# My most broke meal **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 16, 2006, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-most-broke-meal/344774 "2006-02-16T09:50:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-most-broke-meal/344774/21 "2006-02-16T15:21:15Z")
I’ll tell you, it’s worse when you’re out of college and you have to do the same things. Ramen, check. Tuna, check. With a bit of mayo, wonderbread, and tuna, you can make a pretty filling sandwich. Also, you can buy really really really cheap hotdogs that come in like 30 packs (around a dollar a pound, on sale). Again, put it on wonderbread with some catchup. Yeah, these three things were my diet for a good portion of last year. ---
**Author:** ![cowgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@cowgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cowgirl)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-most-broke-meal/344774/22 "2006-02-16T15:30:26Z")
I always managed somehow, but I lived right near a great fruit/veggie and bulk market and could always find nutrients for dinner. Rice and beans and a little know-how can take you far when you don’t have money, and you do have the luxury of a stove. But my friend who never learned to cook had more trouble. She ate ice cubes for dinner one night, Baco-Bits another. Once she fried up some bran flakes with curry because that was all she had. (I still love ramen noodles, but I’m quite fussy about the brand.) ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-most-broke-meal/344774/23 "2006-02-16T15:36:51Z")
Finding out two bites in that you’re allergic to the chinese takeout you splurged on. My face was all flushed and itchy and a little swollen, but I finished it anyway, because A) I was hungry and had skipped dinner and B) I paid for it. ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-most-broke-meal/344774/24 "2006-02-16T15:39:59Z")
I can’t beat paper and shoe laces. But I was playing in a band in 1976 and staying with the guitar player. We were so broke that all he had in the house was a few potatoes and various Caribbean spices, so that’s what we ate. Boiled potatoes, with LOTS of spices. I think my taste buds were numb for a week. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-most-broke-meal/344774/25 "2006-02-16T16:03:26Z")
Once in college I was so broke that I went to Nathan’s with my girlfriend and we made a meal out of a couple of knishes plus the free sauerkraut and pickles from the condiments bar. ---
**Author:** ![Ensign\_Edison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ab992/32.png) [@Ensign\_Edison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ensign_Edison)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-most-broke-meal/344774/26 "2006-02-16T16:07:15Z")
There was a time when I’d go shopping once a week, and live on a loaf of bread, a stick of pepperoni, a block of cheese and a bag of oranges. Other times, every day was rice and beans and if I could afford it, a dollar’s worth of beef cut up into it. Oh, and once I lived on a bag of potatoes and a pound of butter for a month. Yeah, that’s probably the winner. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-most-broke-meal/344774/27 "2006-02-16T16:08:42Z")
Three days without eating, then a can of French Onion soup. ---
**Author:** ![RyJae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@RyJae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RyJae)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-most-broke-meal/344774/28 "2006-02-16T16:32:03Z")
While my wife was in the hospital, and I couldn’t work because of it. And yet couldn’t get welfare for reasons that still are not clear to me. My son, I could not allow to go hungry so he ate all of the spagetti, ramen noodles and potatoes. Me I ate nothing but drank the leftover ramen broth, for two days. And then I broke down and ate a potato like an apple as I was so hungry I couldn’t even wait until it was cooked. Then after that I felt so bad, just in case that potato I ate would of been the last of the food available and force my son to go hungry. This lasted a good week, my son eating and never even realizing that food was scarce, and me losing (literally) 15 pounds and barely able to move around. I sucked out ketchup packets, mayonaise packets, drank syrup straight from the container. Bad days, sad days. They will never happen again.\* \*Some have accused me of being a tinfoil hat, as I pack food away to last for months. 50 pounds of rice in airlocked container, got it, MRE’s got 4 cases, evaporated milk got it, 10 tins of Treo powdered mashed potatos, got them. Now since my daughter is on a specialized diet, I am in the process of hoar… erm saving her foods. Plus more rotated on occasion. Its not that I fear the end of the world or anything such as that, its that I fear losing everything and my kids starving. ---
**Author:** ![Ace309](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ace309/32/1050_2.png) [@Ace309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ace309)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-most-broke-meal/344774/29 "2006-02-16T18:40:55Z")
Over the summer, my life was saved by a timely gift of Omaha Steaks hamburgers. For a goodly period, I was subsisting on two eggs ($.29 a dozen with 500 GreenPoints at D’Agostinos), two hamburgers and several cups of coffee a day. I think my most broke meal was no-butter generic macaroni and cheese with ketchup (to prevent scurvy). ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-most-broke-meal/344774/30 "2006-02-16T20:06:23Z")
