“If this is your first time being poor, I’m Kiki, and I’m trying to make it affordable to eat by using depression, recession and wartime recipes,” says TikTok creator Kiki Rough in a video posted last month. @kikirough Trying to crank out as MUCH affordable cooking content as possible! I’m going to pin this video as a reference. Please remember to eat and also I love you! ❤️ #cooking #series #recession #money #save #saving #savemoney #cash #cheap #affordable #affordablecooking #cooking #bake #baking #cookbook #recipe #recipes #learn #learning #howto #history #antique #flour #sugar #egg #eggs #tips #tricks #learntocook #familyrecipes #family #apron #red #hair #heart #glasses #fy #fyp #foryou #❤️ #❤️❤️❤️ #groceries #grocery ♬ Tea for Two (piano)(1131389) – Miwako Izumikawa While most people wouldn’t turn to the 1940s for dinner inspiration, Rough’s video has since racked up over four million views. “‘We are so back’ as says my 104-year-old grandparents,” one comment reads. “The economy must be cooked if this is trending,” added another. Rough’s video dropped just days after President Trump’s global tariff announcements in April, which sent the stock market tumbling and triggered headlines warning of a looming recession. While the ripple effects are expected to hit many industries, prices for grocery staples like seafood, coffee, wine, nuts, and cheese are all projected to rise due to the tariffs. Though not a professional chef, Rough says she’s armed with hard-earned life experience, having learned to cook on food stamps. Her recipes often omit eggs—which have hit record-high prices due to avian flu—and draw inspiration from vintage 1950s cookbooks known for their budget-friendly ideas. Rough isn’t the only one sharing recession-era cooking tips. “Eating like a medieval peasant until all my credit cards are paid off,” another TikToker posted last month. Others are documenting grocery hauls from Dollar Tree or offering guidance on being “old poor.” Between March 23 and April 22, TikTok reported a 20% surge in posts using the hashtag #budgetmeals—many of which have garnered millions of views. @dollartreedinners $20 Budget Easter Dinner Shopping List for 2025 I gave myself a $20 budget to make an Easter dinner for 4 using only ingredients from Dollar Tree.  Here’s what I picked up, why I chose it, and how I made it work.  Full dinner, dessert included — for under $20! Shopping List: 🧄 Garlic Herb Biscuit Mix (Red Lobster biscuit dupe) 🧀 Cheddar cheese 🧈 Margarine or butter 🥔 Idahoan Foods scalloped potatoes 🫛 2 cans of green beans 🍄 1 can of cream of mushroom soup 🍞 Panko bread crumbs or French fried onions 🍝 Deluxe macaroni and cheese 🍖 2 packs of deli ham 🥛 1 carton of milk 🥠 2 bags of sugar cookie mix 🍒 1 can of cherry pie filling 🍍 1 can of pineapple slices Total cost: $19.25! Check back tomorrow to see how it all came together! #dollartree #dollartreeeaster #budgetmeals #budgetfriendly #easterdinner #easteronabudget #cheapmeals #dollartreefinds #dollartreecooking #groceryhaul #easydinners #frugalmeals ♬ original sound – Dollar Tree Dinners Although a recession hasn’t officially been declared in the U.S., economic uncertainty has many people looking for signs. Hairdressers report clients are abandoning bleach in favor of darker, natural shades—a trend dubbed “recession brunette.” Frozen pizza sales are also climbing, another classic indicator that wallets are tightening. An April survey from the University of Michigan found consumer confidence even lower than it was during the Great Recession (2007–2009). It might be time to shelve your Ottolenghi and dust off The Canned Foods Cookbook from WWII.