The 69-cent dinner: Beef & Bean Burrito, Corn, Ramen Noodles and Water.

Running out of cash? Living on a tight budget? Saving for a trip to Cancun?

The answer to the money question often comes through cutting back and making sacrifices … downgrading the cable/satellite package, renting a movie instead of going to the cinema, vacationing at the nearby lake instead of Lake Tahoe, consuming generic products instead of brand names …

And the list goes on.

For me, I tend to resist putting my money where my mouth is. In other words, I eat nickels and dimes instead of ones and fives. In other, other words, I usually don’t spend a lot of money on food.

Cutting back this way is easy for me. First, I don’t appreciate a good steak much more than I do a good burger. Second, I view food as simply a means of survival. I eat to live, not for enjoyment or pleasure.

That isn’t to say I don’t enjoy eating. I do, even in spite of the fact I often indulge in food most wouldn’t necessarily find indulging.

In fact, I enjoyed quite a pleasurable dinner tonight, and all it cost was 69 cents. Here’s how I did it.

Ramen Noodles

Ramen Noodles are often at the heart of many meals constrained by budget. I frequently eat them as a main course, though they also can be utilized quite effectively as a side. I frequently eat them plain, though there are any number of recipes out there for the creative types who may desire to add meats, cheeses, sauces, pastes, spices, chives, etc. to their noodles. I frequently eat chicken and beef flavored Ramen, though a trio of shrimp flavors also are available – plain shrimp, lime shrimp and lime chili shrimp, Bubba said.

Ramen Noodles produced by Maruchan can be purchased individually or in packages. Recently, I found a package of a dozen going for $2.19. Thus, an individual serving represented 18 cents of tonight’s 69-cent dinner.

Beef & Bean Burrito

This was my main course, and a fine main course it was. Toss one in the microwave after a long day, and a minute-and-a-half later, a Mexican delicacy is served. Muy bueno.

These can be found in your supermarket’s freezer section. The brand I purchase – Casa Mamita – also offers a bean and cheese burrito. They are sold individually and go for 35 cents. Now, that’s really thinking outside the bun.

Corn

Nothing goes better with a burrito and Ramen, than a mound of Maize. Can you imagine a world without corn? According to a website containing corn quick facts, “Your bacon and egg breakfast, glass of milk at lunch, or hamburger for supper were all produced with U.S. corn.” So was my burrito, of course.

My corn preference is Season’s Choice Super Sweet Whole Kernel Corn (it does indeed live up to its billing of being “Super Sweet” but only after a few spoons of butter and salt are added). I’ve seen this retail anywhere from a dollar to a buck-fifty for 16 oz. One can achieve 10 solid servings from one bag. Adding a few extra cents for butter, salt and pepper, corn made up approximately 15 cents of tonight’s dinner.

Water

The Mayo Clinic recommends that men consume 13 cups and women nine cups of H2O per day. What better time to check one cup off the list than at dinner. It’s cheap, refreshing and doesn’t suck. And, as Momma said, Gatorade isn’t better.

For the sake of this blog post, I’ll say my eight ounces of water at tonight’s dinner cost approximately one cent.

And there you have it, the 69-cent dinner: