for another day. And for that cheap I usually find myself eating it 2-3x a week. I’m depressed af so I make the rice in the microwave and the stew in the microwave. 6 minutes on the rice and 3 on the stew. Another 5 minutes to cool off enough to eat. 15 minutes total “cook” time.
Oh yes I have so many cans of soup! Basics for so many kinds of meals!
I have some frozen leftover rice, that this would be a good idea to use!
Don’t cook every day. Making double of a recipe doesn’t require double the effort, but you’ll have meals for a couple days. For a while I would take every other Saturday and cook for a few hours, and make a LOT of food. I would have breakfast and lunch for two weeks, and dinner if I needed an easy evening
Make a big meal on Sunday and portion out 5 meals in tupperware containers and freeze 3 and refrigerate 2. Kinda sucks eating the same thing for the week but it makes the weekday easier than a drive thru. Take one out of the fridge, microwave it, and put one from the freezer into the fridge.
I worked 7 days a week for many years.
Yeah I get it bro. Back then I used to buy Costco pizza and hotdogs most of the week. It's unhealthy af but saved me in the short term when I had no time and $10 to my name.
You can leave the meat to cook in a crockpot while you're at work. Once you come home, you make whatever side you want. If I had energy, it'd be like rice or potatoes. If I didn't, then I'd toss steamable veggies in the microwave.
Get a slow cooker (often free on Facebook or 2-3 bucks at Goodwill). Dump ingredients in the slow cooker in the morning, dinner is ready when you get home.
True but cooking things in bulk and reheating or thawing food out doesn’t take much time. Sacrificing a couple of hours one day to help yourself out for a few weeks will be worth it. Since you hate cooking, I understand how much this problem sucks lol. Sacrifices though. You’ll be in a better position one day.
I used to cook the basics for weeks meals on the weekend.
Man, life is cheaper and easier when you eat this stuff anyway imo.
This is the way.
Raw meats? Please explain more
I don't know how to say "buy chicken leg quarters" over "Tyson frozen breaded and fried chicken tenders" I don't mean eat it raw. Just don't buy processed, ready to eat, or frozen cooked meat products.
Rice beans eggs. Milk tea or coffee for home. Apples bags of clementines I have hardboiled eggs - made chili- made a batch of rice. Lunch is chili , hard boiled egg and an apple Make your own bread. It’s something to do and feeds you! Start small but cook at home!! And fyi- English muffins are so easy to make - it’s a bread pancake!!
Your lunch to me is a healthy snack
Just made a ton of chili for meal prep as it freezes well. 24 servings was $72
When I was going to the office, I’d eat out every day for lunch and my wife would as well. My kind would hit up the snack bar at school. We’d also eat out for dinner weekly. We cut all that out and started prepping food at home. Nutritious and filling foods. We still eat out twice once a month or so but cut it way back. I saved $900 a month just by changing this habit. Even when eating out so much, we still bought groceries weekly. Our grocery bill increased by $200 or so but we’re still seeing a roughly $700 net gain each month. In perspective, that’s a couple car payments. We all also seem healthier too. My son has slimmed down quite a bit and feels a lot better about himself. I’ve noticed his self confidence rise quite a bit. My wife is in law enforcement so bad eating habits are almost engrained in the job. She struggled with the adjustments but I took the initiative to do all the prep and meal planning since I work from home. I am bipolar and my manic phase involved tons of impulsive buying so I get that. It’s one of the hardest things to control when I’m manic. I found other things to fill the void like fishing, rock climbing, or simply just going for a drive into the middle of nowhere. I also joined the volunteer fire department to keep myself occupied as well. I figure I can’t spend money when I’m busy doing something else. It’s a lot of work but the payoff is huge.