Once When stuck in a town with Zero money, I was in an Alley and scored with a 40 pound bag of pop corn a movie theater was about to put in a dumpster, I ate that for 4 days. Another time in college I found enough money for one can of Tuna, which I mixed with about 40 packs of tartar sauce stolen from Arthur treacher’s, and about 40 pairs of saltines stolen from a food court salad bar. Lasted about 5 days. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-most-broke-meal/344774/31 "2006-02-16T20:12:21Z")
There was this time when I could only afford the 6oz filet when I really wanted the 9oz filet… OK, now that I got that smartassery out of my system, I have to say that no matter how bad things got for us, and there were a few dicey times, we always had enough food. Lots was generic, but I never looked in my pantry in dispair, thankfully. I realize now how truly fortunate I’ve been all my life. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Violaceous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2bfe46/32.png) [@Miss\_Violaceous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Violaceous)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-most-broke-meal/344774/32 "2006-02-16T20:25:20Z")
Fried rice: chopped green cabbage, cooked and chilled white rice, soy sauce, and vegetable oil. Well, it was close enough to fried rice, and enough of a change from ramen that it tasted like gold at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Bomzaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e480ec/32.png) [@Bomzaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bomzaway)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-most-broke-meal/344774/33 "2006-02-16T20:38:31Z")
All I know is, it takes a lot of those little creamers to get enough milk for decent bowl of supermarket brand cereal. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-most-broke-meal/344774/34 "2006-02-16T20:46:04Z")
> [@Bomzaway](#): > > All I know is, it takes a lot of those little creamers to get enough milk for decent bowl of supermarket brand cereal. The nice thing about self-serve coffee places is that you can put a lot of half & half, CoffeeMate and sugar into a cup and top it off with a itty bitty bit of coffee. Lots of calories for a itty bitty price. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-most-broke-meal/344774/35 "2006-02-16T21:05:56Z")
Pepperoni soup. There was one week where the pantry was empty but for a package of pepperoni, a couple of potatoes and a package of dried soup greens. Ate on that for several days, then made sure to mooch off friends for the rest. Then the check arrived, and I took all my benefactors to dinner. Now, I’m like **Abbie**. There must be a month or two of food in the house at any given time. I just call it “earthquake supplies.” ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-most-broke-meal/344774/36 "2006-02-16T21:43:07Z")
> [@Pullet](#): > > I just made rice-a-roni without butter. And I mixed corn in. Grocery store brand corn. The thought of adding katsup for flavor crossed my mind, but then I had to go flog myself for thinking sultry food-splurge thoughts. But then I remembered I boiled the flog for soup last week. > > I have enough rice-o-corny left over for tomorrow’s lunch. A victory, on the whole. > > I’ve reached a new level in broke college studentness. > > Share yours. Next time add random spices. That’s how i finally got rid of my ten year old bottle of paprika. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-most-broke-meal/344774/37 "2006-02-16T21:44:46Z")
> [@Tomcat](#): > > 10 for a $1 ramen noodles. With butter if I had it. And I’d make the full soup because I didn’t have money for soda or juice, so artificially chicken flavored water was welcome. > > 4 for a $1 cans of tuna. Mixed with the 5 for a $1 canned tomatoes on spaghetti or said ramen. > > Raiding mom’s fridge when she was out of town. > > Yeah, broke college student days were not fun. > > -Tcat 20lb bag of rice = $5 Good Times!! Good Times!! ---
**Author:** ![35340](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/8baadc/32.png) [@35340](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/35340)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-most-broke-meal/344774/38 "2006-02-16T21:45:49Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Now, I’m like **Abbie**. There must be a month or two of food in the house at any given time. I just call it “earthquake supplies.” In our house it’s “hurricane supplies”. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-most-broke-meal/344774/39 "2006-02-16T21:46:39Z")
> [@slaphead](#): > > Some slightly dried-up spam I found in the fridge, stir-fried in soy sauce, served with plain noodles. Eaten at 0700 after coming home from a 12-hour nightshift guarding an empty (as in, bare concrete) office building. I don’t really miss my student days that much. ?? That’s a common meal here in Hawaii!? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-most-broke-meal/344774/40 "2006-02-16T21:48:23Z")
> [@McNew](#): > > Mine was freshman year in college- I walked around the dorm, mooching any foodstuffs I could get my hands on. Ended up making a pizza-like concoction of Saltine’s crackers, ketchup, and parmesan cheese. They were absolutely disgusting, but I made it until breakfast the next day at the dining hall. My niece, living in the college dorm, lives off spam musubis. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-most-broke-meal/344774.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-most-broke-meal/344774.md?page=3)