Here are some of the cheapest foods that you can buy when you are broke. If you are broke you can still find food that is cheap enough to sustain you while you sort yourself up.

1. 8 Cheapest Food To Buy When Broke
July 24, 2020 by samkadya
Have you ever thought about the cheapest food to buy when broke? If you have
never had to ask yourself this question then you are a very lucky guy and lady.
Unfortunately, I am in the group that at some point in our life had to find a way to
survive in a little income. It is during those times that you learn quickly what type of
foods are low cost.
Despite the challenges I faced at that time there were a few positive things that
came out of that experience. One of those things was the fact that I learned to
prepare my own lunch for work.
To this day I still bring lunch to work, thereby cutting down on food expenses. That is
one thing that you too can learn from my experience.
There is no reason to buy food from a restaurant or take away restaurant when you
are at work. You can prepare your own healthy food that meets all your needs and
specifications other than standardized food in restaurants.
Your money is precious so spend it well and if you have excess save it.
I will now try to share my experiences. And I hope that you too can learn from my
experiences and be able to survive and thrive afterward.
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2. Cheapest Food To Buy When Broke
Below are some of the low-cost food that you can get if God forbid, you become
broke.
1. Eggs
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3. During the time I was financially stretched I discovered that one of the most
economical foods that you can buy is eggs.
One can easily get stocked up for a whole week on a dollar or a little more.
I used to buy at least two crates just to make sure that come what may, I at least had
something to fall back on.
Eggs are some of the most nutritious foods out there. According to webmd.com, one
egg has 7 grams of high-quality protein, 5 grams of fat, and 1.6 grams of saturated
fat, along with iron, vitamins, minerals, and carotenoids.
It is also a powerhouse of disease-fighting nutrients like lutein and zeaxanthin.
2. Tinned Fish
Another low-cost food that kept me going
during the time I was broke was tinned
fish. One can easily get tinned fish for a
few pennies in most supermarkets.
The reason I liked tinned fish was the fact
that I hate cooking so any low-cost and
ready-made food would do at that time.
The good thing about fish is that it is low in fat but filled with omega-3 fatty acids and
vitamins D and B2 (riboflavin).
It is also rich in other minerals that include magnesium, potassium, zinc, iodine, iron,
etc.
Besides the tinned fish, one can also go for fresh fish but in the area, I was living in I
felt that the price was too high for someone who is broke.
I am not sure about other big city areas but I would assume the situation should be
the same.
I would urge you to consider your own situation and find out whether fresh fish is
cheaper than tinned fish in your area.

4. 3. Beans
Another type of food that would work for those short of cash is beans. I am a big fan
of beans and has been like that since I was a little boy.
Growing up I was surprised that not many people like beans. Beans were to me, the
best in the plant kingdom. Given an opportunity, I can survive on beans alone if it
was a healthy thing to do. Unfortunately, that is not the case.
In terms of nutrition, beans are the closest thing to meat from the animal kingdom.
This is because of their protein content which is higher especially in soya beans.
In beans, you have 15 grams protein, 1 gram fat, 45 grams carbohydrates, 15 grams
fiber. Besides this, beans contain iron which is equivalent to 20 % of the daily value
you need for good health.
There is also calcium and magnesium which are 8% and 21% of the daily value
respectively. And last but not least phosphorus which meets 25% of daily needs.
4. French Fries
I honestly did not want to include french fries on this list but that is what I survived on
during my difficult financial days. I survived on this junk food because it was the most
affordable at that time.
I remember I used to buy the frozen french fries bags from my local supermarket. If
my memory serves me right I think I was paying less than a dollar for a packet.
On some days I would just put it in an oven for 30 minutes. This was a bit healthier
option than dipping them in boiling oil.

5. I must confess that I preferred frying it than putting it in an oven. This is something I
would not honestly encourage anyone to do. French fries are not good for your
health.
The gravest danger of french fries comes from the trans fats that are created by the
cooking in oil at very high temperatures.
And as most doctors will tell you trans fats are bad for you.
Trans fats are associated with a higher risk for many cardiovascular diseases i.e.
diseases affecting the heart and blood vessels.
5. Rice
It is very easy to forget the good old staple of rice. It is probably one of the most
affordable foods available.
Personally, I like brown rice as it is the most nutrient-rich form of rice. It is a must-
have for any health-conscious person out there.
White rice may be more palatable to many people but is deficient in many ways as
the processing gets rid of the nutrient-rich parts.
As one nutrition expert once told me, it is almost useless in terms of its nutritional
value.
I would, therefore, encourage you to consider switching to brown rice if you want to
get the best type of rice.

