A guy in a Lisbon hostel kitchen taught me a $3 dinner trick I still use

He was making pasta with just a can of tuna, a lemon, and some garlic he got from the free shelf. He said 'if you buy sauce, you're paying for water and a jar.' I've saved hundreds on food costs since then. What's your go-to cheap meal you can make anywhere?

4 comments

4 Comments

margareto262mo ago

Okay but that tuna pasta is still spending money. My real go-to is just rice and beans from the bulk bins, maybe an onion. It costs pennies per bowl and you don't even need a can opener. The free shelf is great, but you can't always count on it.

wendy1312mo ago

My buddy got stuck in a cheap motel with just a microwave. He'd buy a bag of frozen veggies and a cheap jar of salsa, nuke it all together. Called it his "southwest bowl.

the_wyatt2mo ago

Saw a thing about adding a spoonful of peanut butter to instant ramen for cheap protein. Sounds weird but people swear by it.

joel_jones1mo ago

Honestly that southwest bowl from @wendy131's buddy is a solid move. It's cheap, it's got veggies, and you can make it in one dirty bowl. The peanut butter ramen thing is a step too far for me though, that just sounds like a weird soup. When you're really broke you get creative, but some ideas are better than others.