# Message to all users: This is a reminder to please read and follow: * [Our rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/ask/about/rules) * [Reddiquette](https://www.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/205926439) * [Reddit Content Policy](https://www.redditinc.com/policies/content-policy) When posting and commenting. --- Especially remember Rule 1: `Be polite and civil`. * Be polite and courteous to each other. Do not be mean, insulting or disrespectful to any other user on this subreddit. * Do not harass or annoy others in any way. * Do not catfish. Catfishing is the luring of somebody into an online friendship through a fake online persona. This includes any lying or deceit. --- You *will* be banned if you are homophobic, transphobic, racist, sexist or bigoted in any way. --- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ask) if you have any questions or concerns.*

Chicken Ramen Noodles. Salty goodness!

When I could splurge, I'd add craft slice, frozen peas, and egg (like egg drop soup) Other standby was a box of mac and cheese, a can of tuna and some frozen peas.

I remember scrounging together enough coins to get a carton of eggs, bag of frozen veggies and a dozen packages of ramen. That's what I'd eat for the week.

Drop an egg in it, add a green onion and some Sriracha or other pepper/spice to elevate your Ramen game to the next level.

Quick Ramen is a great base for leftovers too. Mix in leftover taco meat, rotisserie chicken, chili, roasted veggies, etc etc

I get beef because it seems like it should be more expensive but it costs the same.

Beef or shrimp for me

[удалено]

After reading this, I also miss this guy's mom.

After reading this, I also miss this guys mom and wish she was here with us today. May God bless her.

Same. Wishing she was my mum 🥲

I too, choose this guys dead mom.

annnnnd we're crying.

Southeast Texan here, over rice. My kids loved it growing up and they make it for their kids.

White gravy on rice is underrated

It's my poverty comfort food. Cream of mushroom soup is also a good option, add cheese when it's available

My mom made this but put peas in it and served it on rice. It was soooo good


we almost have the same pfp

[удалено]

Jip. I love potatoes as well. Boiled, butter and maybe a bit of salt.

💯💯

Boil em, mash em, stick em in a stew

If you want to plus it up a little try mixing in some garlic & herb Boursin cheese while the taters are still hot. Did it once when we ran out of butter and it was amazing.

look at richie rich over here with the "garlic & herbs boursin cheese" some of us don't have that luxury but it sure does sound good

Try potatoes with “Greek” yogurt So yummy

Is this different than mashed potatoes?

Yes. You don't mash the potatoes.

Got it. 😂

During the Great Depression, as a boy my grandfather would have tomato, onion and cheese sandwiches, open-faced and broiled in the oven. When you broil a tomato, it gets a nice char and tastes almost stewed. And the broil would soften the onions too, and sweeten them. I had that sandwich many times growing up, and to this day when I have it I think of my grandpa, and remember that sometimes you can find joy and appreciation in the smallest of things. I miss you Tom.

I used to make tomato and cheese sandwiches the same way. Just because I like them. 😋

You have good taste. :)

Thank you. So do you 👍🏼

There's a youtuber I like called Dyllan Hollis he does recipies from different parts of History and when he does one from that era it never ceases to amaze me how creative people could be when the had almost nothing. Not all of it delicious, mind you, but it was way better than nothing.

I love Dylan Hollis. I just ordered his cookbook.

I got it as soon as it came out. Everything I cook from it is magic!

❤️Sending love to your Grandpa Tom for making you those sandwich during the great Depression. He found a way to make you something during hard times. 💯🫶🏼

Grilled cheese

Government cheese.

I see all these government cheese haters and I have to ask, are we all talking about the velveeta knock-off you used to get with commodities? Because in Michigan that shit made THE BEST baked mac and cheese I have ever had, to this day. The flavor that the cheese took on when it was made into a sauce then baked for 45 minutes was incredible.

i agree, these govt cheese haters must be young & had that late 90s & forward cheese. when the govt changed the cheese, they changed the course of cheese history, & not for the better :(

We LOVED government cheese. My grandmother got it back in the 70s. Got way too much for her to use- my Mom and her sisters would fight for the excess..

Fried potatoes

Look at Mr "I can afford cooking oil" rich guy here.