6. Rice is mainly rich in carbohydrates and some proteins. A half-cup of rice contains
28.7 grams of carbohydrates and 2.36 grams of protein.
Therefore as you can see rice is dominated by carbohydrates.
One thing I noted during my difficult days is that it is much cheaper to buy a 5 or 10
kg bag of rice than buying a packet every day. You actually save if you buy in bulk.
Buying in bulk is one of the best ways to save money and cut your budget for any
home purchase.
6. Bread
I remember during the time I was studying for my exams, I was too lazy to cook and
relied on eating just bread and juice. At other times I would add an egg as it is also
the easiest food to prepare.

7. Actually one can do away with rice and just use bread in his meals. On bread, I am a
fan of brown bread as white bread puts me off. I simply do not like the taste of white
bread.
I know I am an exception to this as most people prefer white bread from white bread.
However let it be known that in terms of nutritional value, brown bread is way ahead
of white bread. It, therefore, makes sense to stop eating white bread and go for
brown bread.
One of the major advantages of brown bread or wholemeal bread is that it is a good
source of fiber.
And it is well known that a high fiber diet helps in digestion preventing cases of
constipation and the like.
It has also been shown that a high fiber diet reduces the risk of bowel cancer.
And for those fighting obesity, they too also stand to gain from wholemeal bread.
This is because the high fiber in it helps to make people feel fuller and therefore
reduces the craving for more food.
And the less food you eat the less weight you gain.
7. Some Fruits and Vegetables
One thing I also noted during my time is that vegetables were a bit expensive for
someone who was struggling financially.
At that time I was not in a position to be spending more than a dollar on fruits and
vegetables.

8. For example, I remember seeing mangoes being sold at a dollar each. I honestly
thought that that was too expensive for me.
I was then not getting any salary and therefore it was a question of subtraction only
on my money.
There were however some vegetables that I found to be reasonably priced. These
vegetables included lettuce and some leafy vegetables.
It is for this reason that starting this year I have started growing my own vegetables.
It has been tough but worth it.
I am at the moment watching how my tomato plants are growing. They have just
started flowering so hopefully, in the next few weeks, we could see some tomatoes
developing.
The easiest crop to grow and one that I have now fallen in love with is potatoes. I
have grown some in the ground and some in the plastic paper bags.
The ones in plastic paper bags appear to be growing fast and are in a much better
position than the ones that are in a small plot of land behind our house.
Even though I am no longer in financial difficulties, I have really enjoyed growing my
own crops. I hope to continue this farming next year.
Currently, I am trying to root heads of lettuce in water in the hope of transplanting
them in the soil later on. If this works I should have my own lettuce harvest soon.

9. I wish I had had my own vegetable crops when I was going through my difficult
times. Then I would not have been complaining about the prices of vegetables.
8. Meat
When one is broke and is a meat eater he will discover that meat is actually much
cheaper than vegetables. As someone who does not eat meat I wish it was different.
However, the reality is that due to farm subsidies, meat is very cheap nowadays and
affordable. For some reason, farmers are the most pampered of any group of
citizens in Europe and America.
Even though I don’t like offering subsidies to farmers, I must confess that such
policies have helped in making sure that food is affordable to all people.
Though this has completely distorted the international markets making farmers in
other parts of the world struggle to export their goods to us.
If you are struggling financially I would advise that you go and get meat from the
supermarkets such as Walmart etc.
Their prices should be more affordable than buying it from the smaller grocer on the
corner of your street.
It is fine to support the small grocer when things are going fine but not when you are
struggling. You can support them again once you get back on track.
Conclusion
I hope you have been able to learn from the cheapest food to buy when broke list
that I have provided to you. I understand that I was living an extreme life back then
and only went for the most basic of supplies.
I refrained from all sorts of fancy foods that people eat when things are going well.
For me, it was just a question of survival. It was a time I learned how to be frugal.
Though it was not by choice back then.
My advice to those going through a difficult time is to visit a few shops first before
you start spending your money.

10. During these visits, jot down the prices of goods from each shop and use your
findings to help you find the best option for yourself.
Don’t confine yourself to one shop. During this time you have no such luxury.
If you are going through a tough time like I was then, I just want to say keep on
keeping on. You will get through this tough patch and will come stronger and better
on the other side. To lighten your burdens I urge you to read a post on frugal quotes.
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9 Reasons Why You Should Prepare a Budget
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