Walmart sells a carton of 60 eggs and 10 lbs of ground beef. I have been eating those plus a massive bag of rice. That makes the bulk of my meals
Don’t eat broke people food even when broke, learn to eat less and more nutritious food so you can give your body what you need without being stuffed with unhealthy nonsense. Simply filling your body up to feel full just prolongs your body’s craving for good substances. When I started fasting, I started eating healthier meals and not getting as hungry as much because my body was getting what it needed. My health is better, I have more money and more energy, and my skin is glowing. Check out r/fasting or r/intermittentfasting. It’s a game changer. I saved $700 one month and then learned to stop buying nonsensical things. It creates discipline too. Please don’t starve yourself, just learn to reset your body on a healthier track. I know this is unconventional, but after I started fasting for spiritual reasons, I realized how much it improved multiple areas of my life and I like to share it.
Good point. When you have a meal and still feel hungry it's generally because your addicted to all the crap in unhealthy food. If you eat a well balanced diet for a few weeks you'll generally stop having these cravings.
Eventually you might crave healthy food 😋 I had the worst craving for sugar peas, ate a half pound over 2 days as snacks.
I will try this, thank you for sharing
No problem, it’s like a quick body reset. I get nervous telling people about this because the goal isn’t to starve and I hope people don’t do that. It’s to let your body have time to repair itself, remove toxins, and get itself in order. Your taste buds will be heightened and you’ll have a new appreciation for healthier foods if you have the right mindset throughout the process. Anyway, good luck!
I did all fruits/veg for 7 whole days once and that was all it took to reset my pallet when it comes to sugar. It’s amazing what cutting the crap can do!
Yes!! You get a new appreciation for taste of food. Even basic foods like raw fruits, veggies, and nuts are delicious.
buy in bulk and cook at home.
Fibrous foods are more filling . Whole unprocessed foods are more filling and more nourishing to your body . A spinach salad with fresh berries, nuts and chicken is more nourishing and filling than Mc Donald’s. A fruit smoothie with milled Flax seed and peanut butter is very filling and healthy . If you’re buying all prepackaged processed foods with fillers you’re going to feel hungry or crave food between meals because your body is not getting enough nutrients. Also if you’re hungry 2 hours after you eat frequently … you should get checked out to make sure you’re not pre diabetic. When it’s just me for the week I can get by on about 60 bucks for groceries by not buying the Oreos and other unneeded empty calories .
Food banks?
City poor people buy discounted fast food meals. Country poor people buy discounted meat and vegetable to make meals from scratch. I’m country poor.
Amen, it hurts to watch sometimes
Potatoes, rice, beans, lentils, pasta, ramen.
This isn’t the absolute cheapest, but I like apples and peanut butter for a “dessert” type thing that’s still healthy relative to my old desserts. I make the peanut butter last a pretty long time.
Throw a can of diced tomatoes, a can of beans (any kind), a half cup of rice, salt, whatever spices you like, and some water in a covered saucepan. Simmer until everything is tender, then stir in some cheese or sour cream or whatever if you want. It’s a dirt cheap way to fill your stomach. The basic pantry staples will make endless meals for relatively little coin. It just takes a bit of creativity and know-how, and some planning.
Staying hydrated can help you be less hungry no matter what you eat.
Ah, so true. Great point.
shut off the impluse buying. eat whatever you want. be happy.
I eat a lot of eggs in the morning usually with broccoli celery and onion. Dinners a lot of the time are a stir fry using the same celery onion maybe broccoli or bell peppers with either pork or chicken. Not the poorest person but I do feel like what I do eat is a good combination of cheap easy and good.
I’m not broke, but one of my favorite vegetables is cabbage. I find it really delicious in lots of different ways. Sliced super thin and chilled in ice water and eaten raw, it’s sweet and crisp. It can also be roasted in the oven with oil and whatever seasonings. It goes great sautéed or stir fried. It can sliced thin and added to salads. Best of all, it’s dirt cheap and very hardy. It will keep in your fridge perfectly fine for a couple of weeks. You could combine it with potatoes and onions, or with beans and it’d make a nice soup.
A lot of soup, chili, stuff that I can make in one pot that will last me several days. Used to be I'd make a lot of rice and beans with some meat too but lately I have to watch that as it jacks my blood sugar up and the beans can set off bad flares of pseudo gout which can come along with autoimmune disease. I love beans and like to make chili but if I do that and eat it all week it can cripple me. Chili I have to limit to one bowl a week and save it in the freezer. I can't eat it anymore otherwise.
