It can be hard when funds are low and your stomach is growling. Rather than going to bed early instead of starving, give one of these quick, cheap meals a try. Though they may be low on cost it seems like they're definitely not low on taste.
Reddit user, u/DealTight, wanted to hear what to fill up on when cash is low when they asked:
What is your "I'm totally broke" go to meal?
A Couple Quickies
eat homer simpson GIFGiphyUsed to eat this stuff a lot when i was a swinging bachelor living on my own barely able to pay rent
Bread sandwich
Sugar sandwiches
Mustard sandwiches - if you close your eyes you can almost taste the meat
Ramen noodles
3p cans of beans
It's The Onions That Add The Spice
Tortillas, refried beans, cheese, and hot sauce. Add an onion.
Yum.
A Quick, Boiling Snack
Drop an egg into ramen noodles while they are boiling.
this guy knows his sh-t. Pro tip: keep frozen diced onions in the freezer and put a few spoons in there too.
Ramen is great by itself, but it's also really great with just about any type of cheap food added in. Got a little bit of leftover ground beef, or onion, or egg, or bell pepper, or corn, hot dogs? Throw all that sh-t in there. Ramen makes it really easy to stretch leftovers a long way.
Both Of These Sound Great
Kraft blue box mac and cheese made with water instead of milk.
Huh, I never thought of using water.
Once, when I was in a deep depression and not really taking care if myself, I made box mac because that was a better option than getting dressed enough to meet the delivery guy, and halfway through realized my milk has gone bad, so I used ice cream as a replacement. Turned out about the same - thank goodness I had vanilla.
A Bowl Of Simple Joy
Rice.
This is the real answer. Just plain rice with salt and pepper, because butter is too expensive. $0.80 of rice, salt, and pepper will get you full af.
Always Have A Backup
happy homer simpson GIFGiphyPasta. Olive oil. Garlic.
If I don't have that then it's a grilled cheese. Hopefully I have that at least
The brokest meal I ever ate was pasta that I stole off my landlord with salt along with a bottle of his whisky.
I replaced it the next day though on payday 😂
Edible? Yeah, Why Not.
The gas station near my apartment would sell dented cans missing the labels for like 5 a $1.
Half sure I ate dog food at least once.
Simple. Efficient. Fibrous.
Beans and rice.
I'm [Brazilian] and we [practically] have beans and rice for lunch every. single. day believe it or not
Cheaper Than You Think
can't go wrong with two mashed fresh baked potatoes with spices etc. milk. butter.
Feeds the soul even in the brokest of times.
Buttery
Buttered noodles
This is actually one of my favorite meals! Topped with parmesan cheese. Total comfort food!
Butter and parmesan cheese?
You are not broke my mans.
Just Because You're Broke Doesn't Mean You Can't Be Creative
eat season 3 GIFGiphySo you get the Lipton chicken noodle soup and make that. In a separate bowl mix together one egg, one cup flour and one cup water. Adjust the water and flour until it makes a thin doughy consistency. While the soup is boiling drop blobs of that sh-t in, but make sure you stir gently so they don't stick to the bottom. You end up with chicken dumpling soup for super cheap.
This is super filling and thickens for the next day (you will have to add water and stir to reheat). I've been having this since I was a kid and I LOVE this sh-t to the point I'll make it when I'm not even broke.
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Redditor LinksOtherUncle was curious to hear what people considered the all time greatest theme song to a TV show, leading them to ask:
"What is the greatest TV Show theme song of all-time?"
"Whoo-oo"...
"Duck Tales, of course."- Beautiful-Stranger20
"Believe It Or Not It's Just Me!"
"Greatest American Hero!"- GayHole
x files GIF by The X-Files"Bum Bum BUM bum...bum bum BUM BUM bum bum bum..."
"Sanford and Son"- jkulpa
The Original MCU
"90s X-Men."- Ourobius
"Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale..."
"Gilligan's Island"- Cantbetoobad1953
Bored Gilligans Island GIF by TV Land ClassicGiphy"It's time to play the music, it's time to light the lights..."
"The Muppet Show theme song!"- Poorkiddonegood8541
"A World Of Criminals Who Operate Above The Law"
"Knight Rider!"- BladeBronson
"Heroes in a half-shell, TURTLE POWER!"
"The original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon theme."- Petulant_Platypus
ninja turtles GIF by Teenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesGiphy"You want to go where everybody knows your name."
"Cheers."- Big-Significance3604
The only thing more comforting than turning on our TVs to revisit a familiar town with familiar characters, is the comforting familiar music which greets us on our return.
Redditor Big_Piccolo_8369 was curious to learn which bits of common knowledge people were late to the party in knowing, leading them to ask:
"What is common knowledge that you found out way too late?"
Strategic Planning
"Always eat before shopping at Costco."- mtl_jim
Sometimes Silence Is Golden
"Just because I hold an opinion on something doesn't mean that I need to share it."
"I spent WAY too much of my early adulthood inserting my viewpoint into discussions that I wasn't really a part of."- xjuggernaughtx
take notes GIFHow To Keep Friendships Strong
"Simply asking 'how are you' once in awhile is all it takes to not fall apart from old friends."- a_burdie_from_hell
Know Your Worth
"Hard work isn’t always the answer."
