Pasta is the the poor man's very good friend. The number one reason for this is that pasta is cheap. At full price it won't break the bank and, on sale, it's downright affordable. Reasonably nutritious, it can be jazzed up, simply accented, or eaten straight up. Join us bums on a quick tour of some specially delicious pasta meal options.

Although many of us harbor bitterness toward the big 'ol V-Day, there are a few broke romantics still out there. Forgive the bad poetry, but it’s got to be done:

Chocolate and flowers,
cards and gifts,
use your RFB powers,
to make little shifts,
that’ll keep your lovers,
diving under the covers.

Like any good slasher film, so goes my love life: never is there a happy ending. Personally, I'm all about screaming "Die Cupid Die!" on the all too celebrated Valentine’s Day. So much so that I throw dinner parties with the same theme, and once even convinced a popular musician to paint the same phrase all over her shirt for a gig. Apparently, the crowd loved it. So with that in mind, get out your puffy paints and aprons as I present to you Little Brown Bag's version of DIE CUPID DIE! Yes, it's cheap. Just like those bastards you're going to invite.

Italians know food and deals. America, in its grand tradition of bastardizing cuisine, has embraced a budget-friendly version of Italian food. There is a wide variety of Italian cuisine and many potentially expensive ingredients. But we all know that isn't what you're going to serve your bum posse when they show up.