Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Golden Grain used to make a boxed macaroni and cheese meal that just used water to make it. I loved that stuff.
When I was needing to stretch food, I used to have a 10lb bag of potatoes and Crisco, and have fried potatoes every night (and morning). Scrambled eggs are cheap and so is hamburger in Rice-a-Roni. I used to get cream cheese (when it was cheap), a jar of Ragu spaghetti sauce, and a large bag of Ruffles chips. Slice the cream cheese, pour the spaghetti sauce over it and use as a dip with the chips. That's good for about four or more meals.
The other thing I did was cook hamburger in some taco seasoning mix and put it in shredded lettuce with some cheese for a taco salad. If I could afford it, I would add tomatoes as well. That's when hamburger and lettuce was cheap.
Now when I want something cheap, I use an envelope of Mesquite flavoring mix on sliced pork, slow cook it in the oven, then throw the cooked pork on a tortilla with cheese and chopped onions. I also make my own refried beans in the crock pot and one pound of pinto beans is usually enough for 15 to 20 Taco Bell-sized tostadas.
I still make a meal out of Tostitos and salsa sometimes, and throwing chicken and cheese on Tostitos is always good. And of course, you can always add hot dogs to something like hot dogs and mac and cheese, or hot dogs and beans.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jlawrence01
I hate to bring up the very obvious but ...
If you are young, poor and hungry, nearly every community has a food bank.
That's now, this was then. Not too many food banks around back in the 70s and 80s as we know them now.
Last edited by rodentraiser; 05-21-2018 at 10:44 PM..
Now that's bad. They don't decompose and certain aren't digested. I'm sorry. When I was in my late 20s and 30s, I heard of seniors resorting to cat and dog food.
What? They're high in sodium and starch. That's what makes them 'bad'. Aren't digested? LOL
What? They're high in sodium and starch. That's what makes them 'bad'. Aren't digested? LOL
That's the problem with being poor and fat, especially if you're on food stamps. Half the population complains that you're fat because you don't buy healthy food and the other half thinks you're given too much for food stamps and the unhealthy food is what you should eat all the time. You can't win.
that sounds like a good one, but where are the veggies? Another thing our daughter liked when young, and poor as a college student was hard boiled eggs or eggs anyway.
Eggs were my go to college food.
Hard boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, omelettes, fried egg sandwiches, ... cheap and the protein lasted me a while.
For some reason, ate a lot of garbanzo beans. Would cook up a pot full of them and keep them in the fridge.
Scrambled eggs and garbanzo beans. Fry them in a little oil and add some garlic and dried parsley right at the end. Can't remember all the recipes, but ate a ton of garbanzo beans. I think I used to call the chick peas.
Little light on the fruits and vegetables, though I did get sacks of apples and carrots when I had money.
Hard boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, omelettes, fried egg sandwiches, ... cheap and the protein lasted me a while.
Eggs were my college food too! You made me laugh when I read that. A couple dozen eggs for about 2 bucks went a long way.
I also made a couple large batches of Shepherd's pie every month that I could eat off of for 4-5 nights. My cheap version was a layer of frozen corn, a layer of ground beef (mixed with some catsup and chopped onion) and a big layer of mashed potatoes. I could make a huge dish for about 6 bucks.
Eggs were my college food too! You made me laugh when I read that. A couple dozen eggs for about 2 bucks went a long way.
I also made a couple large batches of Shepherd's pie every month that I could eat off of for 4-5 nights. My cheap version was a layer of frozen corn, a layer of ground beef (mixed with some catsup and chopped onion) and a big layer of mashed potatoes. I could make a huge dish for about 6 bucks.
Sounds delicious. I did that with enchiladas. Tortillas are cheap. Used onions and cheese and chicken for filling. Still make enchiladas with mostly onions and cheese. Used to freeze leftovers in meal size portions.
I used lots of onions. Fried them and then scrambled eggs around them. Fried them with chick peas.
Can't remember why I was so crazy about garbanzos. Maybe I bought a 50# sack of them. Who knows?
Pancakes are cheap too, if you get the ones in the box that just mix with water and eat them with just butter. Of course, the butter is expensive. *sigh*
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
