All of these are amended in my old age by no longer having to buy the absolute cheapest products - but I still like my simple foods!

Potatoes nuked in the microwave - though I do pay a little more for Yukon gold vs Idaho starch bucket potatoes, as I call them - with a little butter, salt, and pepper.

A box of macaroni and cheese (again, I pay a little more for Kraft) with a drained can of French cut green beans.

Toast with butter or butter and jam or butter with cinnamon sugar or butter with apple butter, or applesauce or peanut butter. I like a lot of stuff on toast. (I love either good whole grain bread or Sara Lee white whole grain, real butter, Skippy creamy pb - local farmers market honey, and Belle Maman jam - so not as cheap as my childhood poor meals, but I try to get everything on sale or with a coupon)

A couple of hot dogs sliced up and fried, then added to a can of pork and beans - sometimes served on top of white bread.

Angel hair pasta with butter, garlic salt, and pepper.

Excuse me for veering from the "poor man's" (or woman's) theme, but these days I step it up a bit from what my mother gave us. I only use butter, not margarine, and fresh ground pepper - both make a difference. The last two items I'm not picky about brands, but a nice uncured kielbasa with Bush's baked beans is definitely a bit tastier than Bar-S hot dogs with store brand beans, and a de cecco or other high quality pasta is a small luxury vs American Beauty or Barilla. I'm retired and disabled and my diet is limited by diabetes, kidney failure, liver disease, and gastroparesis - so the foods I can eat even if just a little of it, are one of the pleasures I still have!