"When I worked a minimum wage job, I would work hard and not take breaks, so a great job, and always finish early."
"I just then got told to pick up the slack for the employees who spent their time goofing off."
"Never got a promotion, raise, or even a 'hey, good job'."- Disco-Onion
Think Twice Before Lending Money
"That when people ask to borrow money especially if it's a friend or family just expect to never see it again."- Different-Chest-5716
Loan Borrow GIFGiphySpotting Charlatans
Being well-educated in one area doesn't mean that a person can't be a total idiot in other areas."- Red-belliedOrator
Never Make Decisions When Angry
"'Every action made in anger ends in sorrow'."
"An attorney, when I was 24."- yours121110
"Don't make permanent decisions based on temporary feelings."- Yoschnitzel
Angry Inside Out GIF by Disney PixarGiphyThe Importance Of Sleep
"Going too long without sleep can impair your ability to drive the same way as drinking too much alcohol."- SuvenPan
We're all bound to be looked down upon every now and then for just learning something everyone else already knows.
Though always remember, the wisest ones are those who never want to stop learning.
Redditor TolisKoutrowanted everyone to list their thoughts on the greatest of the great.
"What video game do you consider a masterpiece?"
I love you Ms. Pac-Man. Always and forever.
It's a Ride
video game physics jet GIFGiphy"Roller Coaster Tycoon 2."
Icy_Entrepreneur_859
"Loved RCT2. The canned child laughing sound and the chain lifts noise are permanently burned into my brain."
Career-Known
my whole childhood...
"Man I miss Valve... Their games were designed in a way many developers could only dream of, they were revolutionary in almost everything they laid their hands on."
johnbacosta
"Yeah that’s my whole childhood, still some of the best games… and actually playing HL- alyx for my very first VR experience was nuts. Loved it."
dub3ra
"They made a new game based in the Portal universe. It’s really short but it’s free and funny."
Advanced_Position_25
Better than Perfect
"Portal 2."
Natural-School5690
For real. The first one was absolutely perfect and then they somehow managed to make the second one even better."
Jack_Mackerel
"Portal 1's only fault is that it's very short. I just replayed it a decade since I last touched it and I cleared it in under 2 hours. Portal 2 had so much more room to add more mechanics, more puzzles, and more story. It's the perfect sequel."
YossarianWWII
Classic
"Half Life 2 was brilliant. After that I'd call out WoW Classic. It's hated now, but the first couple of years it was magic. It was a completely new experience exploring such a massive open world and nobody knew anything. So much fun on Ventrilo. Will remember forever. Championship manager in the early 90s. Maybe what I have played the most. I'll mention Fallout series, Witcher and Skyrim as well."
Joppe84
Simply the Best
Movie Raise The Roof GIF by Star WarsGiphy"Star Wars knights of the old Republic. KOTOR. Surprised it hasn’t been said."
gerbs650
"Absolutely! I played it as a kid and it practically taught me life lessons. KOTOR 2 is a little darker but quite good also."
Lensk
How can you even tell any of the Star Wars games apart?
FAVE!!
Episode 8 Mario GIF by Paramount+Giphy"Super Mario World. It’s perfect. I don’t think there’s a single thing about it that I would change."
AdevilSboyU
"That game is awesome. That and Mario 64. But I love the soundtrack from Yoshi’s Island."
HmGrwnSnc1984
Options
"Deus Ex the first one."
Funkyouup82
"At the time the open ended options and story presentation were both really impressive. You could really appreciate that the developer committed to that (e.g. you could physically destroy most locked doors). I think a lot of games stop short of doing that because they don’t want to allow brute force solutions in addition to more elegant ones."
NewKitchenFixtures
"Journey. Not as long and vast as many games here but an artistic masterpiece in my books. It’ll age much better than most games too because of the simplicity."
justthisones
"I absolutely love journey; the music mixed with the visual story telling is absolutely stunning. Also it has, imo, one of the most interesting multiplayer experiences of any game."
"It’s def one of my top three games, but Gris’ artwork and music are peak for me. Also if you really enjoyed the exploration of Journey, you’ll probably love Outer Wilds. Great game, it’ll leave you wishing you could forget it and play it all again."
SynnamonSunset
Play NOW!
"Chrono Trigger, if you know you know, and if you don't, go play it immediately."
sketchypoutine
"Definitely, I feel like some of the best RPGs came from the SNES and Sega era. Chrono Trigger, FF 6, Secret of Mana, super Mario RPG, Earthbound, shining force 2, Phantasy Star 4. Still some of my favorites that i try to revisit every year or so."
chrono_bound20xx
"Came here for Chrono. Time travel just makes for amazing stories, and I love how you can make the game different each play through."
anna1781
i can see your...
Master Chief Game GIF by HaloGiphy"Halo 3. Incredible story and thrilling gameplay. Hilariously fun multiplayer. Fantastic community. Nostalgia."
Current-Ad1250
Video games have surely come a long way from Atari.
What would you add to this list? Let us know in the comments below.