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Poor meals can come with many different names, including struggle meals, cheap meals, and a poor man’s dinner. No matter what you call it, the end results are just about the same. It’s a dish served for yourself or family and it only costs pennies. The absolute cheapest meal you can possibly think of when times are tough.
While it is cheap food to buy when broke, poor meals can also bring back some childhood nostalgia
Growing up we didn’t have much money. My father was a long haul truck driver and my mother stayed home with us 3 kids. Every winter when the freight died down, our paychecks reflected it and we pushed through with trying to be as cheap as we could wherever we could.
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There was a year that my siblings and I recall quite vividly where we didn’t have cable, internet, or trash services for several months. We went without a lot of other things too, but my mom always made sure that there was food on the table and that our REAL needs were met. Even if it meant her plate had less so that we could have more.
It was rough, but we are here today to reflect back on it and honestly, it helped shape our characters a bit as we are all much more aware of money and finances.
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As an adult, I’ve had my own struggles with finances when we were unemployed after Army life and had to hustle for money for diapers or live off of ramen and eggs for a few meals to keep fed.
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It’s thinking back at my mom and how was able to keep us together and happy during those trying times that honestly motivated me through the rough times as an adult.
If she could do it then, I could do it now. She taught us how to be strong and manage through it all.
One thing we remember most about our childhood was the poor meal dinner that we requested to eat, often. We even called it, “Poor man food”.
It was boxed macaroni and cheese (the brand didn’t matter) and fried tuna patties.
Taking 1 or 2 cans of tuna, draining it and then mixing with 1 egg and enough flour to get a thick white paste. Flattening out round disks in a hot pan of oil. Smooshing it with a fork so it was flat and cooked it until it was crispy. This was eaten almost weekly in our home with or without steamed broccoli as a side dish.
It became more expensive and less common in our house once my younger sister was discovered to have a gluten allergy. At that point, we then had to switch flours, noodles, or make it from scratch.
To this day, I enjoy serving it to my family as I can. Of course, that is now more difficult due to my son’s dairy intolerance. If I was wiser, I may actually take notice of nature telling me to stop serving this dish. But the childhood nostalgia and comfort of eating my poor man food is overwhelming at times.
As I get older I notice more and more struggle meals popping up and people reminiscing about the foods of their childhood.
Things they ate when times were tough and food was scarce even if they didn’t know that they didn’t have money for food. So I took a poll and collected some of the most interesting sounding low-budget meals that I could find to share with you all.
Some of these ideas can help to feed your larger family for cheap or give a smaller family meal ideas that can stretch into leftovers the next day.
Here are some struggle meals from our pasts, aka recipes for the broke:
Beans and biscuits
Take a few cans of baked beans, and pour them into a casserole pan. Layer the top with BBQ sauce and a tube worth of biscuits on top. Then bake according to the directions of the biscuits.
Tuna Noodle Casserole
A can of condensed cream of mushroom soup mixed with a drained can of tuna drained can of peas, and cooked noodles are the base of this casserole dish. Anything else you want to add is completely extra and up to you. Can be served hot or cold.
You can view my Tuna Noodle Casserole Recipe here.
Pinto beans and cornbread
Cooking up some pinto beans from the bag or a can however you want them seasoned and flavored. Then serve with a side of cornbread. There were numerous replies stating that people ate this growing up.
Black beans and rice
I personally made this one not too long ago as a side dish for some Mexican pork chops we were eating for dinner. A can of drained black beans mixed with white rice and seasonings, it was that simple. That was the first time I made it, and won’t be the last. Some people eat this as a main dish when times are tough, and it’s not hard to see why- it’s both filling and cheap!
Canned Chili over noodles
Take some of your favorite canned chili and pour it over some cooked noodles. If you have leftover hotdogs or can afford to toss a few franks in the pot, they really help to stretch the meal and make it awesome.
Gravy on Anything
SOS on toast, biscuits, and gravy, gravy and meat patties, the list goes on. It seems a lot of struggle meals growing up involve gravy. Butter, flour, water/milk/coffee mixed until thick and poured over something else can really be a frugal and filling meal option fit for any time of the day.
Eggs over Rice
Fry an egg sunny side up and top it over a nice pile of cooked rice. Bonus points for flavor if you cook the rice in chicken or vegetable stock.
Parmesan Rice with Veggies
Cook some white rice in a steamer, or per usual. Add in parmesan cheese and whatever easy veggies you have on hand. You can use the peas and carrots from a can or frozen bag and have this turn out great.
Black-Eyed Peas and Cornbread
This one is extra special and eaten in a lot of homes on New Years. Superstition and tradition state that if you start the year eating poor and be prosperous and gain wealth.
