With food prices remaining a top concern for many households, a growing wave of home cooks on social media is showing audiences how to prepare affordable, simple, and satisfying meals.
Easy, recession-free recipes
One of the most popular voices in this space is Matthew Bounds, known online as Your Barefoot Neighbor. In a recent TikTok video, he declared, “Every day in August, we’re making an easy, shortcut recipe for back-to-school season. The goal is just to get dinner on the table.”
Bounds has built an audience of more than four million followers across TikTok and Instagram and has become a bestselling cookbook author, with his latest release titled Keep It Simple, Y’all. His recipes favor convenience over extravagance—think chicken casserole made with cream of celery soup and dehydrated gravy mix, reminiscent of the quick, comforting meals found in 1980s magazines. Each video delivers a complete recipe in under 90 seconds, making them ideal for TikTok’s fast-paced format.
But his work goes far beyond cooking tips. This summer, Bounds and his community joined forces with creator V Spehar of Under the Desk News to raise approximately $80,000 for Toups’ Family Meal, a New Orleans nonprofit that provides meals to food-insecure families, particularly children during school breaks. He also organized a food drive for the Knox Pride Food Pantry System, resulting in 15,000 packages of food being donated—enough to supply their pantry and four others in the area within just 48 hours.
Bounds attributes the success of these efforts to a desire for meaningful action. “People are looking for positivity. Many want to help but aren’t sure where to start. When I point them toward a specific need, they’re eager to step in,” he said.
Cooking Lessons from the Past
Another influential figure in the affordable cooking movement is Kiki Ruff, widely recognized as the “Recession Recipes Lady.” Ruff’s inspiration comes from history—she studies cookbooks from the Great Depression, wartime rationing periods, and previous economic downturns. “I figured I’d learn from the pros,” she explained. “If it worked during World War II rationing, I can adapt it for today’s economy.”
Her recipes are designed to be flexible. For example, a homemade hamburger helper can be made with beef, or swapped for chickpeas, mushrooms, or tofu to cut costs. If tomato sauce isn’t on hand, she encourages substitutions such as tomato paste, salsa, pasta sauce, or even ketchup.
Ruff has chosen not to monetize her content, emphasizing that she does not want to profit from an audience facing financial hardship. Her videos resonate with a diverse group—single parents, young adults aging out of foster care, and individuals coping with job loss.
She ends every video with a personal sign-off: “Please remember to eat, and also I love you.” The phrase originated from a note a friend gave her during a difficult time, a reminder to prioritize self-care. “It meant so much to me then, and now I see how meaningful it is for viewers who might not hear those words anywhere else,” she said.
From nostalgic casseroles to wartime-inspired substitutions, creators like Bounds and Ruff are doing more than sharing recipes—they’re building communities of support, offering both practical help and encouragement during challenging times.
