Does Food On A Budget Make You Cringe?

Thinking about stretching your food budget to accommodate today's leaner days?  When I consider food and budget in the same sentence, my thoughts go immediately to solemn words like lentils.  Tomato sauce.  Oatmeal.  Potatoes.  None of it sounds very appetizing, but if I put a little thought into those, I'm thinking, ah ha!  Lentil soup with a soupcon of yellow curry.  Tomato sauce?  Sure, and why not toss in just a few kalamata olives and a shredding of parmesan?  Oatmeal?  Well, my default on oatmeal is topping it with brown sugar and broiling it for a budget-inspired oatmeal creme brulee.  Potatoes?  Wow, a whole meal when I bake them, and then empty out the fridge with a piece of this and a leftover piece of that. 

My question:  what are your food on a budget inspirations?