Popular ‘Broke Til Payday’ Meals

Broke til payday - what are we eating?

Mike and Carla are always talking about weird food - but do you have a go-to cheap and easy meal? The cost of living just seems to keep going up, and a lot of people are cutting corners. The number of Americans facing financial hardship has gone up: six in ten US adults are struggling. If you're not now, chances are you did at one time.

So how how do people get through difficult times? Ask your college kids. If you were in college, or lived on your own out of high school, you had some favorite - or some regular - "broke till payday" meals. Reddit has an interesting thread on this.

"Groceries are scarce and I'm waiting on payday," they wrote. What are you making that's still  relatively healthy with what you have left in your fridge? Everyone has different items in their fridge, so there are a lot of interesting ideas that may be helpful for anyone out there. And there are some things that actually sound really good.

Ramen -always a go to for college students - is still relatively cheap. But you can't just live on Ramen, and Cup of Noodles. Ok, maybe YOU can...  However, you might be able to zhush them up a little, right?  And you might be surprised at some of the great - and interesting - cuisine below.

Don't knock any of it til you try it. I mean, think about it: SOMEONE (through trial and error) was the first to try an artichoke - and finally figure out what part you were supposed to eat. "Oh, okay - Bob, don't eat the thorns. Flip it to the other side!"

You never know what the next artichoke might be, until you figure it out. So look at some of these, and see what you think. Not only might they save you money, but they might actually be GOOD!

-Carla Rea

You cannot go wrong with this meal - EVER!

iStock via Getty Images Plus

iStock via Getty Image

Oh, stop it. It's good! Make sure you have a pickle spear though. That makes the whole "dish."

iStock via Getty Images Plus

Yep - fried eggs and potato chips! But you can do fries, if you have potatoes.

iStock via Getty Images

Baked potatoes are a great cheap, easy, filling, tasty meal. You can dress them up a ton of different ways with whatever you have around. Throw it in the microwave - just that simple!

iStock via Getty Images plus

Toss them with a little parmesan cheese if you have it. Actually very Italian!

iStock via Getty Images Plus

It's like a mock pad Thai. If you have an egg to put in, it's probably even better!

iStock via Getty Images Plus

Add a little cheese on top, and you just might be surprised!

iStock via Getty Images Plus