Growing up in poverty, I learned to make these 7 cheap, filling meals to stretch your dollar

No one likes the feeling of hunger. It's why babies cry their shrill, eardrum-piercing wail. Hunger can be why fully grown adults get irritated and snippy when they're normally pleasant. Eating is a biological need to keep all humans alive, and our uncomfortable, growling bellies are a reminder that our bodies need food.

Unfortunately, food is not something everyone has access to for multiple reasons. Sometimes it's a matter of where you were born for some, while for others it's due to a medical emergency, job loss, or a government shutdown impacting income and food security. But when it comes to hunger, children and their empty bellies don't care what is impacting the food budget; they just want something filling. After growing up in poverty myself, I've learned how to stretch a dollar while still feeling full.

Usually, when people think of cheap meals, they think of things like packs of ramen, cans of ravioli, or a box of mac and cheese. Those things are cheap and will get the job done, but you'll likely be hungry again within a couple of hours—if you get to feel satiated at all. So, keep those on hand for when you're between checks and have eaten everything else, but take note of these easy-to-make, extremely affordable, filling meals.

Cooking with love: A joyful kitchen moment.Photo credit: Canva

1. Beef stroganoff

This sounds more expensive than it actually is, but before I tell you what's in it, remember that we are looking for filling and affordable. If you have the items on hand, you can certainly make it properly with a brown gravy roux made from the juices of your sirloin steak tips. But, if you have limited funds, grab yourself some egg noodles, a tall jar or two cans of beef gravy, and some ground beef. You can add a drained can of peas for color and to get in some needed vitamins.

The recipe is fairly straightforward: season the beef (you can use ground turkey and turkey gravy as ground turkey is often cheaper) and cook until done while the egg noodles are boiling. Drain the cooked noodles, add the cooked beef, pour in the gravy and peas, mix it all together, and season to taste. That's it. The entire meal will cost around $12 and feed a family of six.

Mother and daughter cooking together in the kitchen.Photo credit: Canva

2. Butter noodles

My stepdad would make this when we didn't have gravy. It's exactly the same as beef stroganoff, except you melt a stick of butter into the cooked noodles. It was one of my favorite things to eat as a kid, and I had no idea we were eating it because we were poor. I saw it as a special meal because it was something we had sometimes, not weekly. There were times when there was no meat to put in the noodles, so we just ate seasoned butter noodles and made garlic bread to go on the side.

3. Obviously, spaghetti. Lots of spaghetti.

This version of spaghetti might make all of Italy shake its head, but when you've got kids to feed while trying to turn pocket lint into acceptable currency, you have to work with what you have. A one-pound roll of ground beef (the rolls are cheapest for some reason), a box of store-brand spaghetti noodles, and a jar of store-brand spaghetti pasta sauce are all you need. Boil the noodles, brown the beef, and drain them both. Then pour the pasta sauce into the ground beef, or throw it all together into one pot and mix.

Twirl of spaghetti perfection. 🍝Photo credit: Canva

Voilà! Dinner is ready and only costs you around $9 or less, depending on where you bought your ingredients. There will probably be leftovers you can stick in a freezer bag (squeeze out all of the air) and freeze them for another food emergency. To reheat the frozen pasta, just run it under some hot water while still in the bag, then plop the contents into a pot with a little bit of water on low heat.

4. Succotash

Is this succotash? I honestly don't know, but it's what my mom called it. As a child, it appeared that she was throwing every canned vegetable into a pot and making up a word for the concoction. I've since learned that my mother's version was made to stretch, as we were a family of 7. She took a box of Kraft macaroni and cheese, cooked it as instructed, then added a few cans of mixed vegetables. If we didn't have mixed vegetables left, then she'd take whatever vegetables were left and add one can of each, usually corn, green beans, lima beans, peas, and cooked carrots. That was it.

Baking fun: family enjoys messy dough time together!Photo credit: Canva

5. Pinto beans and rice

This was also one of my favorites as a child. As an adult, I can see how cheap it was to make and how filling it was for a large family. A bag of dry pinto beans is a whole dollar or less, and so is a bag of rice, depending on the store. I remember smelling the pinto beans simmering all day long as I ran in and out of the house playing until dinner was ready. To add to the flavor, she would cook the beans with a neck bone or ham hock, which can be found with the pork products in the meat section. It's a very Southern meal, and it's delicious.

Once the beans are tender and the water you were cooking them in has started to thicken, you can start the rice. But you should know, this meal isn't complete without cornbread. Mmm. I prefer to make cornbread muffins because they're easy to pick up and toss on the side of your bowl. Once the rice is done, grab a bowl, make a bed of rice on the bottom, and ladle in a few scoops of pinto beans. Grab your cornbread, and enjoy a meal that won't empty your pockets.

Delicious rice and beans in a rustic bowl.Photo credit: Canva

6. Breakfast for dinner

Breakfast foods are notoriously cheap, but one staple my mom used to cook in a pinch is pancakes. A box of pancake mix goes a long way, and it's only a couple of bucks. They're filling to boot, and you don't always have to use syrup. You can spread jam on top, peanut butter, or anything spreadable. They're also quick to make and there's usually no need for a special trip to the store to get pancake mix because it's in most people's pantries already.

7. Bag of soup and a roll of French bread

If they had bags of soup when I was a kid, no one in my house knew it existed. I personally buy this soup because of its ease more than the price point, but it being under $4 doesn't hurt. Bear Creek soup is a dried soup that you add to eight cups of boiling water. They have all sorts of hearty flavors like creamy potato, broccoli and cheddar, and vegetable beef. A lot of grocery stores sell fresh French bread for $1 near the bakery. Slice the bread and serve it as a side to the soup to help fill the belly.

Creamy broccoli cheddar soup in a cozy bowl. Perfect for chilly days!Photo credit: Canva

Most of these meals are made from things people already have in their homes. When people head to the grocery store, it's not usually because they're out of food, but because they're out of the foods they prefer and fresh produce. Cabinets and pantries often still contain canned foods, pasta noodles of different varieties, and more. While these meals may not be the healthiest option for people to eat, they will stretch the money and food you already have until things are a bit more stable.

If you or your family need help locating food banks in your area, please visit findfood.hungerfreeamerica.org or call 1-866-3-HUNGRY to speak with someone who can help you find local meal resources. If you need assistance with food and beyond, you can visit 211.org or call 211 to locate resources that fit your needs.