• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
always use butter
  • Recipes
  • Air Fryer Resources
  • Subscribe!
  • About
  • Contact
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Air Fryer Resources
  • Subscribe!
  • About
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Air Fryer Resources
    • Subscribe!
    • About
    • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    Home » MSN

    10 Cheapest Foods For Eating on a Tiny Budget

    By Emmeline Kemperyd on June 15, 2024, updated June 10, 2024 - Leave a Comment

    In the past few years, food prices have been steadily rising. But rising prices also means rising creativity for some people, and we gathred those creative ideas from some budget-savvy foodies who know exactly what to buy to make the most cost-efficient meals. From pantry staples to versatile ingredients, these thrifty options will make your taste buds tingle without emptying your wallet.

    Eggs

    A basket full of fresh eggs.
    Photo credit: Nitr/Shutterstock.

    Eggs are mentioned quite a lot when it comes to budget food. As one person pointed out, they’re “rich in protein so they are filling, they're cheap, and easy to cook.” They’re versatile too, you can have them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, all cooked in different ways. Eggcellent!!

    Save This Recipe Form

    Want to save this recipe?

    Enter your email below & we'll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get more great recipes from us each week!

    Potatoes

    Air Fryer Baked Potatoes
    Photo Credit: always use butter.

    One savvy shopper swears by baked potatoes, explaining: “You can get a huge bag for super cheap. The most expensive thing will be your toppings, which you can cut back on and still make a decent meal.”

    The best thing about potatoes is that they can be cooked in so many different ways: baked, boiled, mashed, and everything in between. So you can have them every day - and never grow tired of them!

    Get the recipe for Baked Potatoes

    Rice

    A bowl with rice and a raw egg.
    Photo credit: Hanasaki/Shutterstock.

    Buying rice in bulk will always be cheaper in the long run. And just as with potatoes, the possibilities are endless! As one foodie pointed out: “Homemade fried rice is super easy and cheap to make. Get some butter and soy sauce in there while cooking, and you’re golden.” As our parents used to say, ‘There’s rice at home!’

    Get the recipe

    Beans

    Four wooden spoons with different types of legumes.
    Photo credit: Antonio Giunta/Shutterstock.

    Even if you want to eat cheap, protein is very important for your diet. One shopper suggests beans: “No joke, dude. Beans are hella cheap. Can season it in so many ways. Can't ask for too much more.” Another user implied that lentils may even be superior to beans. To all the gym bros out there, you’re welcome!

    For lots of bean recipes, check out the bean queen Hey Nutrition Lady!

    Oatmeal

    Chocolate Oatmeal
    Photo Credit: always use butter.

    One person suggested this basic grain: “Oatmeal. You can laugh, but as a base, it's unbeatable: add sweet (sugar, fruit) or savoy (eggs & cheese), and it's a filling, cheap and nutritious meal.” You lost us at eggs and cheese, but we wouldn't say no to a nice bowl of chocolate oatmeal for breakfast!

    Spaghetti

    Spaghetti with ketchup.
    Photo credit: Evgeny Tomeev/Shutterstock.

    Another person pushes pasta: “I'd argue it's spaghetti. I can make a pot big enough to last a work week, and if I buy the ingredients on sale, it's like $6-$10, which comes out to like 50 cents a meal.” Now as my favorite nutritionist Katie Trant always tells me, there is actually quite a lot of protein in pasta! Which makes it a great part of your diet, but you probably should at least add some veggies to it.

    Cabbages

    sweetheart cabbage salad.
    Photo credit: always use butter.

    Speaking of veggies, one veggie lover pointed out the following: “Cabbages are freaking nutritive, and generally VERY cheap.” They're right! You can boil it, steam it, create a broth, bake it and put in a salad, or even eat it raw by putting it in coleslaw. The world is your cabbage! 

    Ramen

    A person lifting ramen noodles from a bowl with chop sticks.
    Photo credit: Monthira/Shutterstock.

    Originating in Japan, ramen is a cost-effective dish that involves noodles, broth, oil, and soy sauce. And as this clever foodie points out: “Crack an egg or two into some ramen and you add that necessary protein.”

    Bananas

    The ripening stages of a banana.
    Photo credit: Photoongraphy/Shutterstock.

    For the fruit lovers out there, one foodie suggested bananas: “Bananas = the cheapest health food. 4 bananas = 1$. It's a great snack to hold off hunger. I eat 2-4 bananas a day.” They’re bananas for… Well, bananas!

    Beans on Toast

    Beans on toast.
    Photo credit: New Africa/Shutterstock.com.

    For those familiar with British cuisine, it won't come as a surprise that beans on toast is quite the budget savvy option. As one foodie pointed out, it's been “the staple of many skint British students in the 1990s and beyond.” And for good reason!

    Source: Reddit

    More MSN

    • Holding up squid with chop sticks.
      11 Strange Things Foodies Say They Would Never Ever Eat
    • Playa Del Carmen.
      10 Delicious Destinations That Will Make You Book Your Next Trip
    • A cake baking in the oven.
      12 Timeless '70s Dinner Party Favorites You Just Can't Miss
    • Shark fin soup.
      12 Most Overrated Food Trends Right Now

    About Emmeline Kemperyd

    Emmeline Kemperyd is a writer, food blogger, recipe creator and food photographer and the founder of alwaysusebutter.com. She has more than 20 years of experience creating and simplifying recipes so they taste good, and are quick, easy, and approachable. She is a regular contributor to MSN  and her work has been featured by The Guardian, Well+Good, Vulture, SheKnows, Good Men Project, Daily Kos, The Grio, The Asian Parent, and The Feed Feed, among others.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    No Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Emmeline! I love tasty food, but I'm always in a hurry. And I have the quick and easy recipes to prove it!

    More about me →

    Popular Recipes

    • Sliced air fryer roast beef.
      Air Fryer Roast Beef
    • top down view of a tortellini casserole
      Cheesy Tortellini Casserole with Spinach
    • Creamy Chicken Broccoli Pasta Bake [Dump and bake!]
    • sliced rib eye steak topped with salt
      How to Cook a Rib Eye Steak Without a Cast Iron Skillet (3 Methods)

    Popular Articles

    • Lasagna.
      22 Dump-and-Bake Dinners That Will Revolutionize Your Weeknight Meals
    • A veggie casserole.
      21 Vegetarian Casseroles That Will Change Your Dinner Game
    • Instant Pot French Onion Soup.
      18 Elegant Lunch Ideas to Impress Mom This Mother’s Day
    • Cheesburger sliders.
      18 Cheap Ground Beef Recipes That Are Perfect for Spring

    We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

    All affiliate links are always marked with "*" or "affiliate".

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    A collage of sites where always use butter content has been featured.

    About

    • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Disclaimer
    • Disclosures
    • Editorial Policy
    • Accessibility Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up!

    Contact

    • Contact
    • info@alwaysusebutter.com
    • Pink Giraffe Ventures AB, Runstens Byväg 51, 147 91 Grödinge, Sweden
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

    Copyright © 2018-2025 Pink Giraffe Ventures AB