I personally know some folks who spend all their money on fast food, and then online it seems pretty common folks not knowing how to cook causes massive financial problems.
My super duper cheap meal that takes no effort is “lazy rice veggie soup”: Can of peas and carrots cooked with a bouyon cube until cube is dissolved Add cooked rice to mix, and heat until rice is flavorful with absorbed broth
I do a cup of dried rice, and a can of peas and carrots which means the soup has 800ish calories and I think it’s pretty good as it’s either 2 small meals that you can have sides with, or one large one!
So what are your cheap meals you like to make? The less well known, the better!
Chicken rice casserole. Basically imagine the filling for chicken pot pie but with rice.
Dice chicken thighs, cook with frozen vegetables in a pot. Toss in dry rice, add water plus chicken bouillon and some poultry seasoning. Cover and cook till rice has absorbed the liquid. Toss with a can of cream of chicken soup, and if you really want put it in a casserole dish and cover it with cheese, bake it until melty.
It’s a remainder of my Midwest heritage and you can use up whatever veggies you got.