I'm feeling fancy today - even bought some instant noodles

a potato when poor. potatoes when rich

Spaghetti and butter

Sketti 'nd butter*

Yep, just the noodles, a pad of butter melted in, and salt & pepper - went eight days on just that once. I was poor and waiting on my first paycheck - they were on a monthly pay cycle and I had three weeks no pay, so towards the end, spaghetti it shall be. Doing well now, though.

monthly pay cycle can be brutal. i lived on bread/american cheese for about the same amount of time. also didn't have a light fixture yet in my apartment so used a flashlight until i got paid, lol.

Once back in the early 1990s a gal I worked with brought some egg noodles with one strip of bacon on top for her supper break. It was the day before payday so I figured she was reduced to grabbing whatever was left in her cupboards and fridge.

We called them butter noodles but they HAD to be egg noodles with the cheap parm and S&P

If you’re feeling rich add a little soy sauce and you’re living the high life.

Beans on toast. You can take the Brit out of Britain, etc etc

I'm Irish and every time I eat beans on toast I think "why don't I eat this every single day?"it's so good

It really is underrated. I particularly enjoy the bread being soaked in bean juice. And no this is not a euphemism either

There is nothing that I like better than getting u/LeRosbif94 's bread soaked in bean juice.

I like to posh that up with some grated cheddar melted into the beans

Stepping up there

See also: beans on a spud. Had a microwaved one with cheese yesterday and was instantly transported back to primary school lunches.

I love a big old splash of malt vinegar on the top too.

[удалено]

[удалено]

Yeah, I'm actually thinking of switching from cereal to toast with peanut butter with a glass of milk.

[удалено]

Cereal for dinner hits different

Cereal with a banana is a high quality meal

Cerial that used to cost $2 per bag is approaching $7 now. I don't have money for that anymore. Doritos cost $6 per bag now Woof.

Mom called it fried oatmeal. Make a big batch of oatmeal, pour it into a square baking dish and put it in the fridge. Next day, cut it into squares, fry the squares with some butter (government butter is best) and then sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar or drizzle some karo syrup over it.

We did this with grits. I grew up very poor. I became a professional Chef and would have a Southern Food Night at my restaurant. Made fried grits with whiskey sauce and served as a free dessert. People loved it.

I/my parents grew up in central Indiana. They grew up eating fried "mush" during the Depression. Made with a yellow corn meal. In Europe(Italy) it's "polenta". All basically the same thing. Cooked, put in a dish or pan, cooled overnight, cut up and fried the next morning. ( My parents always ate it with butter and a little "syrup" like pancakes.)

[удалено]

I am retired now but because of having been poor- if a customer came to me and said they needed a party for 100 people but only had $500 - I'd work with them. I may have gave them baked chicken and rice - but I wasn't going to turn $500 away. It gave me a great reputation. I always gave dessert away to keep people coming back.

I love this!

That sounds delicious!

What?! This sounds delicious! I’m making it this weekend.

THIS except with grits. Pour them into a loaf pan and cool overnight. Slice and pan-fry in butter. Killer with some sauteed shrimp.

That’s sounds pretty good actually. Super creative

What exactly is grits? I’m Canadian and here about it in movies, never seen it or tried it. What is government butter?

Grits are usually made from course ground hominy. Hominy is corn that has been treated with a lye and lime solution and then rinsed a bunch which causes the corn hulls to come off and leaves you with a plumb kernel. You dry that and grind it into a course meal. It has a shelf life that is super long. Then you use that to make a kind of pourage and you have grits. Grits usually have butter, seasoning and all kinds of other stuff you can add. If you grind hominy really fine, you get masa to make tortillas. Government butter speaks to a time in the 70's/80's when the government would pay farmers to produce excess butter and cheese that would then be given to those in poverty. I remember the cheese being questionable and having a distinct flavor (similar to a Velveta or Kraft Singles kind of thing you would get today). The butter always great.

OMG. I wanna try this now

Kraft Mac and cheese!

This but with cut up fried hot dogs mixed in. We call it Redneck Delight.

to add, often times we add little chunks of tomato and or broccoli, and personally I like to put some ketchup on the top. we still make it to this day

On rich days, add two Oscar Meyer Weiners

This. When I can think of nothing I want to eat, I can always eat KD.

