27 “Broke ‘Til Payday” Cheap Dinner Ideas

4.

“Pantry soup. I use whatever is left over at the end of my last planned shopping trip (random vegetables, beans, maybe a grain, sometimes meat scraps), throw it all in a pot and leave it to cook on low when I’m home. Season it as you like and you’ll have dinner and leftovers for a few meals (I usually take mine for lunch at work).”

“The last time I made it I used baby carrots, half an onion, a can of black beans, some lentils, leftover barley, spinach, a can of tomatoes, and some okra. It works better if you have stock/broth/bouillon cubes or a stock concentrate of some kind, but it’ll work just fine with plain water too.

If I feel like putting in the effort, I’ll also throw together some baking powder biscuits (the recipe on the side of the can).”

—torbielillies