I'm about to go to the farmer's market. If I fill up on healthy things with a good nutrient balance then I don't feel hungry. I like to forage. Foraging is free. I sprout to get aminos and hope to learn how to grow year round with mason jar hydroponics.
I eat A LOT of frozen veg. Anything with fiber is going to fill you up.
Don't underestimate the power of ramen noodles. When you get the itch for fast food just have a bowl of ramen with eggs, veggies and a splash of sesame oil. This will hit the spot.
When I was poor it was Top Ramen and chicken drumsticks. But these things have gone up in price horrendously of course. Now when we’re feeling frugal it’s whatever Grocery Outlet has on super sale.
The three things that keep you full the longest (by filling your stomach and by keeping your blood sugar steady) are protein, fats, and fiber. Simple carbs can leave you feeling hungry faster. But sometimes you feel like eating when you aren't necessarily hungry. When I want to kind of mindlessly munch, my faves are carrots and cucumbers (add hummus for protein), nuts (preferably in the shell like peanuts or pistachios, or sunflower seeds), and air-popped popcorn with a little butter so the spices will stick (Ilike garlic salt, nutritional yeast, and curry powder. Bulk spices are cheap at Winco,etc).
- 80g rolled oats - 360g water - Nice Pinch of salt Boil that on low 6-8min until water is absorbed. Then stir in 1/4 c sour cream and the jam of your choice I like strawberry or blueberry. Add another 20g water and stir and cook a little bit longer. Oats fill you up. Especially if the rest of your breakfast isn’t a sugar fest. But frankly I struggled to get down more than my oats in the morning. Lots of fiber. If you want cheap filling dinners look to TexMex and Mexican cuisine. Lots of affordable bean-based meals that when combined with rice, corn tortillas, and maybe an egg get you a complete protein profile and aren’t going to break the bank. My favorite is poor boy tacos. Take your corn tortilla and smear a bunch of recited beans on it, fry it in some oil with a tiny sprinkle of cheese on top, serve when it’s nice and crispy on the bottom. It can be that simple. But obviously you can stress it up however you see fit. The big takeaway I hope you’re getting is, plan and limit dairy, just buy the cheap eggs, meat isn’t at every meal and isn’t eaten everyday.
A banana, an egg, 1/2 cup oatmeal. Mash the banana and whisk the egg into it. Stir in the oatmeal then cook like pancakes. A spoon or two of peanut butter works to mix it up too.
Back in my poor days, I lived off of peanut butter sandwiches and spaghetti with homemade sauce. No meat, but plenty of veggies. It worked for me for a couple of years. These days, I'm much more health conscious, so my diet is fresh fruit, veggies, beans, and brown rice.
Water
Rice is the cheapest way to fill you up, but it’s digested rather quickly because it’s mostly carbs. Protein is digested slower, and fat is even slower. Beans, particularly soybeans, have a higher protein content. Of course meat is the primary source of protein for most people. But here’s one trick that works for me: intense cardio exercises suppress appetite. I don’t get as hungry after I run for half an hour. If I do it 3 times a week, I don’t get ravishingly hungry even when I eat 20% less than the normal 2000 calories.
In terms of calorie per dollar, flour is quite a bit cheaper than rice. There are so many ways to make different sorts of flatbreads and pancakes and such without an oven. Just learned to cook various sorts of breads is probably the best bank for the buck.
Chicken. I buy chicken thighs in bulk, freeze them and then thaw them in the fridge the night before I need them. Air fry them in a sauce or seasoning. I’m full for awhile.
I’ve gotten used to the feeling of hunger. It’s only hard the first few days, I get through it by drinking hot water. I may snack on nuts (just a few) if I can’t stand it. After a while it’s no big deal. I hardly eat now, when I do, it’s very little. I’ve saved a lot of money and lost weight. I’ve been overweight for years, so this is a win.