Kielbasa Sausage and Potatoes
Slice the kielbasa into coins and cook in a skillet with diced potatoes, onion and bell peppers. Season to taste.
Poor Man’s Tuna Noodle Casserole
Mix a box of mac and cheese with a drained can of tuna. Some people state this dish is best with a can of cream of mushroom tossed in while others say adding peas makes it a million times better.
Egg Burritos
I’ll be honest- I make this quite often because it hits the spot and is super frugal! Scramble some eggs in a pan and add chopped green onion, salt, and pepper. Wrap it up in a flour tortilla and it’s done.
Sometimes, I get extra fancy and add in leftover taco meat or cheese, depending on what I have on hand.
Poor Man’s Stew
A little browned ground beef, mixed with veggies, beef broth, and some tomato paste. What makes it extra awesome is that you can freeze any leftovers and reheat for future struggle meals.
Recipe for Poor Man’s Stew Here.
Fried cabbage and egg noodles
A cabbage head is usually under $2, add in a cheap bag of egg noodles and whatever seasonings you have on hand and this is definitely a cheap family filling dish. Just chop up the cabbage and saute until soft in a pot, you can use oil or butter. Then add in some already cooked egg noodles and it’s done.
Canned Chili Over Mac and Cheese
A can of your favorite chili poured over the top of some boxed mac and cheese can be a filling and incredibly easy dinner to piece together.
Poor Man’s Spanish Rice
We eat this one a lot just because I love the easy process of making it and how good it can taste. Cook some quick rice as per directions on the box, but use half of the water requested. Substitute salsa for the rest of the water needed and continue cooking as normal. So if the box says to use 2 cups of water, use 1 cup of water and 1 cup of salsa.
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How to Stretch Your Food Stamps to Last All Month. Great for those receiving hardly anything or barely enough. Find some frugal ways to maximize what you do get and use it to your advantage.
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So I’m curious to know, what was the poor man food or struggle meal at your home? Share in the comments below!
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Hi, my name is Nicole and I am a self-employed stay-at-home-mom of 2 running my own virtual business! My husband is a game developer and a disabled Army veteran. Together we’ve been through it all. Within the past few years, we took our frugality to a whole new level and it’s working. Within the next few months, we’ll be 100% debt-free! With this site, I’m sharing the best tips and tricks for saving money, budgeting and living more frugally because if we can do it, you can too!
We always had Mac and cheese tuna and peas. I still make it today. Growing up I didn’t know it was a cheap meal. Now we just like it so I make it. But now it costs $3 instead of the $1 mom used to pay.
Enjoyed reading all of these. Bologna boats have been in my family forever. Bologna in oven until edges curl up to make a little bowl. Insert mashed potatoes and top with slice of American cheese. My go-to comfort food.
we do hot dog boats!
my moms poor meal out of a lot was bread spread with mustard, raw ground beef salt and pepper ,on oven rack under broiler until toasted on bottom and cooked thru, delicious
That sounds really interesting, and I’m tempted to try it and see how it tastes for myself. Thanks for sharing!
I never realized growing up that my parents didn’t have much money. I always thought things were fine. As an adult I try to thank them everyday for their struggles and giving me a wonderful childhood. So, these are some things I use to eat that I can taste just thinking about them. A yellow mustard and sliced onion sandwhich. Also, I would take load bread, spread with ketchup too with Italian seasoning and slice of cheese. It was my own little pizza recipe. Lastly, aside from lots of beans and cornbread, I recommend to all, cobbler. 1 cup of flour, sugar, milk, 1 can of fruit and a stick of butter. Can’t beat a fruit cobbler. I really enjoyed reading all this. With what’s going on today with COVID-19, we can go back to these poor man meals to stretch our food. Stay healthy every one!
You can never beat a homemade cobbler. I’ve personally found that when finances are rough and you’re down to struggle meals, adding a dessert or sweet treat here and there really helps to boost morale and increase everyone’s spirits. Thanks so much for sharing these great ideas!
Sausages and “red lead”. White rice with cut up fried sausage and diced tomatoes. For extra flavour sprinkle a little parmesan cheese! It was an old time logging camp recipe that my dad would make when mom was away.
I have never heard of red lead before but that’s such a cool name for it!
Lentil soup made with a bag of dried lentils, olive oil, spices, carrots and celery. Delish for a meatless Friday night! Also a canned tomato sauce, garlic, olive oil, and a can of tuna over your choice of pasta. Fantastic!
Those both sound really interesting! Thanks for sharing!
My growing up and one of my daughter’s favorite dish growing up also a very cheap dish, was macaroni with butter and grated Parmesan or Romano cheese. Cheap, easy and children love it.
That sounds so delicious!
