Redditor FIeshEatingPineappIe wanted to hear about what everyone has found appetizing when eating on a budget, so they asked:
"What cheap meals helped you save money through tough times?"
Bonkers
Hungry Food GIF by TescoGiphy"I managed to grow a pile of tomatoes last season (I only had 2 plants but they went bonkers) so cooked the majority of them up into spaghetti sauce and froze it. I'm still eating through it."
WaluigisFacialHair
Basics
"Ramen. PB&J sandwiches. Spam rice and eggs. Stewed/roasted chicken leg quarters with root vegetables. Learning how to bake sucked at first but it's really cost-effective money-wise cooking from scratch. Lately, I've been roasting/braising a full pork shoulder (I stock up when it's on sale)."
"Shred and freeze what I can't eat quickly. works really well with rice and beans (roll it up in a tortilla you got yourself a burrito. Put in ramen with an egg. Or with some stir-fried veggies with soy sauce and rice. Or as a gravy with pasta. It's really versatile."
aznkidjoey
Write this Down
"Lentil soup. A bag of dried lentils costs like a buck at a cheap grocery store and will cook you like three very filling meals worth of lentil soup. Unlike most dried legumes, they cook for 30-40 minutes of boiling. And pretty much any savory vegetable or cheese will go well with it."
"There are many ways to spice it. My favorite simple, ultra-cheap way is like 1 cup of dried lentils boiled until cooked and water is sufficiently absorbed, 1 tsp each curry, garlic, and onion powder, a finely cut carrot, a tsp of vinegar or a dash of lemon, and a Tbsp of parmesan cheese. That's like a 50-cent meal that's very high in protein, fiber, and vitamins."
"The carbs are also slow burning, low glycemic-load, complex carbs. If you wanna get fancier use fresh garlic and onion and add some herbs and feta cheese. The hot sauce works amazing with it too. Never hurts to add a can of diced tomatoes either. If you do that though you don't really need the vinegar/lemon."
Yak-F**ker-5000
Under $10
"Spaghetti. My mother would be able to feed all of us for under $10. Pasta, cheaper grade prepackaged beef and a jar of sauce. On really tight days, she’d just cook straight pasta and mix in some garlic and that powdered Parmesan cheese."
"So when I grew up and was trying to save money, I did the same. Pasta sauce freezes very well. I would make a huge pot of sauce and freeze it in bags and then I’d just have to cook single portions of pasta which cost next to nothing."
I_like_Birds56
All. The. Time
rabbit eating GIFGiphy"Oatmeal all day every day."
Klappersten
"I recently discovered savory oats and it was life-changing. I'm not a fan of sweet breakfasts but wanted to eat more oats. It's comfort food for me now."
BeagleGal39
Oatmeal is not just cheap but nutritious.
And it's surprisingly filling.
And a bit of Grog
middle ages fun GIF by Kajetan ObarskiGiphy"Bread, apples, and cheese. You feel like you're in a medieval movie or something and you can supplement with a bowl of hearty soup or stew."
Early_Yesterday_6819
Stretch it Out
"Rice with seared cabbage and a fried egg. I slice it pretty thin and throw it in a ripping hot pan with a touch of oil. It should get slightly charred but still be crunchy."
DruidicBoogaloo
"Love seared cabbage. A sprinkle of sugar improves the flavor and takes away some of the cabbagey smell. Whatever you're eating, I promise seared cabbage tastes good either in it or beside it. Great way to stretch a meal."
notreallylucy
"Half an onion and a slice of chopped bacon with half or a quarter head of cabbage all fried up in a wok or a CI pan is an amazing meal or side and cost practically pennies."
edthach
All for a Dollar
"In college, I ate peanut butter on toast for breakfast and .99$ bean burrito from a taco stand next door to my apartment for dinner."
Scuta44
"I used to get those El Monterey burritos in college. I still vividly remember the day they went from a 10-pack for $2.50 to an 8-pack for $3.50. I was literally starving at the time and it made my f**king heart sink. Those same packs of burritos are almost $6 now and the burritos are markedly smaller."
Spez_Guzzles_
All Day, Everyday
"Pancakes. Veeeery cheap and soul food on top of that, which should not be neglected when going through hard times. Just some ground Hazelnuts and sugar as filling, delicious. Noodles with vegetables. Fry the vegetables in a pan, season them, and mix it with noodles. Simple, healthy, and also very cheap."