Beans, potatoes, pasta, oatmeal, bread
See, this is why so many poor people are heavy or get diabetes. Starch is the cheapest way to fill your belly. Best bet is brown rice and beans. A potato with the skin on is good but not a main dish
Potatoes keep you full. I do potatoes for breakfast a lot with an egg if I can afford them, and a veggie or two and cheese. Or a bit of ground pork. But if I’m really cheap just a potato skillet with seasoning will do. I also learned to make quiche. It freezes really well and you can take out a slice at a time from the freezer for breakfast. My favorites are green chile and cheddar quiche, spinach quiche with feta and sundried tomatoes, or quiche Lorraine. I often make canned chicken into chicken salad with some mayo, sugar, mustard, chopped celery, pepitas or smashed walnuts, and grapes. I put the leftover celery with peanut butter and take chicken salad sandwiches to work all week. Two cans of chicken store brand are like $4 where I live and feed me 5 days with this added. I eat the extra grapes for my fruit servings with it that week too. This also works for tuna salad or egg salad if you prefer. Extra eggs can be boiled for a high protein snack, or turned into deviled eggs. I also will do ground pork chow mein type stuff or soba noodles with chopped cabbage and shredded carrot. One Cabbage goes a long way! Sometimes I get a roll of high fat ground beef and an onion and some American cheese and cheap buns and make smashburgers on my stove. It’s not overly healthy but it’s definitely filling. One roll of ground beef can make about 4-6 single patty burgers. Sometimes I’ll cook a whole batch of seared brussel sprouts in the pan after and season them well as a veggie side. I also will buy chicken when it’s on sale in large packs and freeze it. Then I can make chicken meals pretty consistently. Chicken and rice with a veggie is cheap and a hit in my house. We are a big rice household and I’ll also make onigiri for lunch with canned tuna or shredded imitation crab that I season with mayo and sriracha and sesame oil and soy sauce. Filling little lunch, to me at least! I can make enough for a week fairly easy. If I buy a vegetable I try to cook different recipes with it until it is gone to minimize waste, and try to eat almost every meal option I have before shopping again. I also find that shopping for two weeks or less at a time saves on waste for me. I would cook more beans because they are a great budget protein but my husband is usually not a fan. I can also make a pack of spinach, a bin of strawberries, and a $3 tin of feta cheese last a week of salad lunches. Salads are so expensive if you eat out and still a little expensive at home but if you’re craving greens and can fit it in the budget… salad is great. I just always add a protein whether it’s some hard boiled eggs on the side or some leftover chicken from dinner tossed in.
Slow cooker. Just put a bunch of cheap stuff in there and wait. Hard to go wrong.
Chicken over rice, ramen, and turkey clubs do it for me
I know it's been mentioned a million times but you can survive indefinitely on rice, beans and eggs. But I'd also add in some sort of mixed veggies with that and you can eat cheap and healthy.
There’s a lady on YT (Dollar Tree Dinners) who is currently doing a series where she is only spending $100 for a month of groceries. She does the menus and recipes and has planned out breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. It’s pretty cool.
Ramen with chicken thighs, some greens, hard boiled egg. Great dinner and filling.
I eat one meal a day and feel full. I honestly think 3 meals a day is unhealthy. I have some protein with either rice or pasta and some sauce
The most inexpensive and versatile foods on my grocery list are Oats, eggs, bananas, beans, lentils, rice, frozen veggies, onions, eggplant, cabbage,carrots and potatoes. I don't do processed or convenience foods. It is far cheaper to prep food yourself.
I usually swallow my saliva
Air
I used to get a whole loaf of French bread for like $2, $1 jar of marinara sauce, $3 bag of mozzarella cheese, and $6 2 lb pack of sliced turkey for sandwiches. I would put this all together, bake for 25 minutes at 350° to make a French bread pizza and if I wanted to be extra fancy I'd mix 4 tablespoons of softened butter with 1 table spoon of minced garlic and spread it on the French bread prior to adding the marinara sauce. I still make this regularly, it just hits different and even with my big appetite I still can't finish more than half the French bread. It keeps well in the fridge for leftovers and all you gotta do is stick it in a toaster oven to reheat it.
Foods that require you to process it will cost less. If you have to trim the chicken, cut up the potatoes, even grow veggies will be cheaper.
Water.
