Groceries are a major expense these days. And grocery prices are continuing to go up in 2025, according to the USDA. Still, making meals at home versus going out to eat is cheaper, and a big way to save money. But getting creative with low-cost ingredients can be a hang-up.
In an online community of frugal people, member samdaz712 posed the question to fellow savers: “What’s the cheapest meal you actually enjoy eating regularly?”
They continued, “We all have that one budget meal that somehow never gets old. For me, it’s rice, eggs, and frozen mixed veggies with soy sauce and chili flakes. Costs next to nothing, takes 10 minutes, and I actually look forward to it.”
The post wrapped up with a call-out for others’ favorite and frugal meals. “Curious what everyone else’s go-to cheap meals are not the I’ll suffer through this to save money kind, but the ones you genuinely like and would still eat even if you weren’t budgeting. Always looking for new ideas that don’t break the bank,” they added.
Frugal people happily shared their cheap (and yummy) go-to meals. Here are 30 cheap meals that they never get sick of.
“PB&J sandwiches. I could eat one every day of my life if I allowed it to happen. If I’m feeling fancy, I’ll make a PB, banana, and honey sandwich. Then I’ll pan toast with a generous amount of butter on each side until the bread is golden brown and the PB starts to melt. It’s so decadent yet so cheap.” – Kom4k
“Fried egg sandwich.” – Major9000
“Every week-ish we make pinto beans, smash em up into a refried situation, melt some cheese, spread them on toasted torta bread with avocado. Then use leftovers in your eggs the next day or make burritos for lunch. You can never go wrong with a pot of beans.” – BoardNo1459
“A pot of pinto beans with a link of kielbasa sausage and corn bread…Absolute baller.” – Bigram03
“‘Hobo-potatoes,’ diced potatoes, onions, salt and pepper, mixed up in a bag of foil with oil and left to cook in the coals of a camp fire. Goes great with any protein and has more potassium per serving than bananas.” – Blacan
“Pasta and butter. Sometimes with grated parmesan.” – RuthlessLidia
“Quesadilla.” – babe_ruthless3
“Toast.” – FrauAmarylis
“Pan fried tofu slabs braised in a pan with chopped kimchi, green onion, kimchi liquid or rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, bit of water to make it saucy, a tsp of sugar seems to help it meld together. Takes 10-12 min. Served over short grain rice. Optional toppings, toasted sesame seeds, chopped cilantro, sliced green onion. Edit: this was from The NY Times food, from Sue Li for exact proportions.” – LavaPoppyJax
“Costco’s $1.50 hot dog and drink.” – StarWolf478
“Rice and eggs for me too. It can be enjoyed in so many ways! My favorite is a crispy egg that’s still yolky on sushi rice with seaweed, salt and sesame oil.” – theyrejusttoys
“For me it’s an egg foo young – type dish! Stir raw eggs into leftover cooked vegetables (and optional protein, like leftover chicken or whatever you have). Ladle the mixture into a hot pan with a little oil, and fry up into patties. Serve over rice, and top with a drizzle of some kind of Asian sauce and a little hot pepper. You can look up a recipe for Egg Foo Young sauce, but that’s not necessary; it tastes great with almost any kind of Asian sauce, or simply soy sauce. The cooked patties last for days in the refrigerator and can be reheated. Bonus: This is a fantastic way to use up any small bits of leftover veggies or meat. And if I have wilted vegetables that are in danger of spoiling, I just chop them up and quickly sauté them together, and freeze them in small containers. Now I have lots of veggies ready to go to make delicious egg foo young.” – Til_eulenspiegel
“For me, it’s instant noodles with a soft-boiled egg, some greens, and a splash of sesame oil. Dirt cheap but feels like comfort food every time!” – Wajid-H-Wajid
“Baked potatoes. So cheap, so good.” – killyergawds
“Over-night oats. Eat it every morning before work.” – Non_Binary_Goddess
“Nachos for the win.” – HappyBear4Ever
“Rice and lentils cooked together.” – RichCoast7186
“Potatoes, baked beans, fried eggs. Potatoes, corned beef, fried eggs. Rice (Mexican, Spanish, or Asian), beans, fried eggs. Cottage cheese, bran, frozen blueberries, milk. Home made salsa or pico de gallo on anything. Ground beef, rice, tomato and whatever else I have around. Rotisserie chicken, use the carcass to make soup with rice. Use the chicken that you can get off with tortillas and verde/enchilada sauce. With rice and beans. My advice, get really good at cooking rice, beans, and potatoes. Make sure you have a good selection of spices. Throw whatever extra money you have at whatever meats you can.” – himthatspeaks
“Sweet potato black bean burrito a la moosewood. The most basic version is just a sweet potato and a can of black beans (but much better with an upgrade of caramelized onions and some cumin).” – Upbeat-Poetry7672
“Sardines on toast with a over easy egg.” – Gandi1200
“Green bean casserole! Takes 10mins and lasts me all week for dinner and lunch.” – Kihakiru
“Pan fried Spam, sunny side up egg, over rice. Furikake seasoning to taste.” – Cajunsalmon
“I don’t make meals I don’t enjoy eating, but these are easy, quick, healthy and yummy. 1/2 rice , 1/2 red lentils + cubed veggies (frozen or fresh) eventually crushed tomatoes or coconut milk. Baked savory oats : shredded veggies +oats and eventually eggs or cheese or tomato sauce. Dhal sooooooo delicious. Split pea soup.” – Sokeiamcrazyalia
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