Having been a single mom raising two boys for 11 yrs before remarrying, I have several go-to recipes to stretch meals. From childhood, I remember my mother frying a few potatoes and then cracking a couple eggs into it, stirring it around until done. Filling and tasty! Sometimes I make “Creamed Eggs over toast”. Just make a white sauce and mush up 3-4 eggs in it… serve over toast or biscuits. We just had that this morning! I also have a “hamburger stretching recipe”… Ground beef is actually becoming quite expensive so I mix several kinds of ground meat; Mix together the following: 5# ground beef, 2# ground pork, 3# ground turkey, and 1-2# ground sausage with 2 c cooked white rice, 1 chopped onion, 2-3 chopped carrots, 2 c. oatmeal or bread crumbs, 1-2 c grated zucchini, 3 eggs, 1 c milk, 2 tsp salt, 1tsp pepper, 2-3 cloves minced garlic(opt). Form into meatballs, placing them on cookie sheets. Freeze and then store in freezer bags in meal sized portions. You can thaw several bags to make meatloaf, patties, or leave as meatballs serving with spaghetti sauce or covered with cream of mushroom soup. The veggie additions are bland so they do not compromise the taste but provide filler and nutrition.
I really love this! Thanks so much for the reply. These all sound so good, especially the potatoes and eggs. You also have a great system in place for stretching the meat, I agree that it’s expensive. I have an entire post about stretching meat if you’d like even more ideas.
Cheap bag of walmart stir fry veggies over beef ramen. Can add some cooked hambuger if you have some. A little soy sauce too if you have some. Fed my 6 kids!
My Mom made a lot of what you all are posting here for dinner but
I also ate my share of crazy poor man’s snacks. Stuff I thought of myself and my Mother would be appalled.
I started off with mayo sandwiches but got bored and added sweet
relish so tartar sauce sandwiches were my thing for a while. If I wanted something sweet, I made margarine and sugar sandwiches. What the heck was I thinking?! I also ate peeled raw potatoes with garlic salt. (Don’t ask me why)
Living in FL there were always coconuts and mangoes on the ground so we ate them almost daily.
I have heard of butter and sugar sandwiches but I have never personally tried one or had the desire to lol
If you don’t have a choice you will eat anything.
That’s very true!
Did Brown sugar, butter and PB on bread. Mmm.
That sounds delicious, bet it tastes great when the bread is toasted too
Scrambled eggs, applesauce and rice with milk and sugar was what we had for dinner before payday growing g up. Something we always had and my 3 sisters and I still love the combination.
A poor mans meal i came up with myself as an adult has been an easy yet delicious life saver. Onion soup. All you need is 4 onions water and flour and we all seem to have onions left over so its a good choice for my house.
As a kid my mothers go to poor mans meal was beans and rice and for desert wed have white rice with sugar.
Your onion soup sounds so interesting! (I love onions)
Thanks for sharing!
Boiled cabbage and potatoes. The smell of cooking cabbage would linger for what seemed like days. I didn’t really like it when I was younger and would drench the cabbage in vinegar just to get it down. By the time I had hit my teens a little salt and pepper and it was delicious.
I didn’t appreciate cabbage until I was older either. The only time I was able to eat it growing up was when we ordered teriyaki from a place down the street. It was steamed, which was..weird.. but sooooo good. As an adult I tried it sauteed with bacon and garlic- totally changed my life.
Grilled cheese sandwiches and canned tomatoe soup.
Red beans and rice with cornbread, if we had the veggies
Pinto beans with ham or sausage over rice with cornbread
Canned corned beef with potatoes (we usually paired it with baked beans)
Kielbasa and sauerkraut over mashed potatoes
Chicken and dumplings (We used chicken broth and rolled out dough for the dumplings. My grandma would let the dumplings dry out while she was making bone broth.)
Potato pancakes (if there were leftover mashed potatoes) eggs any way you like them with a little syrup
wow, quite a few different options!
My husband taught me an amazing recipe that has passed down through the generations from the Great Depression. Flour, salt, egg and water to make a dough. You make little raviolis that you fill with an overly salted cottage cheese mixture, and then boil them until they float. While they cook, fry up plain white sandwich bread in shortening. Top the cooked noodles with the croutons and whole, vitamin d milk. It’s…. phenomenal. They call it kasnifla. Cheap to make but pretty labor intensive. I love it though.
I’ve never heard of anything remotely similar to this. So interesting!
It’s German, I’m pretty sure. I’ve never made it myself, but lots of friends & relatives have spoken about it
Potatoes and dogs. Fried potatoes with cut up hot dogs. Eggs were occasionally added. Also, Bacon Mac. Boxed mac & cheese with crumbled bacon and canned tomatoes added to it. If we had veggies from the garden we would add some green pepper and onion.
