Reddit Users Share Their Best Weird, Cheap Meals

updated Oct 16, 2019
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Credit: Joe Lingeman

Inside the mind of anyone responsible for feeding themselves or others, there lives a collection of recipes — ones for special occasions, ones you make when you’re feeling down, and ones you make when you feel like you can do anything. You know what I’m talking about.

But perhaps the most important one is this: your go-to cheap meal. It’s the end of the month, or you’re saving up for a big trip — whatever it is, you need a meal that won’t break the bank. And sometimes when you’re trying to be cheap, things get a little weird. So a Reddit user decided it was time to fess up and tell what your weird cheap meal is — and the resulting thread is fascinating.

The original poster kicks it off with a sauté of frozen spinach, rice, and ground hamburger meat. Some of the other notable ones include a squash baked with brown sugar, ramen noodles with peanut butter, and pasta with scrambled eggs. Those don’t sound too weird, right? There’s also mention of tuna casserole; cottage cheese with jam; and rice with various toppings like ketchup, mayo, or coleslaw.

Some of the answers get more complicated, like the Vienna sausage Creole (tomato sauce, canned tomatoes, Vienna sausages, and a few vegetables and spices). Some suggestions barely count as meals, like the microwaved Triscuits with shredded mozzarella, or turkey slices spread with cream cheese and rolled up. Others seem dubious in flavor, like cold chickpeas straight from the can.

But the best part about weird cheap meals is that it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks — these are the meals you often eat alone, at home, when what tastes best is the fact that you don’t have to stress about how much it costs.