When your broke what meals can you always make?

[45hopperbunny]

I have exactly £1.61 to last me until next Friday! I had to buy a bed outright at the end if last month so being £400 down for a month has had a massive impact.

It made me wonder though, when you’re super broke and have no money, what meals can you make at home? Or what food do you always have indoors?

I can always make,

• lasagna
• spag bol
• chicken & pasta
• tuna pasta

I always have in the house,

• pasta
• spaghetti
• bread
• some sort of food in the oven to last some days if need be
• beans
• eggs
• DD’s (15m old) porridge, yoghurts and fruit

Just wondered what other people have in their cupboards/fridge all the time!

lentils and onions

Lentil and bacon soup
mixed bean chilli
puttanesca pasta

sorry, *you’re!

If I was in that financial situation I would have looked for a second hand bed

Could you go to a food bank? Maybe the health visitor can help?
my first though is dried pulses and make a vegetarian spagbol

I’ve never eaten lentils before but I may look up some recipes and try them!

No need to go to a food bank, I have plenty more food in the house right now. I was just stating what foods I could make every time without fail because I always have these ingredients in my house. Neither I or the kids will go hungry so everything is in hand. There’s nothing I need money for until Friday anyway!

The money issue is just a one off because I really needed that bed. I didn’t want a second hand one either

Pasta and Tom sauce.. rice with whatever veg l have. Or rice and just soy sauce. I normally have tins of tuna beans ect in cupboard. So jacket potatoes with anything l have. I could probably eat out of the cupboard for at least 3 weeks. Would be boring but l would survive. If you have eggs omelette is good.

lentils and rice/ chickeas and rice/ onions and garlic flour and leavening to make bread, a block of cheese, Potatoes apples carrots and bananas for vit/min. You have a child go to a food bank for this week please.

I have a pretty huge stock of food as I'm disabled and so can't always get out.

I always have - pasta, rice, flour etc. passata, coconut milk, curry paste, pasta bake, tinned veg and potatoes, beans, sausage and beans, 3x cereal and tinned protein like hot dogs, tuna, bacon grill, corned beef. In the freezer I always have 2-3 bags of chips, fresh frozen mince, chicken thighs, cheese, milk, bread, butter, salami, Gammon joint, 3 packets of sausages and bacon.

I am very aware that I'm lucky and it gives me great peace of mind knowing I can feed us for 2-3weeks should I have to.

Thinly sliced courgette sautéd served on a bed of penne pasta with a squeeze of olive oil and lemon juice.

There‘s a few things mentioned that I’m going to start doing myself😂 potatoes are a great idea because I always have things in the cupboard to go alongside jacket potato.

Oh yeah I also forgot to mention tuna bake and sausages too. I always have a pack of chicken frozen in the freezer for times like this just in case! Posters saying they could feed themselves for a few weeks if they had too is really good. I could probably only go for about a week or two at a push but it’d definitely be repetitive.

You actually need a referral for a food bank, you can’t just waltz in demanding food haha. I also don’t need it so I’d be taking food out of a hungry family’s mouth and that isn’t good. DD has all the food she needs, she will never go without

I always have
tinned tomatoes
Baked beans
rice
pasta
porridge
cereal of some sort
frozen veg green beans / cauli/ broccoli
lots of condiments spices and herbs

almost always
eggs
spuds
curry sauce
cheese sauce
Chicken thighs
peppers
spring onions
mushrooms

I try to make sure I have a 'nice' meal / treat in stock too
tuna
steak
good chocolate
bottle / can of cider

While i know not everyone can afford the items in the last group if I am short of cash am happy to eat veg and rice , pasta curry sauce , egg and chips , for two weeks if i know there is a nice steak meal coming at the end of it

I have no idea whey that last bit is in italics !

Broccoli and pasta
Macaroni cheese but with penne
Beans on toast
Jacket potato and beans
I always keep a new jar of pesto in the cupboard for emergencies for the dc to have with pasta
Porridge and a spoonful of jam.

@DeanStockwelll omg egg & chips! Yep
I’m having that tonight😂 with a side of beans too.

Great list though, I’d love to have steak but don’t think I know how to cook it which is a shame

I always have tinned tomatoes, bacon, eggs, pasta, onions, minced beef, carrots, garlic bread, cheese, tomato puree, chicken mini fillets, pork steaks, fish fingers, frozen chips, frozen stir fry veg, rice, frozen peas, curry sauce, sweet & sour sauce, herbs, spices, tinned kidney beans, tomato puree, chopped garlic, olive oil, packet sauce mixes like chicken chasseur or beef stroganoff. If I use something out of the freezer I replace it as soon as I can & if I cook something like a chilli or spaghetti bolognase I make enough to freeze a couple of portions & things like fish fingers & frozen chips make a quick meal. When I was first a single parent I was skint & got used to living out of the freezer at least one week a month, I also saved at least £5 each week on supermarket saving stamps so that I could buy food during November & December as well as Christmas & still afford Christmas presents for ds.

Rice, pasta, potatoes, oats, onions, garlic, olive oil, long life almond, cashew and oat milk, peanut butter.
Tins of tomatoes, lentils, beans of all varieties, sweetcorn.
Herbs and spices
Ideally but not essential would be bread, Cauliflower, Brocoli, spinach and berries in the freezer
As whole food vegans, if I have the above in we could survive a seige.

Dal, rice, greens. I’ve already told my kids we will have that for dinner at least a twice a week through winter.

All the grains - cous cous, rice, pasta, noodles, dried beans and lots of dried herbs and spices! I put bread in the freezer and defrost in the toaster if we’ve run out and freeze extra portions whenever there are some.

with your cupboard I would make a pasta Arrabiatta with tinned tomatoes, dried chillies and garlic then turn a piece of bread into breadcrumbs, fry it off and sprinkle on top of the pasta.

Without going into the freezer
Pasta and pesto
Beans on toast
Mexican bake
Macaroni cheese
Some sort of Dahl or chickpea curry
Veggie chilli and rice

Lentil curry. Tin of tomatoes, lentils and chopped onion. On rice. Whatever curry powder or mix of spice you have.

tray of potatoes, sausage meat (even just a little) roasted, and frozen peas.

I genuinely really like pasta with just butter and black pepper. I eat it ( when not doing keto) not because it's cheap it's just nice.

Red lentil and tomato soup. Chickpea curry with rice. Bean chilli. Tuna and egg pasta. Past putanesca. Fishy pasta. Then beans or tinned fish on toast. They're our store cupboard meals. We'll probably have something better buried in tuppa ware in the freezer.

Pasta with oil or butter, cheese and salt and whatever veg you have.
Lentils are brilliant as they are super cheap and can bulk out anything else.
Porridge with water for breakfast and whatever fruit you have. Failing that, a bit of sugar or honey.
Roast veg (any) with whatever protein you have. Stick a tin of tuna on at the end.

I got a bit crazy during lockdown at the thought of not having staple ingredients. Ever since, my cupboards and chest freezer are full to bursting. Except for breakfast cereal which I’m told we’re nearly out of, I think we have enough food for about 3 weeks for the 5 of us.

The allotment and the chickens keep us in fresh veg and eggs at this time of year.