Everybody could use a little extra cash for Christmas, and if you’re not earning it you’d better be saving it from somewhere else in your budget.

Financial advisors often suggest laying off the lattes for a while or brown-bagging it for lunch — those small daily expenses add up. For the longest time my daily limit during the work week was $5 a day. That went out the window about six or seven years ago when high gas prices sent attendant costs of shipping, electricity, rent, etc., soaring, and plate lunch prices rose by $1 across the board.

Gas prices came back down eventually, but food prices never did. Restaurants tried to mask it by shrinking portions and selling mini plates at the cost of regular-size lunches, while the cost of regular lunches and even relatively inexpensive food like ramen has climbed up to about $13 and $18, respectively.

There are different levels of cheap when it comes to lunch, so where would I draw the line?

Then I came across “Pidgin Jedi” and author Lee Tonouchi’s lament on Facebook that the cost of a Zippy’s Zip Pac, his go-to yardstick for cheap eats, had surpassed his $10 budget limit by 50 cents.

“My general rule wuz when people ask me if I like go eat such and such place, if cost-es more than $10 then I kinda hesitant cuz I know for less than $10 I can get one perfectly good Zip-Pac that tastes good and going fill me up.”

Anything more than $10, “we talking Richie Rich kine food, brah,” he said.

If he were single, his rule would render him undateable in my book. But married with two kids, he’s just being responsible. His kids won’t eat at ethnic places where family-style dining is generally cheaper than places with individual entrees.

Still, I thought I could help him.

The most obvious place to start was MW Restaurant, where the weekday lunchtime, takeout-only MW bento is a luxe version of the Zip Pac, and still only $10. For that price, you get the requisite bed of furikake-topped rice with two pieces of kalbi that Tonouchi noted was thicker than Zippy’s teri beef, tonkatsu, two slices of Portuguese sausage, kim chee and two other side vegetables, and MW’s version of Spam, smoked pork arabiki meatloaf.

Also available are four or five of the restaurant’s daily specials. They might include mochi-crusted monchong, miso honey-glazed butterfish or grilled Ludovico Farms chicken.

Chef Wade Ueoka said many customers come in three times a week for these to-go dishes, available in smaller portions than the sit-down entrees, and without the appetizers and dessert that form a $25 prix fixe lunch special.

From there, it was on to Korean take-out spot O’Kim’s at Smith Street in Chinatown. Her luxe plates run about $11.99, but she’s kept her most popular plate of confit pork belly brulee at $9.99. The juicy pork belly is served over Korean black rice (purple when cooked), with her kim chee (the Kamuela won bok she uses is sweeter and at its peak during these winter months). Tonouchi’s response to this plate: “Ho, wuz super fancy. Like eating one rainbow, brah.”

Of both MW and O’Kim’s plates, he said, “I nevah eat this good in awhiles,” proving that affordable need not be a soul-sucking experience.

I had more suggestions, starting with the ancient Hong Kong secret of the dim sum brunch. Not long ago, a trio of dim sum dumplings was $1.50 throughout Chinatown, which meant a family of four could feast for about $20. Now the same order is $3.30 at one of my favorite spots, Fook Lam in the Chinatown Cultural Plaza. Still, two can fill up on three selections for $9.90. Consider the price limit to be good practice in portion control.

At one time you could get a plate of Hong Kong noodles topped with duck, or a bowl of shrimp wonton for about $3.75 all over Chinatown. Haven’t seen much of that lately, but at the Kamehameha Shopping Center, Liu’s Chop Suey’s menu is a throwback to the early 1990s.

For $4.75 for lunch or dinner, you can still get a plate of rice or cake noodles topped with one of 28 entree selections such as ginger chicken, minute chicken, roast duck, salt-pepper shrimp or salt-pepper pork.

Ramen was once a reliable under-$10 stable. No more. At Waikiki Yokocho, the average price is about $14. One of the least expensive is Bario Ramen’s regular ramen, for $11.99. Applying a 15 percent kamaaina discount brings it down to $10.19. Tonouchi said his $10 pre-tax preference is fluid and not a set rule, but for the principal of the quest, a $9.95 lunch ramen is half the size of the regular, which I can never finish anyway.

If you’re looking for cheap, lunch is probably going to be your main meal of the day anyway. Most people are working and don’t have time for a lengthy meal. Smart restaurateurs try to capture this market with under-$10 specials.

At Gyu-Kaku Waikiki, takeout $8.50 bentos are offered between 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. daily. The bentos feature white rice, an assortment of vegetables, potato salad and a meat choice, from chicken karaage to spicy pork belly to different forms of grilled beef, such as harami and tongue. You also get a soft drink.

Don’t limit your search to restaurants. Grocery stores like Whole Foods and Foodland Farms Ala Moana do a great job with a wide variety of hot and cold dishes, including meat and vegetables, sold by weight, at $8.99 per pound. (It adds up quickly when every dish looks tempting.)You can take it out or eat on site. Down to Earth also offers diverse food-bar options for those who choose to go meatless.

The newest market to offer a semi-buffet setup is the Korean 88 Pal Pal Supermarket at 835 Keeaumoku St. (formerly Keeaumoku Supermarket). You’re allowed to fill one plate at a cost of $7 for lunch and $10 for dinner. The selection includes about eight vegetables, such as garlic- sauteed zucchini, plus chap chae, fried chicken, mandoo and a single daily meat selection such as braised oxtails.

Breakfast can be one of the cheapest meals of the day, and at Harry’s Cafe, 1101 Waimanu St., early birds can fill up from 5 to 8 a.m. weekdays on a $4.95 breakfast of bacon with two eggs and fried rice. For $5.35, meat options expand to a pick of link, Portuguese or Vienna sausages, or Spam. Look for cheap breakfasts in areas where rent is relatively low, such as Kalihi.

At working-man hangout Cooke Street Diner, 605 Cooke St. in Kakaako, a $5.25 breakfast includes two eggs, two scoops rice or toast and a meat selection. A short stack of pancakes is $4. At lunch, from 10 a.m., a teri burger runs $3.95. Add kim chee to that burger and you’re looking at $4.50. If it’s a plate you want, hamburger steak or shoyu chicken are $8.75 and $8.95 respectively. Weekday specials are $7 (mini) and $8.95 (regular).

This is where it gets fancy, with selections such as baked garlic chicken or pork adobo on Mondays, Thai spicy chicken or mushroom chicken on Tuesdays, and pork guisantes or roast turkey with stuffing on Thursdays.

Basically, cheap is still out there and you can find it if you love the search. It just may be your inner food Grinch that saves Christmas.

Nadine Kam’s restaurant reviews are conducted anonymously and paid for by the Star-Advertiser. Reach her at nkam@staradvertiser.com.