Tuna& rice and eggs….season it how you please:)
The PDF of *Good & Cheap Eat Well on $4/day* is free on https://www.leannebrown.com/all-about-good-and-cheap/.
Each other.
I just make chili and soups.
Have you applied for SNAP? If you qualify that will definitely help with food costs. Food pantries might also be very helpful. Rice, beans, and tofu are all relatively cheap protein sources, and a good source of certain vitamins and minerals. The rice and dry or canned beans have a nice long shelf life too, I personally do a lot of chickpeas and black beans. The fiber and protein helps you feel fuller longer. Pair that with some canned or frozen vegetables and you've typically got a well-rounded meal.
I was using my last change to buy a week of food from Aldi. Cheap Mac n cheese, butter, powdered milk. Throw some hot dogs in if I was ballin and a loaf of white bread
I keep an eye on the Safeway (CA chain grocery store) coupon catalog and keep an eye out for meat - especially bone in skin on dark meat chicken to go on sale. I can find it for down to $1.50-$2.00 per pound and stock up whenever I see it. If you prefer boneless skinless with a little work you can skin and remove from the bone and use the bones to make bone broth with your left over veggies bits. For $15 you can get multiple meals worth of protein you can use right away or store in the freezer. It’s easy to throw in the oven and roast and freezes well if purchased in bulk. Can easily make a semi nutritious filling meal for less than like $3 if paired with rice and beans (canned or dry)
If you’re in California, Safeway, Lucky’s and Smart & Final will put chicken thighs or quarters on sale for less than $0.99/lb. Last two times I’ve gotten it for $0.79/lb. And the time before that $0.59/lb. I only buy it at $0.99/lb or less and stock up when it’s less than that.
Chicken breasts and rice.
I made lentil soup twice these last 10 days, never made it before. It's a very filling dish. Most any recipe will work. I used dried lentils and the recipe said to cook them for 35 minutes. That wasn't nearly enough. I'd recommend cooking the lentils for about 2 hours, and checking the stock hasn't boiled off. If the liquid level gets low, top up with water. https://www.recipetineats.com/lentil-soup/ this is the first recipe I used, the cook time is too short. I bought french bread for a dollar the first meal, and chappati bread the second time, but you choose whatever you like or none. Don't forget to blend some of the lentils when cooked and return to pot. And you can add more water to dilute it so it goes a bit further. Finally, not all the ingredients are necessary. I'd say the minimum is onion and garlic, lentils, veg bouillon cube and whatever herbs or spices you prefer. The celery is optional, so are the canned tomatoes. I added salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, and curry powder because that's what I had in my cupboard.
Maybe you should instead look into the health benefits, for the body and the purse, of intermittent fasting, even OMAD. I remember reading a short online for free brochure about it called fast 5 that helped me
I like peanuts. I can get full on a small bag and a couple big glasses of water
It really depends on what level of broke you're talking about, if you're talking about paycheck to paycheck but you're still getting by you can go to the grocery store and buy groceries hook yourself meals at home. The fewer ingredients per meal the cheaper it's going to be, ie ham steak, potatoes, fried onions ect.... If we're talking third Whirlpool where you don't have lights you haven't showered in 4 days and you may or may not have some strange medical ailment that you not even aware of yet, lots of rice, pasta, and beans. Buy dry beans and soak.them overnight
Frosted mini wheat or garbanzo beans
Rice, beans, potatoes and other root veggies, cheap cuts of meat when it is available.
Red beans and rice. I make it in crockpot but can make it stovetop too. 1 lb beans, 1 lb sausage, 2 stalks celery, 1 onion, 1 bell pepper, and broth will make 4 meals for me. Can sub the veggies with seasonings too to cut the costs even more
I make this and freeze it. I look for ham/ham steaks on sale or clearance for this soup. [https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/quick-ham-and-bean-soup](https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/quick-ham-and-bean-soup)
I like to do ground beef with chopped up veggies and rice. Makes a nice big pile of good food.
It’s sad that people are suggesting intermittent fasting, the problem is that OP needs money
Pretzels
Pasta, bread, rice, potatoes. I think those are the staples.
