Cooking, if you’re good at it, can be a relaxing past time and a rewarding hobby. But, if you’re broke like me, then you probably see it for what it is, a money suck. Most recipes call for hundreds of ingredients, some of which are hard to find and are only useful for one meal.
You’re never going to use that bag of alfalfa sprouts again after you make that one meal. They will become permanent residents of your fridge until they die and you have to get rid of the body. My advice? Skip the stress of making the meals that cost you a fortune and instead try out these top five meals to make if you’re broke.
Pizza is like sex, even when it’s bad it is still pretty good. Not to mention if you go to your local grocery store you can buy a ‘make your own pizza box for ten dollars!
That’ll give you the dough, cheese, sauce and the meat of your choosing. In terms of meals to make when you’re broke, this is a great one, because not only can you customize it, you’ll have leftovers for the entire week. The only thing better then pizza is pizza the next morning.
Macaroni and cheese is a godsend to college students everywhere. You can buy a box of macaroni and cheese for under five dollars. It comes with the noodles and the cheese. Not only is this meal cheap to make, but it is also a very easy meal to make.
Step 1. Boil the water
Step 2. Add the noodles
Step 3. Drain the noodles
Step 4. Add the cheese
That’s it! In only four steps you can be eating delicious macaroni and cheese. Want to save on clean up? Eat that cheesy goodness right out of the pot, I won’t judge.
You might want to save this meal to make for when you have a hot date coming over and you want to impress them. Spaghetti is such a great meal to make when you’re broke because you can make it fancy or simple. For a basic spaghetti dish, you just need noodles and sauce. However, if it is the end of the week and you’re cleaning out your fridge you can throw whatever you want into the pot.
Peppers, carrots, mushrooms, alfalfa sprouts, really anything that you like can be thrown into pasta to make it look fancier. So, impress your dinner guest with this recipe that should only cost you $15 dollars at the most.
Another meal to make that is super easy and can use all of your leftover ingredients is chilli, but do not eat this one on a date. Chilli can be made out of beans, vegetables, beef, chicken and even turkey meat. Mix all your leftover ingredients into a pot with some marinara sauce and call it a day. Chilli will also last in your fridge for about two weeks so it is perfect to make for when you’re trying to plan ahead.
Looking for a healthy alternative, but still, want to save money? Stir Fry is cheap and super healthy for you. All you need is chicken, rice and other assorted vegetables you probably already have in your fridge. Get your frying pan out, (cook the chicken separately) and fry all your yummy ingredients together for this tasty afternoon dish.
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