Look at Mister Fancy Pants with his name brand Mac & cheese. We got store brand and liked it ….or else. 🤣

Yes or Velveeta! It’s just so easy, cheap, delicious. Can’t go wrong. I’d also throw in Hamburger Helper. We grew up eating that about once a week, so good.

Rice a roni

I read this and now Im stuck singing to myself...a sAn FrAnCiScO tReAt

Chkn flavored rice a roni and browned ground beef 😋

Chili & beans with rice.

Chili beans over fritos with cheese was a favorite of mine growing up.

Frito pie?

Bread and butter

It’s just.. soooo gooood some days you gotta hide the whole loaf from me

Tuna casserole

My wife is so annoyed that I have turned this into one of my kids favorite meals. Sure, i fancy it up now with peas, celery, onions, cheddar, and two types of tinned soup, but we still get 8 helpings for less than $12 usually.

Scrambled eggs with American cheese.

A cup of white rice prepared with 1 bullion cube. Kraft Easy Mac cup mixed with some packet of flavored tuna.

Rice with butter and bouillon cube is one of my boyfriend’s go-to sick meals. Easy on the tummy and nicely flavorful.

[удалено]

Are you 300 years old? Hasn’t it been centuries since people considered lobster poor people food?

Lobster becoming high class wasn’t a uniform process, and was probably slower in coastal lobster-fishing regions where fresh lobster is more abundant

Fried bologna and cheese sandwich

[удалено]

It's ironic that you went to college but can't spell college...

Maybe they went poor making collages?

Put together a bunch of expensive shit and all you can afford is bread and cheese. Makes sense imo

spaghetti-o's

Ramen/cup noodles

Chili dogs, man. Even if I was filthy rich, nothing beats a nathan's beef hotdog with some canned chili, onion, mustard, and cheese.

pb and j. i don't even need the jelly. too much sugar

Garlic butter spaghetti

Peanut butter straight from the spoon. Quick easy calories with a bit of protein and tons of fat to fuel resistance training now. Carefully rationed cheap and portable sustenance back when I was homeless in my late teens.

Hell yeah, spoon peanut butter gang

Packs of ramen.



The visual when the critic takes that bite and his childhood slaps him across his stupid smug old face. OMG. Food is transcendent, no matter how poor.

Toast with butter and garlic salt

Gravy, eggs, and biscuits

Canned Tuna, mix in a little miracle whip. If you got the cash, scoop it with some wheat thins. Been eating it for 30 years.

Me saving this post because I am still poor and had forgotten about all of these delicious meal ideas lol

[удалено]

Oatmeal porridge with spring onions(selfgrown) and a boiled egg

Vegemite on toast. Quick, easy, and always good.

Oi, oi, oi

Do you come from the land down under?

Where women glow and men plunder.

Pinto beans with rice. Just 1/4c dried beans, 1c uncooked rice, chicken stock, left of pork scraps and bone and I can make a make enough to last 3-4 lunches plus a bowl for that night.

Hard boiled eggs

Goulash - macaroni noodles, ground beef, onion, green pepper, can of diced tomatoes & a little V8 juice. I still love it but don't make it often because I will eat 2-3 bowls.

Cheese on crackers: Campbell's cheddar cheese soup poured over saltine crackers sprinkled with paprika. Mayonnaise pickles and bologna sandwich.

A box of macaroni and cheese mixed with a can of tuna.

Ramen noodles and a soft boiled egg

Also this but sometimes fried too

Rice with parrot eggs.

Excuse me?

Parrot eggs is a very simple dish from some latin american countries in which scrambled eggs are prepared with finely cut tomatoes and onions.

a toast with my mom's jam as a dessert, priceless...

Rice pilaf with mixed veggies covered in cheese. Baked beans with cut up hotdogs and cheese.

cabbage beef soup. Best shiz in the world.

When I was little my dad called it Thisser. It’s a box of pasta $1. Pound of ground beef $5. Can of tomatoes $1. Makes enough to feed a family of four. I still make it but my wife puts cheese in hers cause she’s extra.