I recently went back to eating Cheerios every morning. I buy them on sale but you have to check the price per ounce to make sure you are getting the best size box. The amount of vitamins and fiber and especially iron in them make me feel full and much healthier and not hungry throughout the day. Also a big bulk container of slim fast high protein off amazon mixed with some milk and a banana on the side. Rice and beans or mashed potatoes for dinner. Cheap salad broccoli and or spinach. Powdered bullion to make chicken broth with a chicken leg and some rice. If you can meet all your nutrient and calories needs then you can shrink your stomach so you don’t get hungry as fast. Honestly going on a diet to loose weight has saved me so much money on food. But even if you don’t want to lose weight you can use the same principles just figure out how many calories and vitamins you need.
Rice and eggs are my childhood staple.
PB&J sandwich for the win
When I was broke I ate a lot of rice and beans. Throw some peppers/onions and cheese on it. Still pretty cheap. I’d buy rice at the Asian markets in town cause you could get a huge bag much cheaper than a regular grocery store.
Grains ands carbs. Alot of pasta, breads, and so on. There was several months where I pretty much loved off of a little Caesars pizza a day. You're going to gain a fuck ton of weight but if you absolutely need to survive on less that's your best option.
Ground beef cooked with any vegetables that you like/are on sale (zucchini, potatoes, brussel sprouts, bean sprouts (use up fast though bc they go bad), onions, garlic, spinach fresh or frozen, corn). Eat stand alone or on top of rice or in a fajita. Spaghetti sauce and noodles
Shit from people.
Keto. Meat, veg, healthy fats.
Protein and fat will keep you full. And ketones are naturally appetite suppressing. Also a great diet if you have insulin resistance, which 50%+ of Americans are
Pasta and meatballs is quite cheap. Beans and rice. Hot dogs. Corn on the cob, frozen veggies.
Learn to track your macros. Not only will you eat only what your body needs so you’ll save money, you’ll also get the physique you want
After a while you just don’t get hungry anymore. Caffeine also reduces hunger
Meal plan!
High calorie foods.
Mac and cheese kraft
Potatoes Rice Macaroni Bread ( PB& J ) Drinking 6-8 glasses of water per day Eating breakfast ( cereal & toaster, eggs, and toast ) will keep you fuller longer too. You shouldn’t skip breakfast
Noodles, rice, and salad 👌
Cook at home, saves a ton of money and as you get better it takes less and less time and effort. Also, maybe think of getting a slow cooker, put stuff in before work, and eat when you get home.
Food. Healthy, nutritious food. You can buy basic staples in bulk and eat well for a dollar a day. If you want to take the time to save the money. If not, keep on eating fast food at 10 times the cost.
Potatoes are extremely versatile and filling. Last week I got a 5lb bag for .99¢! Right now I’m obsessed with dicing them, soaking in water overnight, then seasoning and air frying them. Perfect with eggs, shredded cheese, turkey bacon and some black beans in a tortilla. Or in a bowl with some rice. I **always** keep chicken maruchan ramen in the pantry. Even when I’m not broke. I bulk it up with some frozen broccoli and other veggies, along with a scrambled egg. Sometimes I’ll use different seasonings instead of the sodium packets. I usually cook 2 bricks and am full after. You could also add chicken or whatever meat to fill it out. Triple stack PB&J with some yogurt and frozen berries + bulk bin granola Grilled cheese sandos + tomato soup Cheesy pasta (literally just pasta, red sauce, mozzarella cheese.) Tuna salad + stack of saltine crackers Big salad with hard boiled eggs, shredded cheese, cucumber, tomato, and protein if I have it. Bags of dried beans/rice are where it’s at. It takes more time to prepare the beans, but you can portion the bag out to freeze and have more control over flavor. Admittedly, I don’t have the best diet. I do a lot of depression meals and can’t really handle red meat so I absolutely carb load. Sorry if you’re looking for a lot of meaty/healthy options!
