Arepas are cheap and filling!

The main ingredient of arepas is masa harina, at my local Aldi you can buy a 4 lb bag for $3.15.

The basic recipe is 2 cups of masa harina (cooked white or yellow cornmeal), 1 tsp salt, and 2.5 cups warm water. Mix all together to make a dough, then shape them into little patties and fry in a frying pan.

It seems most arepas are then sliced down the middle and used as sandwiches, but I usually mix shredded cheese into the dough, or make a batch and then for lunch each day take one arepa and melt slices of cheese on top in the toaster oven and serve with a fried egg, refried beans, tomatoes, avocados or other vegetables. They are very filling!

Here is one recipe: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/238510/homemade-arepas/