Surviving on a Dime: 15 Poverty Meals People Love No Matter Their Wealth

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With rent on an ever-rising trajectory, eggs costing about as much as an arm or a leg, and salaries failing to follow the same course, saving money is hot right now.

With food on everyone’s essentials list, cutting your grocery costs is one of the surest ways to save a buck.

Even if you’re as financially stable as ever (looking at you, Bezos), these budget-friendly “poverty meals” are delicious enough for your at-home cooking rotation.

1. Elevated Canned Soup

A can of Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup warms the belly and won’t break your budget, but one improvisational penny-pincher suggested a way to stretch your can of soup beyond its original volume.

Adding pasta as a base and even additives like canned tuna elevate canned soup and extend the meal into a heartier, longer-lasting concoction.

2. Cinnamon Sugar Toast

Before they could justify splurging on a Cinnabon, many once-impoverished up-and-comers spread cinnamon and sugar on toast (along with butter). Satisfying your sweet tooth without paying the brand-name upcharge? Priceless.

One wordsmith even referred to this treat as the “poor man’s churro.”

3. Beans and Rice

Black beans, red beans, pinto beans, jelly beans. OK, maybe not jelly beans, but virtually any bean you choose goes perfectly with rice.

White rice, yellow rice…you get the point. Few meals are as filling, simple, or dollar-stretching as beans and rice.

4. Quesadillas

As a matter of necessity, many traditional Mexican dishes are also poverty meals. That’s not a knock on anyone—quite the contrary.

Mexican cuisine is a testament to a culture’s ability to make the most out of simple, abundant ingredients, and quesadillas are Exhibit A.

5. Pancakes

Pancakes are a sweet treat that you can enjoy at breakfast or even as dessert.

Pancake batter is affordable, and the pancake is a blank slate ready for fruit, syrup, butter, and other accoutrements.

6. Peanut Butter Sandwich

You’ll notice there is no “jelly” after the “butter” in “peanut butter sandwich.”

And while you should feel free to add the jelly, you might instead (or also) add banana, Miracle Whip, or a similarly delicious substitute of your liking.

7. Baked Potato (With Extra Butter)

The rare standalone food that can perform admirably as a side dish, main meal, and even a self-contained bowl, a baked potato will never let you down.

This is especially true if you liberally apply butter (and bacon), sour cream, chives, and cheddar cheese.

8. Grilled Cheese Sandwich

I don’t care if you’re a regular consumer of caviar and truffles. If you can’t enjoy grilled cheese, you’ve lost your humanity.

9. Boxed Mac and Cheese With Hot Dogs

One chef and restauranteur explained that despite tasting and preparing a vast array of dishes, boxed mac and cheese with cut-up hot dogs is “one of the finest foods on this planet.” Hard agree.

10. Nachos

Tortilla chips and shredded cheese are a delicacy that even the most cash-strapped households can afford.

Even once you’ve hit it rich, how can you say no to nachos?

11. Sausage Gravy and Toast

Is it a breakfast you’ll want to eat before running a marathon? No.

Are sausage gravy and toast delicious, regardless of whether you’re straddling the poverty line or living in a penthouse? Yes.

12. Homemade Pizza

Whether it is an English muffin with pasta sauce and mozzarella or cracker thins with sliced tomatoes and basil, many homemade pizza creations beat the frozen alternatives in both taste and affordability.

13. Oatmeal With a Twist

When adulthood beats you down with bills, work stresses, and familial hardship, whip up a bowl of oatmeal (with fresh fruit, perhaps) and travel back to your childhood kitchen table.

It’s the most affordable time machine you’ll ever buy.

14. Chili

Call your mom or dad and ask for their homemade chili recipe if you can.

Most families have one, and you’re obligated to whip up a vat as soon as possible.

15. Spaghetti

When the spaghetti hits your palate just after Caesar salad, that‘s amore.

Gas Hacks You Need to Try

You’ve probably wished you could get free gasoline, but thought that was impossible. But the reality is, it isn’t impossible.

There are many free gas hacks you can use to save money on fuel ups. Here are 15 ways to lower the cost of gasoline, and in effect, get free gas.

15 FREE GAS HACKS YOU NEED TO TRY

Get Free Samples By Mail

Everyone likes getting free stuff, but many times you have to fill out a survey.

Here are some great ways to get free stuff without strings attached.

16 WAYS TO GET FREE SAMPLES BY MAIL WITHOUT SURVEYS

47 Ways To Get Free Gift Cards

Nowadays, people are looking for every means possible to make extra cash. One unique idea is to get free gift cards. Gift cards are a great way to help pay for the things you need without spending any money.

You can earn free gift cards for completing simple tasks in many ways. This includes getting paid for simple online tasks like playing games, completing surveys, and shopping.

Here is a complete guide on how to get free gift cards so you can spend less money on the things you buy.

47 PROVEN WAYS TO GET FREE GIFT CARDS

How To Get Free Food With No Money

If you are short on cash, not eating doesn’t have to be a reality.

There are options out there that allow you to get free food, even if you don’t have any cash. Here is what you need to do.

How To Get Free Food With No Money

Alternatives To Cable TV

Are you sick and tired paying your cable bill?

In the past, your only option was going without TV. But not anymore. Now there are many options out there.

Here are the best ones to look into.

BEST ALTERNATIVES TO CABLE TV

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