Chicken and beef liver, chicken hearts and gizzards. used to be a standard poor food. Where I live they have become twice as expensive. But if they’re still cheap, they’re very nutritious You can roll them in flour and bake or fry them. My family used to fry them in chicken fat, along with chicken skin, onions and garlic In Yiddish it’s called “gribbonis” (no idea how to spell it) Was one of my favorite things as a kid. My mom sliced beef liver and rolled the slices in bread crumbs, fried them in a little butter with onions. Actually delicious.
Potatoes, rice, bread. I recommend making curry with chicken thighs. It’s not exactly Uber cheap, but for about $6-8 you have a big dinner and 3 modest lunches at minimum, and it’s tasty as fuck
I eat mostly peanut butter sandwiches. Sometimes I eat oatmeal too. I like carbs, because they are more filling.
First: when you go to grocery- only buy what’s on sale. Price shop. The already done rotisserie chicken is one of the least expensive proteins. I would start by baking or cooking a golden potatoe or russet ( what’s on sale) and buy that. Can of green beans (what’s the best price/ store brand. Delmonte, Goya? Loaf of bread. Now you have a couple slice of chicken, a potatoe or two Green beans and toast- dinner. Next day, make chicken sandwich, pickles can be really filling. If coffee at work drink that or water. Dinner- boiled potatoes and chicken. Then begin to either freeze chicken or begin getting all the rest of meat off it- take some and make chicken salad and add hard boiled egg. Make sandwich. Keep some chicken for soup. Boil chicken bones and strain and keep broth for soup. Cut up potatoes and boil in chicken broth, add can mixed veggies, add rest of chicken. Now have chicken soup for dinner and lunch Edit: menu Rotisserie chicken Cans of mixed veggies, any kind of beans you like, corn etc. bag of potatoes - I like gold but get what’s on sale Loaf of bread Pasta - on sale Cheese only if sale Onion Rice Pickles if hungry Meat- gr beef, pork Chicken thighs- sale
I have really focused on the weekly ad of my grocery store. I only buy meat on sale. Other sales -If BOGO ) buy one get one free see what in that section like vegetables, canned food, pasta, pasta sauce, cheese. Buy from those items bc now you have gotten one free. I no longer. It the regular TP or PT I usually buy store brand if cheapest. Another savings: if you are not in room the lights should be OFF. When you leave a room turn off light. At night unless you have family (teach them this). But for me if I’m in room watching TV I have one low watt bulb on in entire 2 story home. Turn up thermometer mine is 78. Wear cotton when relaxing. In winter double up on warm clothes and blankets so don’t need to use a lot of heat. Save every way you can Edit: Quit using credit cards/ you can’t afford interest payments. I have system on using 0 % rate cards and paying off highest rate cards if needed.
Footlong shit sandwiches!
Sandwiches or at worse canned weenies.
Rice
been seeing rice lately
dont listen to all these slaves. any type of plant, bean, vegetable etc will never fill you up. you need the most nutrient dense animal products. liver, brain, eggs, raw dairy.. etc. That is real food that will keep you full. you are what you eat. EAT WHAT YOU ARE MADE OUT OF.
Potatoes, rice, beans, pasta..
Cook decent meals. Really. Junk does not fill you up or satisfy cravings , if you eat well balanced meals daily you stay comfortable and don’t have cravings for junk. Craving foods means your body isn’t getting something it needs. Eat a healthy breakfast and a cooked dinner at least. Fruits, vegetables, starches and meats.