DukeManbert
"Pancakes for dinner was our go-to when stretching another day to payday. Also, chips and salsa. We used to keep a pound of ground beef in the freezer for end-of-the-month nachos. Fried spaghetti noodles can be a quick meal too. Pre-cooked noodles fried in butter and lemon juice."
JohnYCanuckEsq
Portion Control
3d character GIF by FabricioLimaGiphy"Rice stretches out anything. I've made many a sad a**hole meal out of a small portion of food atop a bowl of rice."
ArghNooo
"You can actually make some really cheap meals with some veggies and rice that are delicious AF. It's a bit of an upfront cost for the right spices but it'll save you a boatload in the end."
tinyhorsesinmytea
I put rice in everything.
And it is a life saver for finances and diet.
Redditor Complete-Sweet5222 wanted to discuss the menu, so they asked:
"What is the most overrated cuisine?"
I won't do french cuisine. No snails. No way.
That's just me.
Fancy Schmancy
Chrissy Teigen Cupcake GIF by Billboard Music AwardsGiphy"Fancy cupcakes. Every ‘designer’ cupcake I’ve had has been incredibly dry. I just don’t get why they charge $5-$10 per serving, but the quality of the cake is below a Walmart sheet cake."
ThoseArentCarrots
"I make cupcakes sometimes. Over baking and day old baked products tend to dry out. A lot of the fancy desserts take time to build, which means the cupcakes have been sitting out for a while."
Stinkerma
Shock
"Not really a cuisine per se, but ‘shock food.' You know those giant milkshakes with whole slices of cake and candy on top, or quadruple cheeseburgers with so much cheese it’s running everywhere. It’s just not practical/tasty and really only exists to get a cool picture."
viillanelles
"I made the mistake of getting one of those milkshakes exactly once. It was fun to get and then you realize you just paid 20 bucks for a normal milkshake and grocery store sheet cake."
ceigetank
Be Simple
"Complicated burgers. Some a good but others have far to much on to eat without disassembly or using a knife and fork."
MedicalUprising
"Also I hate when they have overly elaborate names. I want to verbally order a cheeseburger, not the ‘big wet sloppy double daddy burger.'"
Guava_
"I totally agree. I hate being embarrassed to order something. There used to be an ice cream shop that had funky names for sizes. I had to stop going because I could not stop giggling at having to say 'no, I don’t want a zinger, I would like a zooper.”
bakay138
Premiums...
"Our family has been restaurant investors for 40 years. High end French cuisine using offal or organ meats."
"These dishes are pushed because the costs of these types of meats are very low and produce a huge profit margin. Also, the lack of experience with guests cooking these types of dishes for themselves mean very few patrons complain about authenticity. Usually a chef will throw his/her twist in the menu."
"Most customers can tell the difference between a great pizza and a mediocre one. They'll remember a great steak - but a restaurant may be paying huge premiums to fly that Waygu in from Japan or for your Flintstone tomahawk. Whereas, a local butcher shop will gladly unload offal and such with glee due to low demand. You'd be surprised as to how little we paid for cow brains for example."
rayrayrayray
No Silver?
gold GIFGiphy"Gold-flaked cuisine."
bushbeanbuddy
"God, why did it take me so long to realize you were talking about literal flakes of gold? I read this three times and thought, 'What a weird way to describe fried food.'"
bygollyollie
Gold is meant to spend not eat.
Price Point
Excited Winnie The Pooh GIFGiphy"The most expensive dishes. 'Yeah, man these diamonds sautéed in truffle oil and emerald dust are good, but do you have a cheeseburger?'"
gmen_forever
For All...
“'Something for everyone' restaurants. Anywhere where the menu has a ridiculously extensive offering. If I’m flipping multiple pages and not even halfway, I just know everything is about to taste questionable."
low_power_mode
"Several of my local Mexican restaurants have 8-page menus. All the dishes use some combination of tortillas, cheese, peppers, onions, avocados, beans, chicken, and beef, it's just the proportions and presentation that differ from one to another!"
MatttheBruinsfan
Pork Scents
"No cuisine, but I am sick of the whole 'bacon life' meme. It was funny for a couple of decades, but enough already. Bacon 'flavored' anything is disgusting."
SirReal_Realities
"One time in college I ordered bacon flavored popcorn."
"When I popped it in the communal microwave it smelled so awful that we had to open all the windows and evacuate until it had aired out enough for us to Febreze the rest away. It tasted like death. A couple guys threatened to beat me up if I popped any more. Some things just don't need to be bacon flavored. Popcorn is one of them."
Waffle_Maestro
Portions
"Rather than pick on a specific nationality or style of cuisine I'll talk about presentation."
"Any restaurant where portion sizes get smaller as the price goes up is the very height of epicurean pretentiousness. Like if they actually serve you enough food to be satisfied, it might as well be McDonald's."
"I spent a lot of years working in restaurants, and the ironic thing is what's on your plate is by far the smallest expense in serving that plate to you. There's no reason for tiny portions other than pretentious do*chebaggery."
McFeely_Smackup
Shrimp Then?
"Lobster. It’s fine, it’s just not really worth it’s cost imo. I also like eating it in things rather than by itself. The lobster rolls I had in Maine were much better than lobster straight up."
babythrottlepop
Food should be more affordable.
Do you have and foodie quibbles you'd like to add to the list? Let us know in the comments below.
Redditor arisal3 wanted to chat about how to improve the sandwich, so they asked:
"What makes a sandwich go from boring to amazing?"
I say mayo. Mayo. MAYO! More and always.
That's the key improvement.
Elevation
fast food eating GIF by Feliks Tomasz KonczakowskiGiphy"Seasoning and toasting the bread can seriously elevate a sandwich."
lovelyteaparty
"I like boring sandwiches, but toasting the bread 100% improves them. Especially if there is cheese on the sandwich."
Hawntir
Additions
"At the best sandwich places, all the vegetables are basically prepared like side dishes. Marinated, seasoned, grilled, or something."
han7nah
"Vinegar, whether its a dressing, mustard, brined pickles olives or anything else. Vinegar is king. Its also why i use hot sauce on everything."
eggsaladrightnow
"Gonna sound weird but banana peppers in mayo with hot relish. Got delivered someone else's order once and been addicted since."
Johnnyocean
You Do It
"Someone else making it."
unclebobsplayground
"I actually saw an article years ago about some study where they basically confirmed this. Smelling and handling the ingredients before eating the sandwich reduced cravings for and appreciation of the finished product, similar to how the fourth or fifth bite is less exciting than the first because you've gotten used to it."
Palazzo505
Pointed Issues
"Cutting it in half, diagonally."
grantnel2002
"Chef John from the fantastic https://youtube.com/@foodwishes YouTube channel often says 'It's a scientifically proven fact: people like pointy food.'"
shaggydogg
"All the fancy kids at school always had theirs cut diagonally. But our lunch tubbies were square so if it was cut diagonally, it won't fit in. My mom refused to buy new lunch tubbies just because I wanted my bread cut differently. Now that I am all grown up I ALWAYS cut mine diagonally and it is just wonderful. Simply wonderful."
magic7ball
A little touch...
salt salting GIFGiphy"Salt and pepper on the veggies."
beyd1
"Especially tomatoes. Always season your tomatoes before sandwiching."
BigShoots
Those small changes go a long way.
Starving
Hungry Orange And Black GIF by GarfieldGiphy"Hunger. It's amazing how amazing even a boring sandwich can taste when you're famished."
Somnif
The Spice
"Sweet 'n spicy mustard."
Cab8675
"Came to say basically any type of good sauce. Depending on the sandwich, chipotle or herb aioli, spicy mustard, pesto, or even just olive oil (infused is better) and vinegar."
wxmanify
"Philly cheesesteaks are my favorite sandwich, and there’s this local restaurant that makes the best one I’ve ever had."
"The main thing is that the add creole mustard to it. The bread, meat, and everything else is also really good, but that mustard takes it too another level. I never would’ve thought to put a spicy sauce on a cheesesteak (though I don’t know much about cooking)."
Frosty_Analysis_4912
The Feel
"Wrap it tightly in butcher paper after making. The compression marries all the ingredients together and pushes condiments into the crevices of the bread. Even if you're just going to eat it right after making it, a little time wrapped up seriously improves the flavor and feel of the sandwich."
LemFliggity
Just a Touch
"r/EatSandwiches assemble! In my opinion, dressing your greens is critical to a sandwich getting to that next level."