Those all sound very interesting
We had migas (not sure of that’s what it’s actually called, just what we did). Fried corn tortillas mixed with scrambled eggs, cheese, chopped onions, salt, and pepper. Put some salsa on top and call it dinner.
That sounds like an amazing breakfast too! I think I might have to make this one soon, it sounds great.
That is what it is called, migas is without sauce, chilaquiles with sauce (and the rest is the same).
I never thought of that, I bet that would be good! 🙂
My mom would make “chicken feed”. Melt butter in pan, crumble up leftover cornbread (not the sweet kind), pour some eggs over it, and cook it until hot. It tasted best when she left it a little wet, it’s too dry when you cook the egg well done. That stuff was life, and I still make it when I have some good leftover cornbread.
That sounds like a great way to use up leftover Thanksgiving stuffing too!
In my house we do hamburger and rice, it’s quick, easy and makes a lot of food. It’s just ground beef, onions, garlic, rice, and peas (seasoned however you want, we almost always add soya sauce to it as well). Cook everything but the rice together (cook the rice on the side) then mix everything together.
That sounds delicious!
we had what we called chocolate gravy, which was a little Hershey’s cocoa and flour and sugar (maybe a couple big tlbs each) mixed in a fry pan, while you ad milk to it and cook it over heat to make a warm gravy. Mom served it over biscuits. Yum yum.
I’ve heard of chocolate gravy and it sounds amazing, It’s on my bucket list of foods to try and make someday lol
I love choc gravy and bisquits !
One of my favorite “struggle foods” isn’t one from my family, but one my husband introduced me to –
Cooked elbow macaroni, tuna, Mayo, and salt.
He says he came up with that when he was younger and on his own.
That actually sounds pretty good. Like a fun cross between tuna salad and tuna noodle.
My mother made this, but also added several chopped hard-boiled eggs, pepper, & chilled it like macaroni salad. Cool and refreshing on a hot summer day. So much protein (tuna and eggs) it fills you up. Was very well received by a group of poor and/or homeless folks that were given a meal for the night. I was told that some of them came back later in the evening for seconds! They were being housed for the night at a parsonage at one church.
I still make this and I love it!
My mom’s version of goulash. It was just boxed mac n cheese, can of cream of mushroom soup and some ground beef and onion. We’d have it with buttered bread and it was one of my favorite meals. When you search goulash now, it seems to be more of a tomato based dish, but I love my mom’s version best 🙂
That sounds pretty tasty! Goulash to me was always tomato-based, but until I met my husband I didn’t even know what it was lol.
My Mom made goulash too usually some kind of elbow or shell
macaroni, ground beef, tomato sauce and whatever veggies she had on hand. It lasted for days.
Do you put the cheese mixture in too? Sounds good!
My mother made ketchup pancakes every Friday night. We loved them! It’s just crepes with a bit of ketchup smeared around on them and rolled up. They are so good!
I’m open to trying new things.. I mean, they turned ketchup into a tasty cake, right? But crepes with ketchup actually sounds more similar to what my mom would call a “wish” sandwich. It’s just 2 pieces of bread with a ketchup filling because you wish it had some meat in it.
I love breakfast for dinner, pancakes, French toast. I always seem to have those ingredients and syrup on hand.
Breakfast for dinner is such a cheap/quick and easy dinner win! Pancakes can be made with pretty much anything and I just learned how to make homemade maple syrup using extract.
When I was younger, my parents went through hard times. What we had, is what we made due with until we had money to buy more. I can remember having fried hot dogs, rice, and eggs for supper and/ or breakfast. Since growing up and having teenage boys, I spruced it up a little. They fell in love with friends hotdogs, Mac and cheese, and a veggie. Always fix enough, so they’ll make a friend dog sandwich with a slice of cheese added. (Hotdogs are split lengthwise, and fried in a little butter. Flipping until darkened. Bits looked a little on blackened side.) My husband thought I was crazy until he tried, and now request them.
15 bean soup was a personal fav growing up. A bag of dried 15 beans and onion, carrots and canded tomatos. Use the inckuded season pack or, as i do, play around with seanonings i have on hand
I have yet to try 15 bean soup, but all of the recipes I find for it look very yummy! I’m a bit intimidated by the idea of using dried beans… it never works out well for me..
Sounds good! My Mom always made in a pot olive oil salt pepper and garlic salt cut up onion hot pepper flakes sautéed Throw in two cans of navy beans or cantalina beans! Add two large cans Hunts tomato sauce and cook for 1/2 hour!
Cook tubitini pasta leave some water aside and put the bean mixture in the pot with some of the water!
Sprinkle with grated cheese!
Heaven!