Hope this helps a little and just fyi Im from Germany, so maybe some things are cheap for me but not for you :(

First thing try using the same spices for a lot of dishes and you’ll save a lot of money! I thought the spices were the worst money burner when I moved out.

Some good and cheap dishes for me were stuff like

• fried rice: cook rice and let it cool down, chop some ginger, garlic, onions and put it in a pan with a little oil. After 1-2min add vegetables you like and you’ll come by cheap (frozen is as good as fresh). Add rice and if you like some eggs and stuff like ham. Everything turns out delicious if you use soy sauce.

• spaghetti arrabiata: it’s just spicy tomato sauce with noodles and if you like cheese. If you have the money to buy arrabiata spices, do it (I think it’s great for pizza sauce or a quick bolognese).

• spaghetti alio e olio: it’s noodles with oil and garlic

• peanut rice noodles: add peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar and hot sauce together, put aside and cook some rice noodles and some veggies. If everything is cooked, put everything in a bowl and add the peanut sauce. I eat it at least 2x a month (if you like add garlic and/or ginger to the sauce)

• if you know how to do a yeast dough, cheap dishes are easy. If you can do the dough yourself pizza is cheap as hell, but also filled stuff like fake dumplings. If you do it on the sweet side, you’ll have some bready and caky stuff (and this kind of dough is great for a freezer)

• if you’re short on time but not exactly on money try stews and soups. You can add nearly everything you have at home and let it cook and you can eat like at least a week from it

Edit: One dish I like and just want to add is spaghetti carbonara. It’s not quiet cheap but super easy to make: Cook noodles (spaghetti), meanwhile mix 1 full egg and 2-3 egg yolks for around 2 people with around 200g parmesan (or 100g parmesan and 100g parmigianino). Fry bacon cubes (pig belly is the best). When the noodles are done add some noodle water (it won’t taste salty even if you put a lot of salt in the water) to the cheese egg mix and put the noodles in the pan with the bacon, turn off the heat and add cheese-egg mix to the pan, but be aware that the pan isn’t hot anymore, you don’t want the eggs to boil.

My go to is a simply cooked protein, a simply cooked veggie, and a carb. Season all 3 of these however you like, Mexican spiced, Asian sauced, just salt and pepper will do well in a pinch.

Examples: pan-fried chicken thighs, asparagus, and rice.
-Baked salmon, sautéed brussel sprouts, and bread
-Ground beef, and veggie stir-fry with rice

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