"Typically, for cold cuts, this is a vinaigrette dressing for me. But in hot sandwiches (e.g. the roast pork at DiNic’s in Philly) the greens are braised and thereby dressed as well."
"A touch of olive oil or butter and some fresh salt and pepper will never fail you either."
bpd52
It all changes...
Episode 1 Mind Blown GIF by The OfficeGiphy"Caramelized onion jam. It's a freaking game changer. Sourdough with Comté and BellaVitano expresso rubbed cheese, as a grilled cheese."
TheLivingShit
Now let's go make some sandwiches.
Do you have any other hacks to share? Let us know in the comments.
Redditor Seyli04 wanted to know what brought people back to the meat, so they asked:
"People who used to be vegetarians/vegans, what made you stop?"
I have never understood the vegan/vegetarian life.
Not for me.
Changes
Season 4 Vegan GIF by The OfficeGiphy"A change in health circumstances led to a (doctor-recommended) restrictive diet which meant cutting out a number of fruits and vegetables. Couple that with gluten intolerance and veganism and I could barely eat anything. I had to prioritize my health."
fatherly_handshake
Whatever. Let's Eat!
"I was a vegetarian for 1.5 years. I came home to care for my grandfather, last stages cancer. Upon my arrival he made a lot of meat food that I used to love. (Gołąbki, he made the best i ever ate). He forgot I don't eat meat. I told him that and I watched his face became so sad... f**k it, I'm going to eat it. He was so happy to cook for me while he still could."
RandomPolishGurl
Earth Love
"Realized I was using being vegan as an excuse to enable my eating disorder. Less options for me to eat, almost never had to eat out with friends/family or on the holidays. I do love animals/Earth and told myself that’s why I was vegan but… I don’t fully know."
"I couldn’t fully recover until I had a less restrictive diet."
hell-is-in-your-mind
I Chose Meat!
"Found out my body just trends towards anaemia. I was vegetarian for 5 years as a teenager and just dealt with it but then I got really ill and my doctor basically told me I would need monthly iron infusions or I could eat meat again. I chose meat. Tried to go back to vegetarianism recently but felt such an enormous drop in energy levels I just couldn’t maintain it."
maps_mandalas
Allergy Issues
Season 2 Episode 21 GIF by MartinGiphy"Way too many of the vegetarian/vegan substitutes rely on tree nuts/peanuts/soy, which I'm severely allergic to. As it is, I follow a mostly pescatarian diet, unless someone else wants to do the cooking for me!"
meltedsnowflake
We can't mess with allergies these days.
Lives are in the balance.
Mom's Gotta Eat
Food Porn Eating GIF by Tricia GraceGiphy"Becoming a mother. If I don’t eat leftover chicken nuggets I don’t eat."
WaveNimbus
"Pregnancy, when I was hungry, which wasn't frequently, I couldn't eat anything but meat, salads and some fruits. I've pretty keep this diet once in a while I'll crave carbs, but honestly I feel much better than when I was a vegetarian so..."
FateOfTheElephant
No Thanks
"I also stopped being vegetarian because of how it enabled my eating disorder, which I went to recovery for 12 years ago. I’ve considered myself fully recovered for the past 9 or so years."
I’ve basically banned myself from banning anymore food groups ever again because of this. I’ll allow myself to 'eat less of X food' like ice cream or meat or whatever but removing a food group from my diet is too risky for me. Turning down food 'because I can’t (choose not to) eat it' is way too addictive. No thanks."
trustmeimalinguist
When Seeing the Earth
"Traveled and lived in places where there truly was not adequate nutrition available as a vegan - true malnutrition is awful. Plus, cultural expectations in those areas around entertaining guests, hospitality, celebrations, and rituals don’t always leave the option open to refuse a specific food without offending or hurting the host or community, which meant that I needed to consider balancing my preferences with the needs and practices of the communities I was living in."
"Today, I’m primarily plant-based in practice but don’t call myself vegetarian or vegan. I learned a lot about how I think about food, food culture, and the privilege of choice from those experiences."
droptophamhock
Ouch
"I was a vegetarian for 10 years and honestly I just felt like it was too much of a pain. I still limit my meat, I won't prepare it for myself and if given a vegetarian option I will choose that. But if someone prepares meat for me or there aren't other options easily available I'll eat it."
erkala21
Bland Chefs
Merve Dizdar Food GIF by TRTGiphy"I was a vegetarian because I thought I hated meat. Turns out my mom couldn't cook, she never used seasoning. So once I got out on my own, and started cooking for myself, I learned I actually do like meat."