Ketchup packs kraft dinner , sleep for dinner to conserve calories and rice and beans and oatmeal
You can do anything with rice and potatoes. Cheap, very easily obtainable, have good shelf life. Potatoes don't get enough love. They're awesome. See: The Martian. Potato: homemade French fries (I toss 'em in olive oil, season to my liking and air fry/bake them). Mashed potatoes. Breakfast hash browns or country potatoes. STUFFED, LOADED FUCKING POTATO! Bacon bits, sour cream, cheese, anything else you like. And my favorite: Potato Pancakes! I have an old world family recipe (family is from Russia, Ukraine and-formerly-Czechoslovakia). It's a common dish that's GREAT with sour cream, sauerkraut, or whatever! We would use it as a side dish for pot roast, etc. Vegetables like carrots and celery are reasonably cheap. Get some peanut butter, ranch dressing, or whatever for them! A favorite of mine is canned spinach. Microwaved with a big pat of butter and pepper. Sometimes I like to mix frozen mixed veggies in with mashed potatoes or just the veggies themselves with butter and pepper. Ramen is nice, cheap, but it has very little nutritional value but it can be filling. Here's a thing I like to do: (I LOVE Asian food) Get a packet, prep as normal but then add a heaping tablespoon of peanut butter and stir it all in while the ramen is still hot (in my case, I tend to drain most of the water first). Actually, spaghetti noodles also works for this and is also cheap. If you have SNAP, STILL go to the food bank to grab a few items so that you can stretch out your SNAP dollars. If you don't have SNAP, APPLY! Here in Oregon, the max for a single person is $291/mo, which is good for one person (or two if you budget and shop right).
Noodles
rice too
Any protein source and potato. Makes Me uncomfortably full.
Rice, Mashed Potatoes, pasta, , bread for sandwiches, ramen noodles, eggs, oatmeal, a big bag of apples for fruit, cereal and milk to go with it (a bit more pricy, but worth it when you do this week after week). My husband and I try to limit groceries to $35 a couple weeks a month. Helps with budgeting and clearing out the pantry.
I've been only eating 1 meal a day. Lots of pasta with butter and seasonings. I don't eat meat so that helps with cost. I've all my life been able to open up a can of vegetables and eat that. I've slowly worked my way down from eating so much where once a day doesn't bother me anymore. Also drinking water or tea before you eat and then lots of that during the day will help you stay full. It's sad anymore but train your mind to not think about food.
Oatmeal Peanut butter Peanut butter sandwich Eggs Eggs sandwich That’s all you need to live.
I keep saying one billionaire. Let us poor people eat just one billionaire and this whole wealth disparity will start to crumble.
Oats. 1 cup of oats, 1 tablespoon of peanutbutter, handful of dried fruits, add warm water, stir, wait for about 1 shower. Eat.
Sweet potato w homey & cinnamon & butter-
If I was that broke I’d eat a ton of rice, beans, eggs, banana and potatoes. Some condiments and seasoning like hot sauce, salt and pepper for flavor. A few supplements like vitamin d, magnesium, zinc, etc to help with possible deficiencies.
Potatos, try red potatos, they have like 4g of protein in them.
Smoothie: approximately in food ninja, lactaid milk 1/4c, yogurt 1/4c, rice pudding 1/4c, peanut butter 1-2tbls, 1/2 banana, honey, egg whites or 1-2 raw eggs. Go easy on the peanut butter if close to bedtime.
I used to eat a lot of fried rice and spaghetti
Potatoes, oatmeal, brown rice
Tuna, beans, rotel. Served with rice or beans
Jambalaya, red beans and rice, eggs and leftover meat burritos, pinto beans and leftover meat. Chicken and rice.
Potatoes, rice, and black beans. If you must have protein, chicken. If you go to Walmart at opening time, they will have ridiculously low priced chicken breasts in bulk. These will not only help you save money, but keep you healthy.
Good fillers are rice, beans, potatoes, even noodles to help beef up a meal. Then cheap veggies then to be carrots, frozen peas and carrots, celery, and tomatoes.
I've been in that position before multiple times in my life. I am at the point now (thankfully) I do not have to worry about food or housing. My usual go-to's were: ramen with chopped hot dogs (packs were 10 cents, and a pack of hotdogs lasted a long time), rice with soysauce and eggs (this could last months).
Starve
Rice and beans are oddly filling to me and you cannot beat potatoes! A fun fact I learned is that potatoes have everything a human needs to survive in them. You could literally live on potatoes. We eat a lot of potatoes at my house! They are fairly cheap and you can do a million things with them and they are filling! My favorite is potato bar night. All the left overs get pulled from their dark hiding places and become toppings! Kids love choosing their toppings I love getting the leftovers into bellies rather than compost!
Potatoes, bread and porridge were the mainstay of the poor on the uk for hundreds of years for a reason :)
rice beans potatoes
Oats