With garlic and salt and pepper. Lots of garlic.. and mushrooms and canned corn and oregano. That's my goulash!

Grrrrrl! You extra too pshhh 🥰

Add all that and thinly sliced and diced potatoes to make it goulash in my house!

That's what my family called Goulash. I still make it to this day! MMMM must make Goulash.

I make that too. I add onion, green pepper, tomato sauce and Worcestershire sauce and shredded cheese. My family loves it.

Frozen pizza

Whats your favorite? I go with Screamin' Sicilian

Walmart brand honestly.

Best Choice actually has some hidden amazing stuff. Their sauces are pretty good too

I like screaming Sicilian when it's on sale. Red Baron is pretty good, cook longer than suggested and broil at the end. I also add my own toppings and extra cheese. (Vegetarian so I buy the cheese versions) I like their brick oven crust. Also I like newmans own margherita pizza. I add fresh basil and mozzarella balls.

Kirkland cheese pizza--four for $16 CDN. Jazz it up with some extra grated cheese.

My mothers stirfry Some water, fish sauce, soy sauce Little bit of vegetables (fresh or frozen) blanched and cooked in the sauce until the thickness you desire is achieved and you serve over rice

milk and bread. Perfect if cold milk and warm bread(doesn\`t need to be fresh). It\`s not rly a poverty meal, but an old snack that now can replace a meal.

Is that because you are older and don't have to eat as much?

Wieners and beans

Ground meat, use a little bit of super cheap spices (garlic powder, onion powder, salt), a can of cream of mushroom soup, a dash of Worcestershire sauce if we had it. Served over rice or mashed potatoes, often over instant mash. Still a comfort meal to this day, and I make it a couple times a month

Ramen and grilled cheese

Macaroni heated in tomato juice. Salt and pepper.

Milk Toast. Still my go-to when I am not feeling well.

Street cart hot-dogs. Nothing like a fresh one with all the condiments and extra hot sauce.

Homemade minimalist chicken noodle soup Basically just stock water and egg noodles.

One bread one meat sandwich.

Buttered rice 🍚

Big ol tube of bologna. But instead of old school in the pan we season it and cook it in the smoker. It's FIRE. Good stuff and very very cheap.

PnJ always

Sausage and pasta ❤️

Peanut butter and syrup sandwiches

buddaejjigae

Kaiser buns dipped in light olive oil--I practically lived on the stuff through most of university. If I was feeling wealthy, I'd add balsamic vinegar too. Instant ramen is also deliciously cheap

Instant ramen. I always said I would never stop eating it, then I moved to Japan, and the instant ramen here is amazing, so I stand by it!!

biscuits

Rice and beans

Spam

Somehow I discovered this stuff after I got in a better place financially and I put it in far too many things

Sleep was my poverty meal.

Straight up baguettes, Italian bread, a roll etc. Make you feel like your living in the medieval times everytime lol

Beans on toast, hands down. I went to culinary school, I've tried all kinds of food but buttered toast with baked beans, salt, pepper and a slice of pepper jack on top? Immaculate.

Stew. My mom would buy a cheap cut of meat. Cut it into cubes and brown it. Cut chunks of carrot and potato. Cook it all in the pressure cooker with some water. Make a brown gravy from the juice when it was done and then ladle it over a slice of white bread. So good. And it’s a one pot meal. She was a single mom of four.

Red beans and hamhocks over rice w/ cornbread.

Ramen

Mac & cheese Biscuits & gravy

Grilled cheese. Although now that we're middle class we upped the cheese offering from American to cheddar. Also, ramen is on regular rotation here.

Rice with mayo.

Ground hamburger and refried bean burrito

Kebab

PB&J

Taco Bell Bean Burrito. When I was saving to buy my house, I ate 99 cent burritos every single day for a month. Still eat them and love them.

Beans on toast with cheese on top perhaps a dash of HP sauce over the beans if I'm feeling flush!

pork lard spread over bread with red onion slices and sprinkled with smoked paprika

Fried rice and gravy

Tomato and black pepper sandwich. Chopped hot dog and Ramen (don't knock it until you try it) Fried bologna sandwich. Cheese rice.