Catlover5566
I gotta have meat. I love it. I'm sorry.
Do you have similar experiences? We'd love to hear about in the comments below.
Redditor Ed_Paq wanted to hear about all the foods we can't consume, so they asked:
"What's the worst thing you ever ate?"
Liver. I just can't get onboard with liver.
Broken
mad oh my GIF by Space Chickens In SpaceGiphy"Was at a backyard concert. There was a bowl of jawbreakers. Grabbed one, chomped down, realized they were smoke bombs. Terrible. Vile. Spit and hacked and nearly threw up."
natiahs
Stinky
"A stinkbug crawled into my straw and I took a sip. Stunkbug in the mouth. It took forever to get that taste out of my mouth."
ladyamphetamine
"Oh that's disgusting. I freaking HATE those things. That smell is VILE. My bf bought a camper one fall and we were cleaning it out and it was INFESTED with stink bugs. That smell, walking into that - awful."
"I get them in my house occasionally. My cats love bugs. One cat saw a stink bug and tried to eat it. He freaked out because of the taste, he left a big drool mark on the floor and was rubbing his mouth with his paw. I gave him some food to try to help him. And his face smelled like a stink bug. 🤮 I had to use baby wipes on him."
PJKPJT7915
Nailed It
"My roommate's nails, he had clipped them and put them into my coke can that he thought I was done with."
adkiller
"When I was young my dad was clipping his toenails into a bowl, and my mother came and started eating them thinking it was rice. She got her revenge though, she got a sinus infection and put her tissues into a Mcdonald's cup. My dad drank it all."
Ouioui29
Just awful meat...
"I attended a wild game feed/sports banquet (WI in US for those curious). The usual staples were served: elk, fish, bear, etc. Someone decided to braise a coyote. I tried a small bite and it was so gamey. Just awful meat. I don't think there is cooking method known to mankind that could make it palatable. Could taste it for days after."
"Embarrassed-Lake-858
Spit
Say What Kamala Harris GIF by Saturday Night LiveGiphy"Once drank a sip of chew spit from a red solo cup that was sitting next to my beer. Not my spit."
ngraver89
Spit is never ok.
Shots Up
Bite Sharks GIF by Shark WeekGiphy"Cured shark meat in Iceland. It's so nasty they give you a shot of vodka to wash it down."
I_am_Orla
Yuck
"I've had a few periods of homelessness, I once lived for a couple of months on nothing but a carrier bag full of sample 2 packs of dry rivita."
"A couple of pieces of rivita, twice a day for weeks on end. It was like living on cardboard. Never want to see another piece,"
MrSpindles
The Smell
"I received a leather briefcase case as a gift. And used it sparingly. Didn’t have that kind of job. But still I kept some documents and basic crap. The thing smelled of leather as did everything that went in it. At some point a candy bar made its way into it and forgotten."
"Months go by, closer to a year and I was on the road. Opened that case from the back seat and see the bar. Took a big bite. It truly was the worst thing I had and have ever tasted. It had absorbed the leather and cheap tanning chemicals. 30 years later and I feel nauseous thinking of it."
ISeeEverythingYouDo
"Fancy"
"The cafeteria at my work served cordon bleu. I love cordon bleu. I opened up the covered container, and saw a microwaved chicken patty with a Kraft slice and a chunk of ham on top. It was soggy and tasted like what a gym sock+dead carcass would smell like because it was just laying on top soggy microwaved Brussels sprouts, soaking up all the liquid. I think there were carrots too, but I could barely stomach that chicken patty. Felt sick the rest of the shift, and had a foul taste in the back of my throat. I try not to eat their 'fancy' meals anymore."
PickledButterdog
Don't Bite
Happy Episode 19 GIF by The SimpsonsGiphy"When I was 14/15, I went to the fridge for some leftover pizza. Grabbed a slice, took a big bite. It tasted a little funky and when I looked at it, it was FULL of ants. Parents must have left it out overnight and the ants got into it... it was black inside."
F_I_N_E_
We may never eat again. Okay, that's probably an exaggeration but we will be very careful about the cups we use at parties and triple-checking things we take out of the fridge going forward.